Story Insights
Which things did the kids and/or adults like the most?
Ancient Olympia. While I loved the atmosphere and history of Epidavros and Delphi and would not have missed those sites for the world, absolutely nothing compares to being at the original home of the Olympic Games, running on the original racetrack, and seeing where the Olympic torch is lit before it travels to the current host city. For the rest of my life I will tell absolutely everyone I meet that I ran a race on the original Olympic racetrack. And that I came in last. What did my children enjoy the most? Our 15-year old said simply, “Walking around the cities at night. It was just So. Cool.” And our 11-year old immediately responded, “The cats. Also the Acropolis.” Because the only thing better than getting to visit a gorgeous country with amazing mythological history is having a fuzzy creature to share the experience with.
Share any fun story or a memorable moment from your trip.
We had soooo many memorable moments......like experiencing the cell-resonating acoustics of the Epvidros Theater. Or the fantastic food at a little pub in Nafplio. Or seeing olives sold in bulk at a little grocery store on the corner. Or our wonderful driver pulling over so we could buy oranges from a local farmer on the side of the road. Or gazing in awe at all of the beautiful writing carved into the stones at Delphi. Or having a special komboloi bracelet created just for our son.
Share something that you (or your kids) learned that you did not know.
We learned (in Ancient Olympia) that ‘stadium’ is a unit of measurement. We learned that there is a secret, emergency exit on the Athens’ Acropolis - two exits, actually - so the ancient people could escape if they were trapped. We also learned that these escape routes are no longer usable. We learned how to say “please,” “thank you,” “good morning,” and “good night,” in Greek. We learned that all the prophecies from Delphi were written down without any punctuation, which resulted in a lot of ambiguity in their interpretation. We learned that wandering around the streets of Nafplio at night is the absolute BEST. And, most importantly, we learned that we'd really like to return to Greece.