From New Orleans to Greece – Part 3
If you haven't seen the previous days of "From New Orleans to Greece" check them out.
Corfu
After meeting up with our tour group, we began our tour of the mansions of Corfu. Our first destination was a small manor house with incredible views, but the main attraction was the summer palace of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Above: Mansion and Museum in Corfu, Greece
Above: Mouse Island – one of my favorite shots from the entire trip (3 shot HDR)
The palace, with it’s surrounding neoclassical Greek statues, is a monument to romanticism and escapism.
Above: Achílleion Palace
Above: Achílleion Palace
It was named Achílleion after the Homeric hero Achilles. The structure is filled with paintings and statues of Achilles, both in the main hall and in the gardens, depicting the scenes of the Trojan War.
Above: Statue of Achilles
The Imperial gardens on the hill look out over the surrounding green hill crests and valleys and the Ionian sea. The focus of the gardens is a marble statue on a high pedestal, of the mortally wounded Achilles wearing only a simple cloth and an ancient Greek hoplite helmet.
Above: Statue of wounded Achilles
Olympia
After debarking from the ship in Katakolon, we journeyed to Olympia, which was not a “regular” village, but a holy place. With only priests being allowed to live in the city, the site of the Olympics was a place of religious mysticism and tradition. Olympia is now a ruin with marble blocks and assemblies in pieces all over the complex.
Above: Philippeion (Built by Alexander the Great for his father, Philip II of Macedon)
Above: Detail of Philippeion – Built to show wealth and power of Alexander the Great
Above: Ancient ruins in Olympia
Although our bags were checked when we entered, this historical site has been looted from ancient history until the present day, making it hard to conceptualize the grandeur that it once had (just a few weeks prior to our visit a tourist had hacked off a section of a column and walked out with it in his backpack). The most impressive part of the complex was the Olympia stadium, an earthen structure that overlooks the striking Greek countryside.
Above: Ancient Olympic Field
After exploring Olympia, we visited the small city of Archaia Olympia, where in ancient times Olympic visitors would stop for souvenirs and mementos, we continued the tradition by purchasing a cast bronze helmet, that resembles the helmets worn by ancient Olympians and was created by a local Greek artist.
Above: Everything is beautiful in Greece
Above: View of Ms Noordam docked in the beautiful waters of Katakolon, Greece
That's it until next week when we vist Santorini, Greece (The most beautiful place on earth) and Kuşadasi, Turkey.