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• Sailing in Saronic-Argolic Gulf and Peloponnese
  • Starting from Athens or Lavrion
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    • One week cruise
    • Two weeks cruise
  • History, sightseeing and Travel Info
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Two weeks cruise

• POROS
  
  Poros Island is comprised of two islands, Kalavria and Sferia. They are connected by a narrow isthmus, cut by a canal for small boats and spanned by a road bridge. Kalavria(Kalavria means ?Gentle Breeze?) is quite larger than Sferia and is planted all over. Sferia is a volcanic rock.
  
  Poros Town with its sunny, white houses and red-tiled roofs seems more like a lakeside resort in the mountains than an island port.It has several rewarding traditional tavernas where you can taste the home-produced wine.
  
  Poros has many unexceptional beaches, but the ones that stand out from the rest are: "Kanali Beach", on Kalavria 1 km east of the bridge.It has very good fish taverns by the sea with a wonderful view to the open sea
  
  "Neorion Beach", 3km west of the bridge, is one of the most beautiful beaches of Poros. Here there is a water ski school, water polo facilities and all the water sports .For the night there is Club 'Kalypso' next to the sea among the pine trees.
  
  "Askeli", a quite big beautiful beach with a beach volley court, lies a few kilometers on the North East of the port. There are bars, shops and taverns. There are waters ports and interesting night life.
  
  "Monastiri", on the eastern side, is a quiet beach with clear waters and picturesque taverns, the area is suitable for scuba diving.
  The "Russian Dockyard", a beautiful and picturesque bay,
  is announced as a historical monument due to its great architectural and historical interest. Opposite there is the little island of "Daskalio".
  "Perlia" is a picturesque beach with fish taverns.
  
  The "Lemon Forest" is a big area full of lemon trees with lots of waters and waters mills. The forest leads to Plaka and Alikes with sandy beaches facing "Bourtzi".
  
  Poros played a significant role in 1821 Revolution. It was placed on the map
  of history in 1828 where rival assemblies met to make important decisions,
  which set the Constitution in a positive direction.
  
  

  www.poros.gr
  www.poros.com.gr
  

  
  
• HYDRA
  Hydra, a cosmopolitan, glorious and magnificent island, combined with tranquility and relaxation, offers entertainment all day long and intensive night life.
  
  The town which is the centre of the whole island is built amphitheatrically around the port which is filled with all the types of yachts like: sailing yachts, cruisers, caiques and traditional fishing-boats.
  
  Hydra Town looks glamorous like an art-paint, with grey, white and blue colours above the blue of the sea. Right and left from the entrance of the port, there are the Parapets with the Canons, which protected the town.
  
  Hydra offers to its quests the opportunity, inside from a variety of local customs and ctivities,
  to entertain themselves and get in touch with the navy tradition.A big festival, called Miaoulia, takes place in Hydra the weekend closest to the 21st June, to honour Admiral Miaoulis, a most important man of the Greek Revolution in 1821.
  
  A rare bonus in modern Greece is the absence, even from the town, of scooters and rapid motorbikes. The island has no motorized transport, except for sanitation and construction vehicles. Donkeys and Mules are the only means of transport.
  
  On the Island you will enjoy romantic walks in the narrows, picturesque, paved alleys.
  Generally, Hydra is famous for the calm life that offers to the visitors in the day,
  but also for the intense, cosmopolitan night life. Hydra's waterfront fires up at night when daytime cafes become hot music bars.
  
  Hydra has also dozen of classic Greek tavernas and restaurants.
  Hydra, with its continuous offering to tourism and to the culture of our country,
  remains the adornment of the Saronic Gulf and one of the most important resorts that Greece has to offer.
  
