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?