Greece Trip #24: A Handsome Skipper, Special Tattoo, Mystery of Fig Tree Cave

In today's blog, I'll tell you about what I consider one of the true highlights of the trip... Meeting and talking with Andreas, the skipper of the sailboat the group rented out for a day. I'll also explain the Mystery of Fig Tree Cave. Honestly, I really did not want to go out on a sailboat for 10 hours, but sometimes when you do something you don't want to, it turns out well. That's what happened to me. In the case of meeting Andreas, the Skipper for the boat,  he made my week.   

(Photo: Skipper Andreas and Rob chating and Tom and the First mate chatting for over 3 hours!) 

MEET ANDREAS - Since I was sitting at the back of the boat (the Stern) where the wheel was located, that's where the captain was situated. Andreas is the captain of the ship called Nemesis. In addition to being a great tour guide and wonderful skipper, he has a great personality, appreciation for life, adventure and people. He's only 23, too. I wound up talking with him for over 3 1/2 hours! We talked about life, adventures and really bonded when he told me his family dog named Jordan, had passed earlier in the year, and he was devastated. Since I communicate with pets from the other side (and have written three books about how they do it), I tried to bring some healing.  Jordan was a Jack Russell Terrier who passed at 14 years old. 

A SPECIAL TATTOO - One thing that really struck me was when Andreas showed me the tattoo on his right forearm. It was a tattoo of Jordan's favorite stuffed animal shark toy. I immediately had to sketch his tattoo so I would always remember that loving tribute to the dog that captured Andreas' heart. 

A NICE FAREWELL - Andreas told me someone he met on one of his tours promised they would come back the next day, and he said he was so touched when that happened. Well, I promised to give him a copy of one of my books that I had packed, so the next morning, Tom and I left the hotel early, drove to the docks and found him. We gave him the book and he gave us the biggest hug. Meeting him was something I will never forget. 

WHAT IS SYKIA OR FIG TREE CAVE?  - Sykia is the Greek word for Fig. Andreas stopped the boat in a grotto and 8 guys at a time boarded a rubber raft. Andreas guided the raft through a small cave, that opened into the ocean and then we turned into another cave that opened into a huge grotto. There was lava rock all around, and the top of the cave opened to a huge dome. In the center of the dome was an opening to the sky. The legend says that there was a giant fig tree that grew on the top of the dome and the roof collapsed, sending the tree into the grotto waters below. 

NEXT: OFF TO SANTORINI

Greece Vacation #8: Exploring the Temple of Zeus!

 In today's blog, we continue our walking tour through Athens, Greece and take you to the remnants of the Temple of Zeus. If you don't know your Greek Mythology, you'll learn who Zeus is, too. There was also some energy around the ancient site. You'll learn about all of those things and some architecture in today's blog. 

(Photo: Tom and Rob standing near 1 of the remaining columns of the Temple of Zeus)

WHO IS ZEUS? Zeus is the god of the sky in ancient Greek mythology. As the chief Greek deity, Zeus is considered the ruler, protector, and father of all gods and humans. Zeus is often depicted as an older man with a beard and is represented by symbols such as the lightning bolt and the eagle.  Click for More about Zeus.

(Image; Zeus. Credit: https://curiousport.com/how-zeus-became-the-supreme-god-of-greek-mythology/) 

WHAT IS THE TEMPLE OF ZEUS? The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion or Columns of the Olympian Zeus, is a former colossal temple at the center of the Greek capital Athens. It was dedicated to Zeus,  head of the Olympian gods. It was probably constructed at around 470 B.C when the ancient Olympic Games were at their peak. 

WE WERE STRUCK BY THE HAND-CARVED DETAIL - Tom said: Look at the detail in this column capital, all carved by hand without templates.  Note the scrolls are not perfectly symmetrical!

HOW IT CAME TO BE - According to Greeka.com, there is an interesting story behind the construction of this temple. In 470 B.C, there was a war between Elis and Pisa, two neighboring powers in the area of Olympia. Finally, Elean was defeated and as a penalty, the town gave the funds for building a magnificent temple right outside the stadium of Olympia. 

 

(Photo: 4 standing columns of the Temple of Zeus, more under scaffolding for restoration. Credit: Tom W.)

ABOUT ITS CONSTRUCTION, NEVER COMPLETED - The Temple was never completed, and ironically, restorative architects were working on it when we visited because the majority of the Temple was covered in scaffolding! 

As for the structure, it is hexastyle building. The entire monument was made of limestone and is covered with stucco. Parian marble was used for making the sculptures inside the temple and Pentelic marble was used to construct the roof tiles. The temple has thirteen columns on both sides and six columns each at two ends. The construction of the temple was never entirely complete. It went under renovation many times. The floor was initially made of colorful mosaics with pebbles and stones and later enveloped by marble. 

(Photo: One of the fallen columns stands in front of the scaffolding. Credit: T.W)

The sculptures on the pediment and the metopes depicted the 12 labors of Hercules (click to learn about them) . Three different stories were sculpted on the east pediment, the west pediment, and the metopes (In classical architecture, a metope (μετόπη) is a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze, which is a decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes (see diagram below).

A BIT OF ARCHITECTURE- WHAT IS A DORIC FRIEZE?- It's a structural element that helps support the weight of the roof. Sitting just on top of that is the frieze, a horizontal section with a less structural and more decorative function. Above the frieze is the cornice.

