31 August Thursday, Nafpleon Greece

I was up early again and in the Lido when it opened. On a very big excursion day it got crowded very quickly. It’s a good thing I get to the showroom early for my tours, because they always seem to leave early. We had tenders again today and after a very smooth crossing we were soon on the bus and on our way towards Ancient Corinth; it took about an hour to get to the Corinth Canal, a very impressive structure which transformed shipping in the area because it connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea without having to risk the journey the long way around (for a significant fee).

Arriving at Ancient Corinth, at first there appeared to be little to see (apart from the Acro Corinth (acropolis) on top of the mountain), then we walked down into what was a Roman amphitheatre seating 18,000. It pretty much looked like a collection of rocks until the guide explained the shape of the structure and how it would have looked.

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This is the name of the person accredited with providing this site – still legible after thousands of years.

We kept walking around the path and there were more and more structures coming into view, all the time aware of modern Corinth behind the site, built after the earthquake and closer to the beautiful sea. There has been a great deal of excavation here because the city which was built on top of Ancient Corinth was destroyed in an earthquake, making it easy to remove and begin digging.

Up on a high point (not a very hilly site) is the remains of a temple to Apollo, I think, originally 6 x 15 columns.

We stood where St Paul stood when Galleo addressed the crowds about Paul’s activities. The stone on the right is engraved with 2 Corinthians 4:17

A market/shopping mall - lots of these evident around the site.

We walked on the stones of the original road laid by the Romans, linking Corinth with the next city and its thousands of visitors. That’s our Greek guide in the red shirt; he was very knowledgeable, had been involved in some digs and was able to point out structures where the site confirmed details written in the Acts of the Apostles.

The museum is full of exquisite artifacts

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Nafplion is a very pretty place – well worth putting on a Greek itinerary.

The rest of the afternoon was a quick shower, dress for formal, Mass and another nice dinner with the ladies.

(I’m not sure how you’re seeing the pictures but I’m making them small to accommodate the blog. )

Tomorrow, Athens.