I caught a VERY early morning ferry from Euboea and sailed across the Euboean Gulf in the dark to Rafina Port. For the next couple of days I’ll be exploring the coastline along the Attica Peninsula just southeast of Athens. I first turned north to the ancient city of Ramnous. The majority of the site was off limits, apparently due to staffing issues. Lame! The only part that was open was the Temple of Nemesis, the goddess of retribution and vengeance, built in the 5th century BC.

Probably the best overall site on this leg was Amphiaraeion. I wasn’t even planning on this one. I just saw it on the map at the last minute and since it was within striking distance, I went to check it out.

Amphiaraeion was thriving in the 5th century BC and was the sanctuary of the Greek hero Amphiaraos. It was known for its oracle and as a healing center. I’m really glad I found this place. It would’ve been a shame to miss this one.

Also in the area is the city of Marathon. In 490 BC, the Greeks won a very famous battle here against the Persian Empire. A messenger by the name of Pheidipides was sent to Athens to deliver the goods news of their victory. He ran the entire 42.195km, delivered the news, and promptly died on the spot. And now psychos all over the world recreate this run for reasons not even the gods can figure out. Anyway, to commemorate the epic victory, the Greeks raised a ten meter tall column in the town. Below is all that’s left of it though.

Next, I tried to visit the Temple of Artemis in Brauron. There have been some pretty intense thunder storms the last couple of days though and the temple is now underwater. I walked in through the open gate and managed a couple of pics before they saw me and kicked me out. I couldn’t go any further than I did because of all the water anyway. Hopefully there’s not too much damage.

Luckily, the museum was open. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. The story is that she was born first and then immediately assisted with the birth of her brother. Quite an accomplishment for a newborn! And that’s how she became the goddess of nature and fertility. This really incredible piece below was once part of the temple. It’s amazing how everything can be so ruined and worn down, but then there’s this one magnificent piece that survives. The head is believed to be Iphigenia, who was a famous priestess at the temple and is buried here.

My convenient base this time is the town of Lavrion. Historically speaking, Lavrion was the location of the Greeks silver mines and the major contributor to Athens wealth. Just north of town is ancient Thorikos where a lot of the silver processing took place. Today, the most interesting thing there is the theatre. It was built at the end of the 6th century BC and has the distinction of being the oldest existing theatre in the world. Wow!

The really big thing to see in this area is the huge Temple of Poseidon in Sounion. Most people drive here from Athens, but for me it’s just down the road.

The Temple of Poseidon is on the highest peak on the Sounion Cape, which is the southern most tip of the Attica Peninsula. The ancient Athenians built a huge fortress here to be the main point of defense from the sea and from here you could see every ship approaching and leaving Piraeus, the port of Athens. So it makes sense to honor the god of the sea here. It was first built around 700 BC.

The temple is definitely one of coolest things I’ve ever seen. I think the location kind of pushes it way up in the ranks too. As a bonus, the views from up there were tremendous! And I was blessed with a clear beautiful day for this one. To the northwest is the Saronic Gulf, and to the south, you can see out over the Aegean Sea. Awesome!

Lavrio was a fairly quick stop. Now I’m headed north to Piraeus where I’ll catch another VERY early morning ferry to another beautiful Greek isle. This next stop will be even quicker, so don’t go too far…