One of the most regrettable aspects of present-day travelling is the fact that, due to the spread of global prosperity and cheap air travel, most things on your to-do list will also be on the to-do lists of several thousand other people on any given day.
Athens is a case in point. Had I been born an aristocrat in the 19th century, then perhaps I could have sauntered up to the Acropolis, having rented a mule from Hertz, and contemplated the Parthenon in blissful solitude and silence. As it is, even on a midweek day in November, the place is permanently jam-packed. I shudder to think what it's like on a summer weekend.
Of course, the answer is simply to use a bit of initiative and imagination. So when my time in Athens was up, I went back to the airport and picked up a BMW for a few leisurely days of driving around the archaeological sites and museums of southern Greece. On more than one occasion I did indeed find perfect solitude and silence (and sunshine) at some of the most significant monuments of the ancient world. See pictures below, and click the picture captions for more info if required.
PS Fury was robbed.
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| View from the Delphi hotel |
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Olympia
This was the very first Olympic track, like off of ever. 776BC. |
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Bassae (5th century BC)
Preserved temple high up in the mountains, now protected under canvas.
Wind buffets the canvas and the mist creeps in under it; spooky in the extreme. |
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Mycenae
The Trojan Wars were planned here. |
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Edd vs Food #72
Chicken souvlaki at Gemelos, Corinth |
