Greece - A Mythical Escape
Go Learn
Greece - A Mythical Escape
A Experience by Dr. Randall Stewart
Join us on a magical history tour! Just to spite the pandemic, we’ll take in a handful of the most important archaeological sites on mainland Greece, stop briefly at a nearby island, and we won’t even wear masks! Along the way, we’ll meet a few of the locals and sample (virtually, at least) some of the local cuisine.
Session 1 – Monday, May 10 - 7 PM
We’ll meet in Athens and walk up to the Acropolis (skipping the long line of tourists) to gaze at the Parthenon, one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. Then we’ll saunter through the Athenian Agora and have a brief chat in the shop of Simon, the shoemaker, where Socrates used to hang out. After a virtual tour of the Acropolis Museum, we’ll magically teleport ourselves some fifty miles southward to watch the sunset behind the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Session 2 – Thursday, May 13 - 7 PM
Once again, we’ll use our magical teleporting powers to move to the stunningly beautiful site of ancient Delphi on the steep slopes of Mount Parnassus, and we’ll look at a few of the magnificent pieces of art in the nearby archaeological museum. After a short stroll through the modern town of Delphi, we’ll beam ourselves down to ancient Olympia and make a virtual run in the stadium where the original Olympic Games were held.
Session 3 – Monday, May 17 - 1:30 PM
During our teleportation to the picturesque town of Nafplion, we’ll pause at Sparta, the home of Greece’s fiercest ancient soldiers. Then, in Nafplion, we’ll trudge (lightly) up the 1,000 steps to the Fortress of Palamidi, where we’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding land and sea. Before the day is done, we’ll stop at Epidaurus to be rejuvenated by the healing god Asclepius and at Mycenae to see where King Agamemnon, co-leader of the Greek armies at Troy, was killed by his wife.
Session 4 – Thursday, May 20 - 7 PM
On our return to Athens for your flight back to the States…oh, wait! Anyway, we’ll move in that direction nonetheless, stopping along the way to admire the Temple of Zeus at Nemea and the ruins of ancient Corinth. Finally, since transportation is not an issue, we’ll make a trip to the nearby island of Aegina, just as modern Athenians do regularly, to see the splendidly preserved Temple of Aphaia.