Day Four - Patras and Hosios Loukas

After a lengthy bus ride to from Olympia to Patras along the coast of the Ionian Sea where Elizabeth Sparks taught us the Greek national anthem, we prepared ourselves for the Greek celebration of Independence Day. Ubiquitous throughout Patras was the blue and white of the Greek national flag. The standard has not changed since the Greek revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821 and the eventual success of gaining independence in 1829. The white cross in the upper left hand corner of the flag signifies the importance of the Greek Orthodox Church in the formation of the Hellenic nation and the stripes of blue and white symbolize the rolling waves of the Aegean Sea. There are nine stripes representing each letter in the Greek word for freedom, Eleftheria. Armed with Greek flags in honor of the day's festivities, the Hawks went forth among the throngs of people to view the parade. After an incredibly delicious gyro at a local restaurant, the group watched the procession of school children and other national organizations marching through the streets, many of whom wore traditional Greek clothing aimed to celebrate Greek culture. Having arrived from Olympia and given the occasion, we were not surprised to see the Olympic flag carried majestically through the streets of Patras during this national celebration.

When the parade ended, we grabbed a group photo on the busy docks of Patras as it is the third largest city in Greece and an economic hub for commercial and tourist traffic to Italy. Making our way out of the Peloponnese, we crossed the Gulf of Petras by traveling over the Rio-Antirrio Bridge to the mainland. This bridge, completed prior to the 2004 Olympics, is a majestic structure that blended naturally with the landscape.

After an amazing ride along the coast and through some seriously mountainous terrain (thanks, Theodore) we made it safely to Hosios Loukas. This 1oth century monastery of Holy Luke stands outside the village of Styri and has stunning views of Mount Helicon and the surrounding countryside. We all grasped the significance of the Byzantine Church to the Greeks and how this monastery played a key role in the development of the Orthodox Church in Greece. Stopping at the gift shop we purchased some renowned honey and snacks and prepared for the journey to Delphi. A beautiful drive under the gaze of Mount Parnassus, we arrived in Delphi psyched to see the temple of Apollo. We checked in to the Akropole Hotel and discussed the role of the gods in Greek myth to prepare ourselves for the visit to the ancient site tomorrow. An amazing sunset coupled with a tasty meal of svoulaki ended our adventure for the day. Be sure to check out today's photo gallery.