  Hydra has got a lot of beaches with rocks or sand and pebbles.
  You have got access to them on foot, with donkeys or sea transportation means. Common characteristic of these beaches are the crystal clear blue waters.
  Close to the harbour is a beautiful rocky area with deep blue water, called "Spilia".
  It attracts many tourists every year and it is an ideal place to enjoy the panoramic harbor view.It is also a place where you can have snacks and drinks, day and night.
  Near Spilia is another beautiful beach for swimming in blue waters and nice music from the bar 20 hours a day, called "Hydronetta".
  
  "Kamini",a small, natural, picturesque harbour full of fishing boats. Next to it, it is "Mikro (small) Kamini", a beautiful, small, pebbled beach, ideal for water sports and small children. In Kamini there are tavernas with local food and hospitality.
  
  "Vliho", which it has a beautiful beach with cleanwaters and white houses up to the rocks. Bisti is the southeast cove of the island and it is surrounded from tall rocks.
  It is an organized beach and the visitor can dive into the crystal-clear waters.
  From the south-west of the island we reach the cove of Saint Nikolaos. There, one can find an organised pebble beach with clear and clean waters, ideal for underwater fishing.
  
  
• DOKOS
  Dokos is a small islet situated between Hydra and the opposite coast of Ermioni at the Peloponnese, close enough to Spetses.
  
  It is a barren island with scarce water sources, pretty rocky. Today it counts some 50 permanent residents occupied in stockbreeding and fishing, but it receives many visitors, mainly naturists who come here to enjoy free camping at the northern coasts of the island, or to visit the women?s monastery of Aghia Eupraxia.
  
  According to the archaeological finds, the island seems to have been populated as early as in the late 5th millennium b.C. (Late Neolithic period), but it flourished a bit later, during the Early Helladic period in the 3rd millennium b.C., thanks to the rapid development of navigation. During the Mycenaean times there had been established and developed the settlements at the sites of ?Ledeza? and ?Kommeni Myte?. From the Archaic times and throughout antiquity the island was called Aperopia. Throughout its history the island was a strategic point of great importance, a fact well confirmed by the ruins of the Byzantine castle which was also used and extended by the Venetian. The location of the island allowed to whoever dominated it to control the marine transports of the Argolicos bay up to Eastern Laconia.
  
  During the Greek Revolution of 1821 the fleet of Hydra used the islet as a safe port for winter.
  
  In 1970s? it has been found in the area around Dokos the most ancient shipwreck of the world, dated in the second half of the third millennium b.C.
  
  In the summer of 1975 Peter Throckmorton, a diver, investigator of sea bottoms has detected a great number of pottery at a depth of 20 m. at the sea bottom around the island of Dokos.
  
  Soon afterwards Throckmorton, having communicated the information to the Greek Archaeological Service, returned to the island accompanied by the Greek archaeologist Georgios Papathanasopoulos, who examined the pottery, dated it in the Early Helladic period and suggested that it was a ship-wreck probably of 2200 b.C. Soon after, in 1975 and 1977, they carried out two investigating surveys, which resulted to a more accurate dating: the ship-wreck could be located in the Early Helladic II period (2700-2200/2100 b.C.) During the same survey, they had defined the area of the ship-wreck, at a depth of 15 to 30 meters and found out that it was the more ancient ship-wreck ever since found worldwide.
  
  A systematic excavation of the site started in the summer of 1989 by the Institute of Marine Archaeological Surveys of Greece, under the supervision of the archaeologist Georgios Papathanasopoulos. The underwater excavation would take place every summer and last two months. The whole process was completed in 1992 and the finds were kept in a special space of the Museum of Spetses, where they are being restored by experts.
  