WHAT IS A CORNICE? - In architecture, a cornice is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a pedestal, or along the top of an interior wall.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE NOW?  The Temple of Olympian Zeus was badly damaged during the sack of Athens by the Heruli in 267 AD.  Today, the ruined Temple of Zeus stands in the archaeological site of Olympia. We were surprised that there is quite a large area (of dirt) surrounding it, indicating that there was a large border around the area. We did see some scattered rectangular stones about 200-300 feet from the actual temple ruins. 

(Photo: View of the area around the Temple of Zeus- it was really a huge area)

ENERGY AROUND - We sensed a lot of residual energy (that's leftover energy generated by a lot of emotions, that gets imprinted into an area, including the ground). In this case, it was likely because this was a temple of worship to Zeus. We also heard what sounded like soft chanting. 

NEXT:  A Look at the Historic Nix Hill 

Greece Vacation #7: Ed's Spirit Tosses Me a Coin at Olympic Stadium

In today's blog, you'll read about a sign from a special spirit and learn about the Olympic Games Stadium in Athens, Greece!

(Photo: Tom and Rob at the Ancient Greek Olympic Stadium. Credit; R.G) 

A SPIRIT VACATIONS WITH US -  For those who know me, know I have a gift to communicate with people who passed, and one special spirit loves to come along on vacation. His name is Ed, and he is Tom's late partner who has made himself known on other vacations from England to Italy. He already helped us out in the Chicago airport, and now he let me know he's made the trip to Greece. (You can read about him in my book "Kindred Spirits" by Rob Gutro -on Amazon). 

(Photo: A statue of a greek athlete we found across the street from the stadium. Credit: R.G)

Ed became known for his love of coins. He called his coins for coffee "Jingle Java," and co-workers made him a tin can bank with those words. As such he has tossed us coins whenever we've thought of him. As we were walking with the group to the Athens Olympic Park Stadium, I felt like I had to look down and there in front of me was a coin! I knew it was from Ed, because I hadn't looked down the entire time I was in the country. That's how it works - spirits can influence you to do things, and he did. 

(Photo: the Coin Ed Sent us in Athens to let us know he was with us. Credit. R.G.) 

WHAT IS THE OLYMPIC STADIUM?  The Panathenaic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens,  it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble!

  A stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) c. 330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD and had a capacity of 50,000 seats.

WHAT CAUSED IT TO BE ABANDONED?  The rise of Christianity in the 4th century caused it to be abandoned when Greek gods became a thing of the past. 

(Our photo of the stadium from across the street. Credit: R.Gutro)

A STADIUM REBORN - The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted the Zappas Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and was the venue for 4 of the 9 contested sports. It was used for various purposes in the 20th century and was once again used as an Olympic venue in 2004. It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon.  It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place

NEXT: ONTO THE TEMPLE OF ZEUS

Greece Vacation #2: Ed's Spirit Helps Out in the Airport

 In today's second blog about our Greece vacation, you'll read that it wasn't long before our friend Ed in spirit showed up to help when we needed him. 

(Photo: Rob and Tom reach Chicago on the first leg of the trip to Athens, Greece) 

THE SITUATION - When we arrived at our departure airport, I realized I didn't have the straps to my backpack, so I had to hand carry it. I took everything out of the bag and looked in it. No strap. I was frustrated because I was going to be taking the backpack with me throughout Greece. It was heavy with books, graphic novels, snacks, earplugs and other stuff I brought. When we got to Chicago, we walked through many stores in the airline terminals searching through stores that may sell straps. 

WHO IS ED?- Ed is a man who passed in 1996 and he is Tom's late partner. I never met Ed in life, but since Tom and I have been together since 2005, Ed has been right there with us. That's the benefit of being a medium - I can communicate with people (and pets) whom passed. Ed has come around so much and helped us (he actually saved us when we got lost in England, and helped solve the mystery of his own death. - You can read about those things in my book called "Kindred Spirits" available on Amazon). 

HOW ED HELPED - I was feeling as if Ed were already with us on the trip when we landed in Chicago, because I sensed he wanted to experience Greece (and he was interested in mythology as I am).  

After a lunch in the terminal, I told Tom that I feel we need to continue looking for a strap for the bookbag. We chose a different terminal to walk down and it became apparent that Ed made us choose it. 

(Photo: The makeshift twine strap that Ed provided and Tom engineered on my book bag).

Upon walking into the first gift shop, there on the floor was a perfectly sized piece of strong twine that an employee had cut off a box to unpack products. The store clerk was going to toss the twine so we picked it up and Tom fashioned a makeshift strap!

(Left: the book Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit, by Rob Gutro - the story of how I befriended Ed's spirit!- available on Amazon)

For doubters, what are the chances that we would walk down that particular terminal, and look in that particular store at the exact time that a perfect piece of twine was on the floor?  The chances are astronomical. As I always say, when it comes to spirits, there's no such thing as a coincidence. I thanked Ed for the makeshift strap (I later found the straps in Greece, but this came in handy all the way to the hotel in Athens). The bottom line is that when we need help, spirits of our loved ones are there to help.

NEXT: ARRIVAL IN ATHENS, GREECE