From Athens: Ancient Corinth & Daphni Monastery

After your morning pick-up from your centrally located hotel, the bus will drive to Corinth via Iera Odos (the Sacred Way). It was so-called this because it was the route taken by a procession celebrating the Eleusinian Mysteries. Initiations were held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based in Eleusis. Your first stop will be the Monastery of Daphni, a 11th-century Byzantine monastery listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Monasteries Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios. The interior of the church is decorated with superb mosaics, a unique, fine example of the classical idealism of Middle Byzantine art. The crowded scenes of the mosaics narrate scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin.  Driving along the coastal road, reach Corinth Canal, which merges the Aegean with the Ionian Sea (short stop for photos of the breathtaking view). Shortly thereafter, reach the ancient town of Corinth, where St. Paul lived and preached for two years (Acts 18:1-18). Visit the ruins of the ancient city where Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla, see the remains of the first century shops, the agora where Paul’s trial by Gallio took place, the Fountain of Peirene and one of the most outstanding monuments of the pre–Roman period, the Temple of Apollo.