Armchair touring around the Gems of Greece

Since you are mostly stuck at home during these unprecedented times, we wanted to reach out to you, in the hope that we can keep you inspired until the conditions allow for you to be able to travel again.

Until then, the great eternal marvels of Greece will be waiting patiently, to be witnessed, as they have done for thousands of years. Proudly carrying the weight of history on their wuthered pillars, the great eternal marvels of Greece command the respect and awe of all who are lucky enough to experience the magnitude of these ancient structures, up close and personal. Paragons of a bygone age of ideals, elegance, spirituality and democracy, the gems of Greece beckon you to be transferred back to when civilisation was undergoing a golden era.

So sit back, and get comfortable. Kick off your shoes, sink into your favourite armchair and put your feet up. Empty your mind and let us take you on a mental travel journey via armchair touring around some of the gems of Greece.

The Gems or Great Eternal Marvels of Greece

Athens city - Acropolis, Herodion & Kallimarmaro
The Greek capital, the bastion of Greek democracy. The most iconic and simply unmissable landmark of Athens city is definitely the Acropolis, around which the entire ancient city has been built, expanding further out to the suburbs of today. The timeless Parthenon, the citadel’s most prominent structure, remains there as a tangible reminder of the legacy of Greece. At the foot of it, the famous Herodion, the ancient open air, amphitheatre that was frequented by a myriad of generations to watch theatrical, musical and dance performances as well as philosophical and political lectures. And in speaking of the ancient Athenians and their entertainment habits, Kallimarmaro stadium, the only one in the world built entirely of marble, was once a racecourse, before being restructured into a stadium with tiers of bench seats for the religious and athletic Panathenaic Games. Later it became the starting point of the world renowned Olympic Games. Both aforementioned sites are used until this day, weaving the ancient Greek legacy of BC into modern Athenian life of AD.

The spiritual Delphi - Temple of Apollo & other monuments

A place like no other, it was once considered to be the navel of the world. A site of immense spiritual importance throughout antiquity, the ancient sanctuary of Delphi, where the Oracle resided, is much more than just another archaeological attraction. Those who have had the privilege of visiting report a palpable energy that is hard to describe. The landscape upon which the Delphi site is located lends itself to the overall enchanting sensation that the place exudes. It is built on a spectacular spot at the foot of Mount Parnassos on an extensive sloping mountainside of immense natural beauty. It was where many ancient rituals and mysteries transpired, as well as being the go to place for spiritual guidance even for matters of the state. Pythia, the legendary seer and high priestess of the Oracle, was said to chew laurel leaves before reaching a state of ecstasis during which she claimed to be in contact with the Pantheon, deities and Olympian gods, channeling their guidance. The Delphi site also houses a few other monuments such as the Temple of Apollo, the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, an ancient stadium and a theater. Furthemore, all the items and artefacts that were found during excavations relating to the site have been collated and showcased at the Delphi Archaeological Museum which is located within the grounds. 

Cape Sounion - The Temple of Poseidon

Imposing, breathtaking and simply enchanting, the Temple of Poseidon commands the attention of all who approach Cape Sounion. The structure of the temple may remind you of the Parthenon, and even more so of the Temple of Hephaestus which is also in Athens, yet this one has an extremely moving tale associated with it. Somewhere in between mythology, legend and history, the tale speaks of Aegeus, an existent king of Athens, whose son Theseus had set sail to Crete in order to slay the infamous Minotaur beast. After slaying the creature, Theseus returned to Athens forgetting to change his sails from black to white, which were to signify his victory, Aegeus upon seeing Theseus black-sailed ship from afar believed his son had been killed by the Minotaur. He plummeted to his death from the cliff of where the Temple of Poseidon stands, and this is how the Aegean sea got its name. Whether it is this story or the sheer beauty of the spot especially during sunset, or both, it did not leave Lord Byron unaffected, who etched his name into one of the marbles on the Temple and mentions it the following line from his poem, Isles of
Greece, as an ode to the vastness and quietude that this special place exudes.

'Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,
Where nothing, save the waves and I,
May hear our mutual murmurs sweep..’