1st June
I was rather impressed with Marianna Pension, so before departure I took a couple of photos for you.
Marianna Pension view from breakfast terrace.
Marianna Pension courtyard.
Once I was all loaded-up and ready to get rather hot and sweaty I headed off for Epidauros which had been one of the nearby recommendations from Pierre and Eleanor.
I arrived at the ruins around midday and I changed out of the hot suit and got into the cool zip-offs. I wasn't sure how much was there to be seen other than the impressive theatre renowned for its acoustics.
Epidauros Theatre - from centre stage.
Epidauros Theatre - from the back section.
Several other visitors were much more enthusiastic about singing a song to the audience than I. I climbed up the stairs and took a seat, changed to another one and then a third to see how it sounded. During the show a lady snag something in Greek that received quite a good round of applause from much of the audience. At one point I was asked to acknowledge (I think that's what they wanted) that I could hear them.
The acoustics are very good, and although it is difficult to know how loud a person is down on centre stage, they were mostly loud and clear up in the seating. Epidauros theatre is used for recreations of the Greek classics as part of the Epidauros Festival.
I took in a show at Epidauros Theatre.
I wondered what it was that made the acoustics so spectacular. The most notable difference I picked up while I was there were the details in the profile of the seats. They are carved with a curved edge and the seat is raised towards the front. Apparently the theatre was designed to amplify the higher frequencies of the voices while muffling the lower frequencies and noises of the crowd.
Epidauros Theatre - Seat edge detail.
The theatre really is the highlight of Epidauros since it is so well maintained and impressive.
Most of the remaining ruins throughout the Epidauros site are undergoing various levels of restoration and are not particularly exciting. Hopefully in time the entire site will become amazing.
Epidauros Stadium
Various levels and examples of restoration.
Following the ruins in Epidauros it was time to make a move to Athens.
After some wonderful roads leading to the Corinth Canal I was soon on a major toll road heading straight for Athens.
With the address for Athens Studios plugged-in to the GPS I was soon negotiating the streets and traffic of Athens to find my accommodation.
After missing the signage the first time past I did a lap of the block and came back and parked the bike - it had to be close.
I arrived at Athens Studios mid-afternoon and met one of the Australian brothers, Ed, who was very welcoming although slightly distracted by the close AFL game on the TV.
We watched the end of the game, I had a beer, and then we were ready for check-in.
Dan (the other brother) had secured me a very good and large room on Level 4 with tonnes of space.
I was soon showered and changed and ready for a more relaxing beer back downstairs.
I headed downstairs, with the iPad so that I could 'reconnect' a.s.a.p., and shortly thereafter met Shoo, a Chinese fella who had been studying Environmental Management and doing some work in Europe but was now travelling. He had only started his travelling a day or so earlier.
Shoo and I went out for dinner close-by in the Plaka district then had a few drinks on top of the Athens Backpackers which has views of the back of the Acropolis.
The Athens Backpackers roof-top bar is a very relaxed set-up with beanbags/cushions and a simple bar. It was good to meet a few other people who were staying. A large group of people seemed to be in Athens as part of an archaeological excavations and recording team.
It was a late enough night after a reasonably long and hot day doing ruins and riding.
2nd June
I knew I would be in Athens for several days so I wasn't in too much of a rush my first morning there.
As I like to do I headed out to wander around Athens to get a better feel for the place and where I was located in relation to everything else nearby.
When I walked out the door I didn't really know where I was going or what I might see so I didn't even take my camera.
As a result no photos for 2nd June (rest assured I saw lots, and lots, of incredible things every step of the way).
Anyway, I had a good long walk around Athens, the base of the Acropolis, Ermou shopping street, several old districts, the flea market area, Syntagma Square, Mitropoleos Square, Monastraki Square and several eating areas throughout the Plaka district.
I headed back to Athens Studios and had some of their very, very good fish and chips.
It was an early night in preparation for some much more dedicated sightseeing tomorrow.