Loutraki part one

July 5, 2014

We greeted our first full day in Greece with a breakfast to remember! Included in our room rate was a breakfast of watermelon, fresh cherries, yogurt with honey, hard boiled egg in an egg cup, cheese, bread, bowl of peaches and a packaged chocolate croissant ( Annelle says the chocolate has the texture of pudding and that the croissants are delicious... She was delighted to have the extra two from her GF traveling companions) 

We traveled the 10 kilometers to Ancient Corinth and arrived before the tour bus crowd so we had the place almost to our selves. We enjoyed the museum before we walked the site. It contained a lot of marble statues and some pottery. Outside we took photos of the columns and pillars that remain and were fortunate to be 3/4 of the way through the site before the first tour bus showed up. We also enjoyed the clear blue sky and white puffy clouds which always makes for more interesting photos. Annelle has a new DSLR and is learning to use it so she fits right in with the rhythm of Carrie and my style of visiting a site such as this.

 I have to admit at this point that I am spoiled when it comes to ancient Roman ruins. I have seen them from Rome to England to Turkey and after visiting Efesus in Turkey, nothing else can begin to compare. Having said that, Corinth was interesting and I am glad we visited, although my second time back to Corinth at the end of my trip, I will spend at the beach rather than the ruins.

After leaving Ancient Corinth we headed toward the water so that we could follow it back to our hotel. We found a beach that looked appealing from the road and we parked under a wood and corrugated metal structure in a small cedar grove. We headed down to the rock beach, ditched our shoes in a pile and began to walk the shoreline. I immediately spied my first piece of sea glass and Carrie quickly joined the hunt. After a leisurely hour enjoying the multi colored Gulf of Corinth (the water is a layered combination of coke bottle green, cerulean blue and violet, in that order as the water deepens).

We jumped in the car and drove a mere kilometer or two before we parked, and with our picnic blanket in hand we found a flat rock big enough for the three of us and we enjoyed the first of many beachside picnics. Better than any restaurant!