July 15th - Day 35

Theatre at Orchomenos

Today was another bus heavy day as we traveled from Delphi to Kalambaka. Our first stop of the day was Orchomenos, which was a very important Boeotian city. Orchomenos seems to have been inhabited from the Neolithic period through the Roman period, with a particularly prosperous phase during the Mycenaean period around 2000-1200 BC. Homer makes reference to Orchomenos' wealth in the Iliad.

Lion of Chaironeia 

There was not much left to see. We did get to go inside the Tomb of Minyas, which is a large tholos tomb, and the theatre. There are remains of a palace, but they are currently located under an Eastern Orthodox church. We couldn't really walk around the site where the church was because there were services going on. I enjoyed sitting outside the church in the courtyard and listening to the patriarchs sing and chant the service. All of the churches project the service over loud speakers, so you can often hear the service if you are in the surrounding areas.

Our next stop of the day was at Chaeronea where we saw the giant Lion of Chaeronea. This was a memorial erected by the Thebans in honor of the elite fighting force known as the Sacred Band of Thebes, who died in the Battle of Chaeronea. The monument was built on the site where the cremated bodies of the soldiers were buried. The site also had a small museum that we visited.

Thermopylae

Our last stop of the day was Thermopylae. I was expecting a lot more from this site, but it was a little disappointing. The only things to really see there were a monument and a reconstruction of the epigram left by Simonides. There is a modern highway that runs through the battle ground now. When we arrived there was a group of high school aged students (from America, I think...) all posing in front of the monument and yelling "This is Sparta." Across the highway is a hill were the last of the 300 supposedly died and where the epigram of Simonides is located. The original stone has been lost to time and as been replaced by a reconstruction.

We then got back on the bus, for the longest and hottest bus ride of my life! Three hours later we finally arrived in Kalambaka. After a rest, we headed out to dinner. Unfortunately my meal left something to be desired. I order stuffed peppers, which are normally really good, but these were really bland tasting. Even the wine was disappointing. I am looking forward to getting home and having a little more variety in my dining choices. Everywhere we go in Greece, the restaurants all have the same basic menu...35 days in and I'm starting to get sick of it :( Tomorrow we are off to Thessaloniki for the next 3 nights. Only 9 days left!