If you have followed our blog from the start, you may recall our mascot “Mr. Smart.” In his old age, Mr. Smart has become a bit of a homebody, so in Turkey, we picked up a companion Zeki Oteki (Clever Other). In Greece, we picked up another intelligent companion, my mom! Thanks to her Vassar history degree and in particular her learnings in Art History 101, we had a knowledgeable tour guide in our explorations of the Peloponnese. 

We started in Nafplio, our home base for exploring the ancient sites of Mycenae and Epidavros and for watching the thrilling World Cup final!  Nafplion was festive with lights and a weekend Christmas Market.

Mycenae was built on a hilltop and is believed to have been inhabited since Neolithic times. It became an important Greek city, ruled by King Agamemnon. According to Greek mythology, it was built by the Cyclops. Seeing the massive boulder walls helped us imagine the basis for this myth- an impressive architectural feat, especially for the time period (2nd millennium BCE). We were particularly impressed with the Lion Gate above the main entrance to the fortified city and the Treasury of Atreus, a beehive tomb with amazing acoustics. We had fun making up a “song” with Alden on the beatbox and the rest of us on vocals and sound effects.

After Mycenae, we headed to another Mycenaen site Epidavros, once a healing center. A highlight there was the theater, whose amazing acoustics were fun to try. Alden and Mila ran to the top of the theater and told us what numbers we were whispering. Then Mila did a dramatic rendition of Arabian Nights, which she will perform in her school’s upcoming performance of Aladdin. We wandered around the archaeological site, Simon and Alden leading the way. My mom and Mila took a bit longer, reading every sign. I kept getting distracted by birds and cats that I wanted to photograph, so was our caboose.

We drove a winding road through mountain villages across to Olympia, the site of the first Olympic games. When we arrived, we learned that all the museums and the archaeological site close at 3 in the off-season. We had a memorable lunch at a family tavern, with a friendly 13-year-old server who seemed happy to chat with us in English. They served us homemade olive oil made with olives from their olive tree. On our way back from lunch, we were lured into a shop by a jewelry shop owner who wanted to show off her brother’s Olympic torch that he had the honor of carrying during the 1980 opening ceremony. We spent the evening watching the sunset at a beautiful rocky beach.

The next day we went to three museums. In the Museum of the Olympic Games, we learned about the development of the ancient Olympic Games which started in the 8th century BCE, and saw a variety of related artifacts-statues, pottery, and mosaics depicting athletes, training implements, trophies, and early sports equipment. Mila was struck by the injustice that women weren’t allowed, even as audience members.

We wandered around the archaeological site, having a foot race in the Olympic Stadium and seeing the site where the Olympic Torch is lit for each Olympic Games before it is carried to Athens to be handed off to the host country. After exploring the archaeological site, we visited the archaeological museum, where we saw many of the artifacts unearthed in the excavations of the Temple of Zeus. Particularly impressive were the sculptures that ornamented the pediments and the metopes of the temple. Finally, we went to the kids’ favorite museum, the Archimedes museum, an interactive museum displaying many ancient inventions and discoveries of Archimedes.

Our final stop in our loop was the ancient site of Delphi. Ancient Greeks believed that Delphi was the navel of the Earth. Built in the 8th century BCE, it was host to the famous oracle and was visited by pilgrims bearing gifts and offerings. The Pythia in the temple breathed gasses emitting from a chasm in the earth, entering a trance and muttering incomprehensible words. The priests would interpret for the pilgrims the oracle’s answers to their queries.

We spent a night in Athens on either end of our road trip. We didn’t have much time on those days to explore the tourist sites but had fun walking around and checking out the festive holiday vibes in the city. We had two fun nights out with my Vassar buddy Ian, who has been living in Athens for the last couple of years.

I asked everyone what was their favorite part of this leg of our journey. Alden said learning about “Asklepios” whose name he found humorous. Mila liked learning about the Olympics in Olympia. Simon says beating Alden in the Olympic foot race. I loved the scenic vistas and the interesting history at Delphi. Nana’s highlights included kicking a pinecone-like object with Alden in Olympia, Mila’s curiosity to learn and read about ancient Greece, kind gifts from Greek locals like a gifted box of Christmas cookies, Nemean wine (much improved), and “that amazing World Cup final!” After 5 days of exploring and learning, we left the mainland and headed to Crete where we met Emily and Michael and celebrated Hanukkah and Christmas. That post will be coming soon…