Turkiye and Greece - April 30, 2026

April 30, 2026

This morning we headed out of the city to see a few sites that might prove interesting.  About an hour out of town we stopped for a pit stop (there’s a lot of old people on the bus).  We did manage to find some Golden Oreos.  They were good and a touch of home.

In the late 1800’s a major undertaking in the area was begun.  A canal was built that joins the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea to the Saronic Gulf  in the Aegean Sea.  It is eighty feet wide and four miles long.  This canal would cut days off the journey around the peninsula.  It is too small for modern ships today, but it still exists.

Our next stop was at the Epidaurus Amphitheater.  Built in the late fourth century B.C. it is still in use today.  It is said that this theater has the most perfect acoustics for any ancient theater.  A person can stand at the top of the amphitheater and hear someone on the stage if they are talking above a whisper.  The city of Epidauros was built around the third millenium B.C. and has historically been known as a healing center and was dedicated to the ancient Greek god of medicine, Asclepius.

The beehive tomb of Agamemnon was our next destination.  Of course there were no relics as they had all been plundered long ago.  The beehive is forty feet tall at the center.

Our last stop was at the Acropolis of Mycenae.  Although it is mostly in ruins there was enough left that a person could make out walls and rooms.  One feature that was somewhat intact was the burial chamber for some of Agamemnon’s relatives.  This burial chamber included a couple of burial shafts that were upwards of seventy feet deep.  I could hear them say “Toss old uncle Fred to the bottom.  We didn’t like him anyway”.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel.  Tomorrow is May 1st.  In Greece this is ‘Labor Day’, meaning everyone is on strike for the day and many protests and demonstrations are planned.  We plan on keeping close to the hotel.

Flat Lizzy joined us today.  She thought the bridge over the canal was pretty tall.

She took a picture at the Lion’s Gate, which was the entrance to the Acropolis of Mycenae.

She also took a picture with Gigi at the top of the acropolis.

With the ‘Labor Day’ festivities, tomorrow will be another adventure.