Epidhavros, Greece
The overnight run from Nafplion to Epidhavros was very smooth. During breakfast the Panorama pulled into this small port town and set the anchor. There was a light early morning breeze off of the land so you could smell the pine trees growing along the shoreline. The small town and the harbor were very picturesque.
Shortly after breakfast we took the Zodiacs ashore to board the coaches and head for the ancient site of Epidaurus. This archaeological site has an ancient theater that was constructed around 320 B.C., and which is still well-preserved to this day. The acoustics are exceptional and during the summer months it is not uncommon that it is still used for modern productions.
There is much more to Epidaurus than the theater. The rest of this site is a sanctuary dedicated to Asklepios, the son of Apollo and god of healing. The whole complex was quite large and was more what we would call a “healing spa” today. It was a site of pilgrimage for about 500 years and is a World Heritage Site. We took some time to tour what was once an important hospital for Greece. There was time to look at the Temple of Asklepios, Greek baths and the gymnasium. We returned to the port of Epidhavros with some time to wander through the town and still make it back for lunch.
After lunch our main goal was to get in the water as many times as possible. There was swimming, jumping and many of us just chose to “float” as long as possible. It was warm on deck but the water temperature and sea conditions were ideal. The younger generation jumped from the rail as long as possible while many other guests made sure that the water was “safe.” It was a fine way to spend the last afternoon.
The Panorama was underway after our swim call, which was a great way to cool off the decks by making our own breeze. We gathered in the lounge for some farewell comments by the Captain and the presentation of some “all seeing eyes” or good luck amulets for participation in our Olympic activities for the week. We ended our farewell cocktail party with a slide show of the images we had collected for the week and they brought back some fine memories of our travels together.
