From Ancient Athens to the Modern Olympiad 2

The second day of the tour we became starkly aware of the difference between travelling independently and being on an organised coach tour 'wake up call 6am, suitcases outside room at 6:45, breakfast at 7, on coach at 7:30.  Don't be late'. I had a sense of gathering doom at being up so early on holiday and there was no way I could get any breakfast down except juice and coffee. I don't eat breakfast usually in order to give myself as much sleeping time as possible but, when in hotels and it's paid for, I try to cough down a croissant.  At 7am: no chance.

The value of the early start became obvious when we arrived at the Acropolis at 8am.  It was still very cool and there was nobody around. When we descended later the hordes of tourists toiling up in the broiling 11am heat made me aware that sometimes tour companies know best.

The Acropolis is stunning. Truly stunning.  I admit that as I stood and looked at the Parthenon for the first time my eyes were pricking with tears as I was so overwhelmed to be there. Another lifetime prejudice against tour guides was sorted out too: the lady showing us around contextualised everything very well and the ugly rock with steps was transformed into the areopagus rock which St Paul used as his pulpit.

Further round we came to the propylaea which was the ancient entrance to the sacred centre of the Acropolis. It's stunning now: what must it have been like when Phidias had just completed it?

The first building we visited inside the site was the Parthenon; one of the great buildings of antiquity. It's devastating to know that a building that was constructed between 447 and 432BC was still largely extant until the 17C when the Ottomans stored gunpowder in it, which exploded and knocked much down.  Then Lord Elgin harvested the friezes and metopes. Fascinatingly, it's not designed in parallel lines but with imperceptible curves and wider pillars to give a more beautiful, unified whole. It might have been damaged and ravaged over its millennia but its still a privilege to visit it.

Also, on the Acropolis is the Erectheion, a temple which commemorates both the first king of Athens and the battle between Poseidon and Athena over who would be worshipped by the people of the city.  Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and salt water sprung out, Athena caused the first olive tree to grow and was declared the victor. My son loved looking for the hole where Poseidon struck and at the olive tree that is there for Athena. Of note architecturally are the caryatids which were pillars sculpted in the shape of women.  Three are now in the Acropolis Museum and one in the British Museum.

After we descended from the Acropolis we went on a coach tour of Athens and visited the Panathenaic stadium where the first modern Olympic games were held by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1896. It's a beautiful construction of marble and we got to start our build up of excitement to London 2012 there.

After we left Athens the coach took us for lunch by the Corinth canal. Photos cannot adequately cover the shock of the depth of the canal as you walk over it on a bridge.  Each person exclaimed 'oh my god!' as they stepped over and saw the plunging depth. It's a truly amazing piece of 19th Century engineering.

The journey continued to the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, an amphitheatre that has incredible acoustics.My son and I had excellent fun sitting on the top step and reciting things to the other on the stage and vice versa.

Our overnight stay was at Nauplia, a city I had never heard of, but that was the first capital of Greece following liberation from the Ottomans. It's very beautiful and we went on a cheesy but enjoyable tourist boat ride on a caique out to a fort and then had dinner with all the other coach tourists.  A long, tiring and utterly amazing day.