Day 4: From the mask of Agamemnon to basking in luxury. Today was a classic Greek Day

 

Us at the Ancient Theater at the Asklepeieon of Epidaurus

Today was scheduled to be one of the warmer days of our trip. The temperature nearly reached 80 and I think the "real feel" probably did. We started our day with another buffet breakfast.  The kids seem to enjoy this style of dinner because there is a greater chance of them getting something to eat that they like...that said, picky eaters are picky eaters. 

Some of the kids enjoying breakfast

My late night blogging snack kept me full through the morning!

The breakfast spread. Lots of options.

After eating, last minute packing, and boarding the bus, we were off to Mycenae. This is a place that I was really looking forward to visiting without knowing too much about it. A quick history refresher reminds us all that this is the homeland of King Agamemnon. He was the Greek king that attacked Troy and developed the Trojan horse. This society predates much of the ancient Greece that we typically study although we often merge it all into one story. Homer wrote about it and many believed Troy and Mycenae to be largely fiction until the 1870s. In the US we were connecting East to West with lots of railroads and here, archeologists were digging for the past.  Eventually ancient Mycenae was discovered and soon after historic Troy was too. The legends became more and more of a reality although much of what we know is still speculation.  Our first visit was to an ancient amphitheater. The acoustics of this theater are so good that one supposedly can speak at a normal voice and folks in the last row (and it sits 15,000 people) can hear without a problem. 

Our guide for the visit was Sophia. She was so knowledgeable. More than that, she really seemed passionate about her home and truly tried to connect with both students groups even relaying to us her visits to Canada and Maine, in December, lol. She promised to come back when there aren't feet of snow on the ground.  After hearing her lecture on the beauty and history of the amphitheater, she led us in a few demonstrations to hear what she meant. Me, being a man of science, tried to debunk her claims after we had free time. I waited for our group to be high up on the seats and I delivered some of my best jokes. Not a single student laughed.  Sadly, they could hear me just fine :(

After my disappointing debut on the Greek comedy scene (what a tragedy, right), 

Sophia took us to the Temple of Agamemnon. Homer described it as passing through a lion's gate and amazingly enough 3400 years later the lions were still there. It was at this location that historians believe the late king was laid to rest. Sadly, at some point, shortly after his internment, thieves broke in and stole some of the most important relics.  

Lol, my bad..the Lion's Gate was at the entrance to the ancient city and those pictures will be next because Sophia led us to the entrance of this walled city. It had been lost to history until Germany and Greece led a joint entry to uncover it. 

The ground covers nearly 3 square miles, so we didn't visit the entire thing, but it rests upon a hill and some of our group scaled the heights to see the panoramic.  All of these sites were covered by an earthquake which rattled the ground at around 400 BCE. Thieves took a lot of treasure from this place, too, but not all of it. During the excavation they did find some gold adornments including the now famous mask of Agamemnon.  You've probably seen it before...it looks like a golden plate with a face embossed into it. I would have taken a picture of it, but it is in a museum...maybe we will see it later!

Again, we said goodbye to our local guide and we headed to lunch. This was a very nice place with a menu option for our group.  I ordered Chicken schnitzel, but a few kids ordered some traditional Greek meals. A few more ordered ice cream and brownies for dessert. It was a great way to end a warm day and prepare for a fairly long bus ride to Olympia. 

My yummy lunch!

The previous pictures are of our luxurious hotel. Laertis explained it would be the fanciest of all of them and he was not wrong. Currently, as I write this, a few of our kids are at their private spa (indoor pool, jacuzzi, and sauna).  My bedroom is a bit of a suite and includes a jacuzzi tub!  The outdoor pool, which was very busy shortly after our arrival, was warm from the sun and also had gelato for purchase. We've never had it so good!!!

Our dinner buffet was also luxury status. I had meatballs, braised beef, and a Greek pork dish whose name escapes me, but was surreal. I didn't take any lunch or dinner pictures today because some of our kids are starting to intermingle and eat with our Canadian friends. In respect to their privacy, I am not taking pictures without their permission. I may ask tomorrow, but for today, I let the kids enjoy themselves. 

The hotel lobby also includes a guest book for EF Tours travelers. Their spring season has just begun so I signed "Saugus" into the book and encouraged the kids to sign their names too. I hope to remember to take a picture as we leave. I hope, somewhere down the line, someone recognizes us and shares the picture back.  That would be cool. It would also be a great reminder of how small the world can be when we open ourselves up to travel.  This morning while at the theater, I happened to look over at another group and I swore I knew one of the group leaders.  As we left, I saw him again and I was right.  Of course, I went over to say "Hi" and he was shocked to be seeing me too.  Tonight, as we wrapped up dinner, another group was entering...and sure enough it was his.  I haven't seen him in three or four years, but twice in one day...in Greece, we crossed paths again.  It is amazing how the further away from home one can be, the closer to home we can sometimes feel.  

