Mike Yardley: The thrills of the Peloponnese Peninsula

"As you wander around the Peloponnese Peninsula, it's like myth and history just constantly overlap. For history buffs, there's just so much to blow the mind in Southern Greece. Western Peloponnese is home to the Valley of the Gods. I went to Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, and you get a real flavour ancient sporting conquests. The place is home to Asclepius, the God of medicine, and is where they staged many sporting contests. You can still see the ancient stadium and theatre, which seats about 14000 people, and a coin drop there could be crisply heard from the highest seats - you cannot beat old school acoustics!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at BE.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mike Hardley is our travel corresponding Good morning sir.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Good morning Jack. No predictions in the sporting will.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm glad that you said it because it was on
the tip of my tongue. It was on the tip
of my tongue. It was a good game last week though.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
It was a good game, very good game. I'll tell
you what. I'm very excited for Hamilton boys high today.
Courtiers and Noel.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Oh, yes, right, yeah, I thought played so well last week.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Really good.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
I think he is a high stress moment as well.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Oh totally. You know, I think he of the three,
I know TJ's obviously out, but of the three, I
think Courtiers would be my starting pick.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, I think he might be mine as well. Actually, well,
so I've just not based on that performance last week,
as you know. Anyway, so it'll be interesting to see
how he goes this afternoon. But this morning we are
focusing on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Say that three times fast.
The Peloponnese Peninsula and Greece, so compared to Athens, compared
to the Greek islands, this is a lesser traffic, slightly

(01:10):
less touristy region, right.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Definitely, jack yep, far less trampled. But it's the stuff
of legends, and as you wander around the peninsula, it's
like myth and history just constantly overlap. It's where Paris
of Troy eloped with Helen, the Argonauts set sail and
said to the Golden fleece. It's where gods walk to
the earth, meddling and mortal affairs. So for history buffs,

(01:36):
there's just so much to blow the mind. In southern Greece.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, the Paris Olympics, of course less than seven days away. Now,
so what about Olympia.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Yeah, the western Peloponnese is home to the Valley of
the Gods, So this is where the ancient Olympics began
nearly three thousand years ago. And it's interesting when you
look back at the history. All regional hostilities would be
suspended for these games, which were very much staged in
the honor of the God of God's Zeus. And when
you go to Olympia today, there's not actually a lot

(02:07):
left from the majestic temples and the athletic facilities. Because
the Roman emperor at the time ordered them destroyed as
he converted to Christianity, but you do still get a
hint of the sanctuary's former glory. And of course it's
still here that the Olympic Flame begins its journey every
four years.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
And Olympia wasn't the only meeting place right for ancient
sporting festivals in Greece.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
That's right. And the reason I thought we'd mentioned this
is because I went to a place called Epidorus in
the Peloponnese, and you do get a real flavor for
ancient sporting conquests at Epidorus. The place is home to
what they call the Sanctuary of Asclepius. Now, Asclepius was

(02:53):
the god of medicine and the son of Apollo Jack,
but three thousand years ago this sanctuary was famed across
the Mediterranean as a place of miraculous healing, and apparently
being licked by a snake was considered the most powerful cure,
believe it or not. But alongside their medicine, they also
staged amazing sporting contests, and you can still see the

(03:18):
ancient stadium at Epodorus and also this massive amphitheater, one
of the best preserved ancient thess of Greece, so it
seats about fourteen thousand people and I just love it.
How at these ancient theaters, you go on to the stage,
you drop a coin and it can be crisply heard
from the highest seat. You cannot beat old school acoustics.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, oh that's cool. Okay. What's so popular about Naplio?

Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, this is just twenty minutes down the coast from Epidorus,
and Naplio is a sweetheart spot. It's considered by Greeks
as one of their most romantic cities, and it was
actually the first capital of the newly born Greek state
back in the early eighteen hundreds. So lots of architectural candy,

(04:08):
lots of hilltop castles, Ottoman fountains, Venetian townhouses. And interestingly,
if you're a fan of Bucklaver, which is such a
loved sweet treat right across the keeping the Turps love
and of course info they've got their own variation. It's

(04:29):
raisin Bucklover, which is really really good. I would get
a godful or two of.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
That Jack Raisin Bucklover, Okay, because sometimes you don't want
to mess with the classics. But I'm open minded when
it comes to Aegean sweets.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Okay, that is true. By the way, Yeah, one ship
had a gobful of raisin Bucklaver. Definitely go to a
souvenir shop in because they are very, very famous amongst
Greeks as the city that produces the best worry beads convaloy,
and it's because of the amber beads. All of the

(05:06):
end of beads are produced in Naphtlio. So if you
want a real authentic souvenir, you can't go wrong with
a convaloy from naph Plio.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Right, Okay, that sounds awesome. So for history buffs, what
ancient site would you say is the best of all?

Speaker 3 (05:22):
Do not miss Myceny. The mycene and civilization dominated Greece
a thousand years before the Golden Age of Athens. And
the thing about Mysony is not only did it call
the shots over much of the Mediterranean over three thousand
years ago, but the ancient citadel which you can see
today has been so incredibly preserved. Now, the legend is

(05:47):
it jack that Cyclops was enlisted to help build Mysony,
And when you look at the size of the stone
blocks and its Fortress Wars.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
You do have to.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Wonder those limestone blocks weigh six ton pop.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
That's amazing.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
How did they do that? Yeah, three and a half
thousand years ago?

Speaker 2 (06:12):
That's that is stunning, isn't it. Speaking of engineering, the
Currinth Canal.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
Yes, well, with a photo stop. It comes a path
through the Corinth Asthmus, which links the G and C
with the Ionian Sea. So this canal enabled a four
hundred kilometers shortcut for ships heading to Athens. But it's
amazing because imprior Nero was actually the first to start
building this canal over two thousand years ago. It was

(06:39):
abandoned when he died and it wasn't actually started again
until the nineteenth century. And it was actually the Sewers
Canal that inspired the success of the Corinth Canal. But yeah,
it's a gorgeous site.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
Oh wow, Yeah, that's amazing. So is the Peloponnese Peninsula
easy to get to.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yes, it is. So it's only about an hour or
so west of Athens, and it's if you look at
a map, you will notice that it's like this peninsula
hanging kind of dangling from the rest of the Greek mainland.
By that narrow isthmus the Garynth Canal. So you can
do it by way of day trips. So there's lots
of guided tours day trips from Ethens. If you've got

(07:21):
a bit longer, just self drive your way around the region.
It's a revelation and it's a head blast with epic ancient.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
History that sounds so good. Hey, thank you, Mike, really
really appreciate that. Enjoy the game this afternoon. Without having
made any bold predictions, eh, thank you, Jack good Man,
Mike Yardley, I have correspondent there will put his tips
for exploring the Pallow Ponnese Peninsula and Greece up on
the News talk's 'B website.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to newstalks 'B from nine am Saturday, or follow the
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