(CORINTH CANAL, RUINS OF THE CITY OF ANCIENT CORINTH, TEMPLE OF APOLLO, ACROPOLIS HILL: PROPYLEA, TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE, PARTHENON AND ERECHTHEION, DIONYSUS THEATRE AND HERODES ATTICOS ODEON, AREOPAGUS(MARS HILL), TEMPLE OF ZEUS, LUNCH AT TRADITIONAL RESTAURANT, THE OLD OLYMPIC STADIUM, THE CHANGING OF THE GUARDS IN FRONT OF THE PARLIAMENT, THE LYCABETTUS HILL-HIGHEST POINT IN ATHENS).
Driving along the National Highway is how this tour begins, until we reach the Corinth Canal or else Isthmus completed in 1893 – 6 km length, 25m width, 8m depth- which connects the Aegean with the Ionian Sea. Our 15’ stop there gives us the opportunity to take some marvelous pictures and then continue our route until we reach the Ruins of the city of Ancient Corinth.
You can see the long rocky wall of Acrocorinth leading to Lechaion (artificial harbor of the Corinthian Gulf) where the road leading to Ancient Agora starts. The Temple of Apollo (6th c. B.C.-restored 1st c. AD) is the only Greek monument standing, as all others are mainly Roman. Afterwards, we drive back to Athens up to the “sacred rock” of the Acropolis Hill, passing by its entrance called Propylea, the temple of Athena-Apteros Nike (Athena Wingless Victory), Parthenon, the temple devoted to Athena Parthenos, Erechtheion of Athena Polias with its world famous female statues of Caryatides, the ruins of Herodes Atticos Odeon the first world theatre still in use nowadays, Dionysus Theatre which hosted the world famous comedies and tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes (ancient poets) and Areopagus (Mars Hill)used as a court of appeal in antiquity and by St. Paul to deliver his famous speech. We take lunch at a very nice traditional restaurant.
We move on with and the Temple of Zeus, a colossal ruined temple in the centre of the Greek capital Athens dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, the Old Olympic Stadium called Panathenaic ( of all Athenians) or Kallimarmaro (best marble) Stadium, built in 1863 and hosted the first Athenian Olympic Games in 1896. We get to see the Former Royal Palace, the Presidential Palace (Maximou Mansion) which hosts the offices of the President of Democracy and the Prime Minister, the House of Parliament with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front, as well as the Changing of the Guards.
Ending our excursion, we drive, to reach up to Lycabettus Hill which offers a spectacular 360o panoramic view of Athens city.