Dancing in the Temple of the Arts in Athens Isadora Duncan On a high hillside in the Athens municipality of Byronos stands a Mycenaean stone building that once was the home of the flamboyant dancer, Isadora Duncan. It’s a steep climb up the hill, but the view from the top is worth the effort, with vistas out over almost the entire city. The house, once known as “The Temple of Dance” was built ... Read Full Article
Marathon, Greece and the Ghosts of Ancient Warriors
I stand on the deserted beach of Marathon, Greece, a long crescent of stones and sand. Surf spills over the pebbles, spray bursts like a shower of gold-dust reflecting the dazzling Greek sun. On this beach, with the surf hissing over pebbles red as blood and white as bone, I hear the wind moaning like the voices of the ancient dead, as though the spirits still linger in the shade of the pine ... Read Full Article
On the Road From Athens to Corinth
The road from Athens to the Peloponnese traverses the coastline past factories and shipyards then climbs high above the sea rewarding us with panoramic views of the sparkling blue Saronic Gulf. My friends and I on our way to visit Corinth, the ancient city that was once a strong rival of Athens. As we descend the pass, we reach a low, flat barren track of land known as the Isthmus that connects ... Read Full Article
Anafiotika: The Hidden Village under the Acropolis
The great city of Athens, Greece is made up of numerous small villages that have melded together over the years. Plaka is the most ancient, original part of the city where most of the archaeological sites are located. Just up on the hill above Plaka, under the flank of the Acropolis (“the high city”) there is the tiny village of Anafiotika, unique because of how it came to be.In 1841, King ... Read Full Article
The Jewish Museum of Athens: Recalling the Past
In a small, privately owned building just at the edge of Athen’s old Plaka district, all that is left of Greece’s Jewish heritage is displayed with artifacts that have been collected and restored since the 1970’s by tireless museum curators and volunteers. It is because of their dedication that the Jewish Museum of Greece now ranks among the top Jewish Museums in Europe.The idea of a ... Read Full Article
Heinrich Schliemann’s House in Athens
I’m sitting in a beautiful garden surrounded by classical sculptures and exotic foliage. Brazilian jazz is playing as I sip my glass of sangria. Who could imagine I am in the middle of downtown Athens or that this garden is at the former home of the explorer Heinrich Schliemann.This “Garden of the Muses” is part of what was the Schliemann estate, located just a few blocks from Syntagma ... Read Full Article
Canal of Corinth, Agamemnon’s Tomb and Epidaurus
I hadn't expected to visit the Canal of Corinth, Agamemnon’s tomb and Epidaurus on this trip, but Athens was a nightmare. I had arrived in the middle of violent demonstrations against the government’s austerity measures. Roads were closed off which made getting from A to B extremely difficult, even on foot, unless you wanted to risk life and limb. The Acropolis was shrouded in scaffolding and ... Read Full Article
Hand-Picking Olives in Greece
On a sunny October day in the southwest Peloponnese, about 3 hours outside Athens, countless electric green olives were weighing down branches, signaling that it was time for an annual ritual: hand-picking olives in Greece.I was joining the workers for my first time olive-picking experience. I rolled up my sleeves and waited for instructions to participate in this tradition. In Costa Navarino ... Read Full Article
Dining Al Fresco in Athens
It is said that the gods fought over Athens. Ocean god Poseidon and his niece Athena, goddess of wisdom, both desired patronage over the city. The residents of the metropolis asked each deity to give them a gift; whoever gave the best gift would gain the city.Poseidon struck his trident into the ground, and a salty spring bubbled up – an impressive feat. Athena, however, merely planted a ... Read Full Article
Where (and What) To Eat in Athens
Greek food can be bizarrely good; and following is a guide to some of the best restaurants in Athens, Greece. The flavors of Greek food have been shaped over thousands of years, and the history of Greek food includes Middle Eastern as well as Italian influences. Common cooking ingredients include feta cheese, olive oil, yogurt, olives, fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, and lamb. From breakfast ... Read Full Article