Dalmatian Coast and Greece - October 2010: Greece - Corfu, Corinth Canal and Delphi

Greece is the land of ancient sites and architectural treasures, but it is much more ... as the 'cradle of civilization,' it is the site of architectural, social, artistic and political achievements that have become a universal legacy. The cultural, intellectual and spiritual development of all western civilization is measured against its ancient standards. Grecian history extends as far back as 3000 B.C., with the Minoan civilization of Crete. The grand era known as the Classical Age of Greece spanned the years from 480 to 439 B.C.

Corfu

Our first stop in Greece was Corfu, the northernmost of the Greek Islands. Over the years, Corfu has been controlled by many foreign powers, most notably the Venetians and the British. Corfu's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We arrived in late afternoon and were officially welcomed to Greece with a couple of local dancers in traditional dress. They performed traditional folk dances and dragged some of the tourists into the routine, as well.

On our second day in port, we toured the city and the countryside.

The Old Fort is separated from the main town by a moat, which played a key role in holding off several attempts by the Turks to conquer this outpost of Christianity.

Nearby is the Church of the Antifvouniotiss which houses a museum collection of icons from around the island.

Across the park-like Esplanade, there are cafes and a group of arcaded buildings known as the Liston. This was begun by the French and finished by the British - a great spot for a cup of coffee or a glass of ginger beer.

The central part of Old Corfu is a maze of stepped streets and narrow alleys, sometimes opening into neat little square with fountains and flowers.

It is also home to the Cathedral of St. Spiradon, the patron saint of Corfu due to all the miracles that are credited to him.

In a little shop near the cathedral, we enjoyed learning about cosmetic uses of olive oil - we came home with olive oil soap and olive oil hand cream.

Beyond Corfu Town, we enjoyed a driving tour around part of the island. We headed north and then west on narrow, winding roads - over the mountains in the center of the island. It's easy to understand Corfu's reputation as the greenest of the Greek Islands - there are kumquat trees and olive trees everywhere, including some really old olive trees.

Along the west side of the island, there were beautiful views, but also intermittent downpours.

Lakones was an interesting little village - none of the houses here have balconies - they feared home invasion by pirates who might climb up the balconies. Good thing for us - the road through the town is so narrow that even a small balcony would have made it impossible for our bus to get through! There is a traffic light at each end of town - all traffic is one-way, alternating as the light changes.

Our guide is worried about the future of the small villages all over the island. In the countryside, the population is mostly pensioners - retired from a lifetime of fishing and farming. Young people are mostly leaving - heading to Corfu Town for jobs with the government or in the tourism industry.

Dennis expected to celebrate his birthday (October 19th) at sea, but a major storm forced the decision to spend an extra night in port at Corfu. He got a special chocolate cake and a serenade from the kitchen/hotel crew. Tonight's tune was 'Rolling on the River” - thankfully, we won't be rolling on the sea tonight!

Folk Medicine at Sea

Our departure was delayed quite a while until the weather eased up, but our program guides never rest. Here's Petra (left) and Romi (right).

For the past week, they had been collecting all manner of trees and shrubs in preparation for a lesson in herbal medicine. Today's session actually was the culmination of Petra's "lessons" of the past week - she had a remedy for everything - who knows - some of them may even work.

Here are some examples:

* Bee stings - leaves of plantain (Indian tobacco)

* Cough - mixtures made from onion and honey

* Diarrhea - heated mixture of brandy and honey

* Headache - tea tree essential oil, placed on ear, head and wrist

* Earache - sap from 'hens and chicks' plant

* Warts - banana peel or green fig juice

* Wound - warm cabbage leaf

* Negative forces - drink a mixture made from clay

We also got the recipe for making our own walnut brandy, guaranteed to cure whatever ails you. It's pretty simple, so stay tuned - we may open a little business on the side.

Rio-Antirio Bridge and the Corinth Canal

We passed two modern marvels during the night - thanks to our weather-adjusted schedule.

The Rio-Antirio Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth and links the town of Rio (on the Peloponnese Peninsula) with the town of Antirio on mainland Greece, thus linking the peninsula with the rest of Europe. The bridge is considered an engineering masterpiece because it conquered some major difficulties - deep water, insecure foundation materials, seismic activity, the probability of tsunamis, and the expansion of the Gulf of Corinth due to plate tectonics.

