We've seen some amazing sights that we intended to see, too. The ancient theatre at Ἐπίδαυρος (Epidavros) yesterday, for example, has such perfect acoustics that you can in fact hear a coin drop on the centre of the stage from all the way at the top of the seats. You really can. Similarly, a patriotic "I come from a land downunder" carries further than you'd think.
I call this: Hat Hair At Ancient Epidavros
And the little monastery of Aya Maria high on the cliffs above Ξυλόκαστρο (Xylocastro) occasioned the most spectacularly terrifying drive I've ever experienced. Now I can look at the photos and know that they were not followed by a grisly plummeting-style death, it's something I'm very glad we did.
It was at this inopportune moment that the Scissor Sisters' "I can't decide whether you should live or die" came on the car stereo.
Μυκῆναι (Mycenae) was, it turns out, less worthy of a visit - being, essentially, a pile of old rocks scattered around in the shape of what may conceivably once have been some kind of building. Or not. There's a reason the postcards only show the "Lion Gate", because that's the only thing that isn't a random pile of rocks on the ground...***
Mykenai: rocks and shit we found on a hill, yo, for which you can pay us eight (8!) euros per person (maps and useful directions not included)
As with Stonehenge, the Parthenon (twelve euros and it's still covered with scaffolding?), the Colosseum and numerous other ancient buildings modern Europeans found left behind by their ancestors and thought HEY IF WE BUILD A FENCE AROUND IT WE CAN FVCKING GOUGE THE TOURISTS, it is not entirely certain that your average visitor gets value for money from the deal.**** Still, there's only one of each of these things, so what are you going to do? Come to Athens and NOT climb the Acropolis? Don't be stupid.
Anyway, we came, we paid, we saw, and it was pretty cool. Now we're going to spend a few days doing the relaxing kind of travelling, before things ramp up again in Paris at the end of the week. See you at the next wireless access point.
*Perhaps not the first thing the guidebooks note, but important to some.
**This was in fact the speed limit, and for some unfathomable reason the ambulance was puttering along 20kph under it.
***Alright, that's not entirely fair: some of the rocks are in fact stacked on other rocks in a way you can imagine is wall-like. If you squint.
****Although if you ARE going to be gouged for something the gougers didn't build and don't intend to do anything for, make it the theatre at Epidavros - that one's both spectacular AND still works.