June 14th - Day 4

Temple of Artemis

Today was another action packed day! It was our first "day trip" and we set off to explore Attica by traveling to Brauron and Sounion. In Brauron we traveled to a settlement that dates to the end of Neolithic and beginning of the Early Bronze Age (3300-2800 B.C.), which later became a Temple to Artemis. We couldn't get into the actual site because it is closed for restoration. We were able to see some of the site from the side of the road, which is what is pictured here. After a brief stop there, we continued on to the museum, which houses many of the artifacts recovered from this settlement and surrounding settlements.

After the museum we hopped back on the bus and headed out into the country to Thorikos to see the Tholos Tombs, which are Mycenaean tombs dating from the 15th Century, B.C. From there we continued on to the ancient Theatre of Thorikos, the oldest surviving theater in Greece and to an ancient mining complex.

Theatre of Thorikos

Tholos Tombs

Silver Mine

After lunch we headed to one of the most amazing sites I have seen yet - the Temple of Poseidon. This temple was built on the summit of a rock which rises 60 miles above the sea. Even though it is technically a ruin, the building is absolutely astounding. It was a truly amazing and humbling experience to stand in front of something so old and magnificent. This is by far my favorite thing that I have seen so far. After we finished at the Temple of Athena, we walked a short distance to the remains of a temple dedicated to Athena. We ended the day with a beach stop where we got to cool off in the Aegean, overlooked by the Temple of Poseidon. It was amazingly refreshing as our rooms do not have AC and it has been HOT!! While I managed to avoid stepping on any sea urchins, I did get another sunburn even though I was wearing sunscreen - On my hands of all places! Thankfully it's not too bad, but I did curse my Irish heritage today :)

Temple of Poseidon

Temple of Poseidon

Temple of Athena