Tomorrow is the midway point of our tour. We have another long travel day ahead of us after touring Olympia and after that Athens comes back into our lives. This trip is flying by and soon, sadly, we will be flying home. 

Mr. Lavoie, currently sitting in the hotel lobby debating whether or not to try out his jacuzzi tub for a little R and R.  What do you think?

  

Day 3: We've Journeyed to the Peloponnese for pottery and Poseidon

Poseidon's Temple

 Before I get too deep into the blog, the headline today is a little misleading. We visited a temple dedicated to Poseidon today, but it is on the mainland side of the Corinth canal. I liked the alliteration too much to not use it!!!

I also realized after posting last night that I never covered dinner at our previous hotel.  Both breakfast and dinner there were a buffet style.  I grabbed some pictures of both.  The general report from the kids I spoke to was that both were fine.  I barely ate dinner last night because I was not feeling too great (a little fatigue stomach ache, I think) and I had a snickers bar for my morning meal. Don't Judge Me!!! lol

I also loved the fact that my room number, last night, was 322...which is my classroom number at SMHS.  The room last night was a little older than my classroom, but was still a nice place to visit.

We packed our bags and loaded the bus at around 8:30.  Our drive took us south to the temple dedicated to Poseidon where we met Georgia.  She was an excellent guide who explained everything to us along the way. One of our students wasn't feeling too great, so I stayed with them for most of the tour but was able to head up the temple a few minutes later.  

Georgia, our local guide for the day

After the temple visit, we began the longish journey to the Corinth canals. The canals were built by the same firm that designed and built the Suez canal. It is over 100 years old and allows for ships to pass through rather than circumnavigate the entire peninsula. It was under some repair today, so no boats, but it was still impressive. Equally impressive was the bus that we had, and have, for the rest of our tour. It has plenty of charging stations and personal entertainment consoles at each seat. How far we've come!!!

Blogger's Note: Wifi Issues are preventing pictures from uploading. I will try again later, but until then check Facebook and see all that we've done today.

After visiting the canal, we headed up a steep mountainside. It won't be the biggest one we visit today, but Leartis had a restaurant for us to eat at with a great view. At the top of the mountain there were some castle ruins, but we didn't really have enough time to visit. Our lunch offers were pretty good. A menu of affordable Greek choices. I ordered the pork soulvakis, some kids got chicken, and others got Greek meatballs. I think some of the other tables were a little more adventurous than we were. Overall, the food was delicious. I couldn't even finish my meal.

We descended the mountain and headed to Mycaena. Here we were lucky enough to try our hand at pottery! We learned a little about the process and were all given some clay. The goal was to make the mother goddess of the Mycaenan people. We all tried really hard. The clay has to dry for 14 days before it can be painted, so the kids will have to pack them in their suitcases and hope they survive. Mine was not good, lol, it was compared first to Germany in the 1940s and then to Elvis.  If I get pictures working, at some point, you can judge. Just don't look behind it because I left it on their hall of fame and the one behind mine was a little rated R. The kids and adults all had a blast forming and shaping their clay figurines.  

It was then time for a short 30 minute drive to Tolo for our new hotel. It is nice, a bit older than the last, but still on a beach. Some kids went into the water, others strolled the quiet beach side roads looking for souvenirs or ice cream. Most were successful in their quest. Dinner here was buffet as well. Spaghetti, salad, sautéed veggies, and Greek meatballs too. While not really traditional, the kids appreciate food they know and everyone was able to eat. 

It was still kind of early after dinner, so again, most of the kids went for a short walk. It is a really quiet place and is only filled with a variety of student groups from all over. The kids from Haverhill, that were on our flight, are actually at our hotel as well.  Some of our kids have started chatting with the other group, as expected, and I think there will be more intermingling tomorrow.

That said, it is about time to hit submit. As I mentioned the internet here is not good. I quit the hotel wifi and went to my cell phone's hotspot, but it is still struggling with photos. If you aren't on my Facebook, don't worry, I will add a few more to this thread when we are back in modern civilization, but I definitely know how the ancient folks lived.

Mr. Lavoie, in disbelief that in 2026 he is still dealing with internet issues while writing his blog, lol.