The Corinth Canal connects the Ionian Sea with Aegean Sea. Several rulers in antiquity, including the Roman Emperor Nero, dreamt of cutting a canal through the Isthmus. The French engineers who built the Corinth Canal between 1881 and 1893 used dynamite to blast through 285 feet of sheer rock to make this 4-mile long, 90-feet wide passageway. The canal revolutionized shipping in the Mediterranean - the journey from Brindisi, Italy, to Athens was shortened by more than 200 miles. Here's what it looks like in the dark ...

Delphi

We actually missed our cruise-stop at Delphi because of the weather delay back at Corfu, but about a dozen members of our group decided to make a special trip back (from Athens) to see this UNESCO World Heritage SIte. Great decision - we got to see some beautiful countryside and had a wonderful visit at Delphi, the home of Greece's most famous oracle.

Delphi is located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus and may well be the country's most beautiful ancient site. Its location is stunning - look up and see the cliffs and crags of Parnassus; look down and see a beautiful plain of olive trees stretching as far as the eye can see.

Pilgrims came here from throughout the world to ask Apollo's advice on affairs of state, as well as small, personal matters. Unfortunately, the god's words were famously hard to interpret. For example, the oracle told Lydian King Croesus, "Invade and you will destroy a great empire" when he asked whether he should go to war with his Persian neighbors. Croesus invaded and destroyed a great empire - his own.

Before entering the Sanctuary of Apollo, we paused for a look downhill to the Sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom who shared the honors at Delphi with Apollo. The 4th-century B.C. gymnasium and the round 4th-century tholos with its three graceful columns are both easy to spot, but most of the remains are fragmentary and scattered. While the tholos is distinctive, no one knows why it was built, why it was so lavishly decorated, or what went on inside.

As we enter the Sanctuary of Apollo, we walk along the marble Sacred Way, walked by visitors for thousands of years. The road runs uphill past Roman remains built on top of older Greek buildings. Roman columns were of one piece, round and smooth stone. Greek columns were fluted and segmented, with each piece fitting perfectly in its place.

The Greek stonework is particularly interesting. The stones were cut in quarries many miles from this mountain, and each piece was cut to fit a one specific spot. The pieces weren't necessarily rectangular, but the fit was perfect - and no mortar was used.

Look at little closer and there's ancient graffiti everywhere. Incredibly small, but perfectly formed letters carved into the stone. Those Greeks knew a thing or two about working with rocks.

Moving along the Sacred Way, there are many Greek treasuries. Cities built these small, temple-like buildings for several reasons - to impress their neighbors and to store riches and works of art dedicated to Apollo. This one (top center of photo), which has been reconstructed, was a gift from the Athenians.

The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi was the center of the world, and this unusual stone was thought to be the navel of the earth - marking the spot that Apollo chose as the home for his best-known oracle.

Here are the remains of the massive 4th-century B.C. Temple of Apollo, built after the 7th and 6th-century B.C. temples were destroyed. In antiquity, one of the three Pythian priestesses on duty gave voice to Apollo's oracles from a room deep within the temple. Other than that, very little is known about precisely what happened here - the oracle has kept its secrets well.

Near the temple, there are many stones and pieces of columns that once stood tall on this hillside. The flat side shows the holes chiseled into the disc for carrying it from the quarry to the site.

Further uphill from the temple, is the remarkably well-preserved 4th-century B.C. theater. The theater is perfectly constructed for a speaker to be heard from every seat in the arena - its sounds almost as if there is a microphone. These facilities are still in use for the summer Festival of Delphi.

The vast collections of the Delphi Archeological Museum help to visualize how the Delphi site looked in ancient times, when it was basically an outdoor sculpture museum. This painting was based on writings that described Delphi in great detail - the artist (Tournaire) used those descriptions and his talent to give us a chance to imagine how this place might have looked four centuries before the birth of Christ.

The collection here represents some of the finest works that survive from classical antiquity. The place is packed with amazing pieces - here are some that struck our fancy.