Epidaurus & Athens
This morning, we woke up in the Saronic Gulf, anchored by Ancient Epidaurus. Mountains covered with pine trees and olive trees surrounded the picturesque town. We took our Zodiacs ashore and met our coaches for the drive to the sanctuary of Asklepios.
Asklepios was the son of Apollo, and was raised by Chiron, the centaur on Mt. Pelion in Thessaly. He was initiated into the art of healing through herbs at a young age and most healing sanctuaries claim to be his birthplace. These sanctuaries were a combination of modern hospitals and spas. The patients stayed in dormitories, where they had dreams of the god appearing. It is believed that dream therapy, drama therapy and group therapy through communal dining were some of the therapeutic methods applied.
The theater of Epidaurus is the best preserved theater of the ancient world. Built of marble, in the 4th century BCE, it has unbelievable acoustics. One of our fellow travelers, Craig, recited a sonnet of Shakespeare. It was a magical moment for all of us!
After our visit to this fascinating sanctuary and theater, we returned to our anchorage about noon, ready for our last swim in the Aegean Sea. While in the Zodiac, we were surprised by the epiphany of a huge water turtle, Caretta caretta. After lunch, we sailed past Aegina Island on the way to the coast of Attica and our berth in Pireas. Then I remembered that the ancient coins of this island depicted turtles.
Sailing back to Pireas, we completed our “Pan Oramics” activities, with a presentation by the Athenians and a lively game of Greece Jeopardy. We saw photos from our week together, and remembered the beautiful and funny moments of the voyage. The Athenians, Korinthians and Spartans lived up to our expectations: Ethos, Arete and Knowledge.
