Running around the Peloponnese, Day 2: Epidauros & Mycenae

The second day, we started off with the archaeological site of Epidauros, the largest healing sanctuary of ancient Greece. It was an expansive site, and beyond having the hospital ward and the temple to the demigod of healing, Asklepios, there was the largest hotel in antiquity, an athletic stadium, and--most famously--the Theater of Epidauros. Standing at the very top row of the theater, one can hear a coin hitting the ground or the ripping of a piece of paper on stage. One of the few places where you can literally hear a pin drop.

Then we drove over to Mycenae, one of the administrative centers of the Mycenaean civilization in the late Bronze Age. They were known for their "Cyclopean" architecture (referring in this case to the size rather than the one-eyed-ness of the Cyclops)--massive blocks forming massive tombs and walls.

This gives a sense of size: you can barely see the figure of a person? That's the tallest guy in my program, he's 6'2ish. Not only is the tomb huge, the blocks used are individually huge. That slab of rock creating the top of the doorway is massive. We're talking 120-tons-massive.

The Lion Gate at Mycenae...it's kind of a big deal to Art History buffs...

The citadel of Mycenae

We ended up in Sparta for the night, which was somewhat disappointing considering its fame in antiquity. But there were the "best donuts in the world" according to Nadia (I'm starting to sense the main determinant of where we stayed each night, and I'm very okay with it).