A country in ruins

Olympia, Delphi & Epidaurus

For the last few years, we have been watching the Greek economic crisis with interest. As a result of government overspending, Greece was forced to adopt harsh austerity measures to bring the country’s deficit under control. This, in turn, caused much unhappiness with Greek residents, a change in lifestyle and drop in tourism. We have seen some of the impact of the crisis since we arrived in Greece: quiet towns, closed shops and restaurants, unfinished construction. But we have also seen the Greeks coping with change and finding new ways to get by, regardless of the country’s dire circumstance. A yacht agent who doubles as a tour guide also imports Greek products to other countries. A marina dock hand that organizes rental cars and guides for visiting yachts. A rental car company owner who, normally closed on Sundays, opens his office at all hours of the day and night to accommodate potential clients. Everyone seems to be working hard to make ends meet. And they also prefer cash. While credit cards are accepted in some places, cold hard Euro is the payment method of choice. We assume this is because they can keep their prices lower with cash, not to mention it is easier to protect from high government taxes.

A large percentage of Greece’s national income comes from tourism. And a lot of tourists come to Greece to visit the spectacular ruins, considered some of the best in the world. So a country that some think is in financial ruin, is actually counting on proceeds from their ruins to help bring them back to life. We have met many cruisers who say they are tired of visiting ruins, but being so new to the area, we are very intrigued by the many piles of rocks. Ruins in Greece are like churches were for us in Italy, every church we went in had something the others did not.

Olympia: The birthplace of the Olympic Games

The serenity of Ancient Olympia (which was first and foremost a sacred sanctuary honoring Zeus, king of the gods) is a stark contrast to the historic accounting of the early sporting festivals that took place there, when races were run in the nude, and wrestling was so violent that broken limbs were frequent, death not unheard of. While it is one of Greece’s most visited sites, we felt fortunate to be able to explore it in peace, especially after seeing the 10 tour buses arrive as we were leaving.

Ancient Delphi

Situated on the lower slope of Mount Parnassus, about 6 miles Northwest of the Gulf of Corinth, is the most beautiful ancient site in Greece. Delphi was the center of the world to the ancient Greeks. It has breathtaking views across the temple and oracle of Apollo, the amphitheater and stadium to the valleys below.

Epidaurus

The Sanctuary of Asklepios, the most famous healing center in the ancient world, is now best known for the Theater at Epidaurus. Built in the 4th century BC with 14,000 seats, the theater is one of the best preserved in the world and is still used for drama festivals and productions. It is said that the acoustics of the theater are so perfect voices can be heard clearly from every seat. While we were visiting, some people were testing this claim with successful result. Sadly, the summer festival was several weeks away so we could not see a performance.

Previous Comments

25 Jun 2013

Linda McOrmond

Larry and Mary. These photos are just amazing! So beautiful and clear. Hope you are continuing to enjoy your sailing adventures. We spent a long weekend in Toronto with the Tall Ships and have some cruising plans this summer – but nothing compares to your adventures. Continue to enjoy and allow others to enjoy via your photos and comments. Fair winds from your friends on Cambio