  The pottery refloated from the sea bottom constituted the ship-load of a merchant ship and would be delivered to an unknown destination. The pottery of the ship evidences for the high level of the technology of the period. There have been found vessels of various kinds, along with objects of every day use which resemble to those already found in the excavations of the strong coastal Early Helladic settlements of Lerna and of Tiryns, as well as in other settlements of the broader Argolida.
  The underwater archaeological survey at Dokos was the first systematic underwater excavation of an ancient ship-wreck in Greece and had been carried out with the use of the most up-to-date technology and equipment. This marine find constitutes one of the most valuable evidence for prehistoric navigation and the development of marine trade. It also offered extremely important information about the level of technology during the Bronze Age and about the economy and exchange in the Aegean in late 3rd millennium b.C. The survey of the ship-wreck has added up a lot to the land surveys of the Early Helladic culture and made scholars understand better how the marine transports and the communication process in the Myrtoon Sea and in the Saronicos Bay.
• SPETSAI
  Spetses, is located at the entrance of the Bay of Argos. It's a luxurious green island, known from the antiquity as Pittioussa ? the pine Clad.
  
  Nowadays, it's characterized as the ?Saronic Gulf's Diamond?!
  
  Spetses town rambles along a big slice of the northeast coast of the island and rises steeply from behind the main Dapia Harbour and waterfront area.
  
  The Old Harbour, which is about a 1.5 km stroll from Dapia, is an engaging place to wander round. It is crammed with all types of vessels, from working fishing boats to minor-league private cruisers and yachts.
  
  Spetses coastline is speckled with numerous coves with small, pine-shaded beaches.
  
  The beach of Ligoneri, west of town, has the attraction of being easily accessible by boat. Agia Paraskevi and Agioi Anargyri, on the southwest coast, have good, although crowded, beaches; both have water sports of every description. Agia Marina, to the south of the old harbour, is a small resort with a beach that gets crowded.
  
  The most Important Festival of religious and historical meaning is "Armata". Early in September with weekly events leading to their peak on the 8th, the locals together with the guests celebrate the anniversary of the Great Spetses naval battle, one of the most significant fights of the 1821 revolution, which took place on the 8th of September 1822, where the enemy fleet was defeated to retreat after losing their flag ship. Every year thousands of visitors on 8th of September re-live that courageous victory with a spectacular performance.
  

  www.spetses.gr
  
• PORTO HELI
  Porto Heli is situated on a beautiful, natural harbour in the prefecture of Argolis, located in the Peloponnese, the southern region of mainland Greece. Porto Heli is about 190km from Athens by road or 55 Nautical miles from Pireaus Port.
  
  The Porto Heli harbor is one of the safest natural harbors in Greece and there are also plenty of secluded bays for you to moor in.
  
  The ruins of the ancient city of Halieis are on the south side of the bay, opposite the modern day village of Porto Heli. Some of the ruins (both on land and in the sea) are still visible.
  
  The city of Halieis was enclosed by a wall with at least 5 gates and was large enough to have independent territorial rights and mint their own coins. The streets were laid out in a well organized grid, each house with their own courtyard and well and there were communal baths (visible in the shallows on a calm day). The inhabitants were fishermen and farmers in the main and the reasons for the decline/abandonment of the city are still not known today. Findings include decorated pottery, coins, remains of roof tiles, terracotta figurines and metal objects.
  
  Most of the excavation work was done during the 1960's and 1970's for the American School of Classical Studies in Athens by the Department of Classical Studies and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania and by the Department of Classics of Indiana University.
  
  As interest in the area grew and the diggings tailed off, more independent travelers began to discover Porto Heli. Hotels were built in the area, more bars, tavernas and shops and the boom was on. During the 1980's Porto Heli became a very popular package holiday destination which, in turn, led to people falling in love with the place (as I did) and buying summer homes in the area but it still retains much of its small fishing village charm. This is why Porto Heli is ideal for both quiet breaks, simply relaxing and enjoying the area or activity holidays packed with biking, exploring and watersports by day and sampling the local brew by night.
  
  The modern name of 'Porto Heli' translates (roughly) to 'The Bay of Eels' which was the mainstay of the fishing industry here some years ago. The fishermen here continue to go about their business and farming is the other main industry in the area. Argolis is well known for the quality of the wine grapes and the exceptionally low acidity of the olives (therefore olive oil) produced in the region. Don't forget to partake of both during your stay here.
  
  Dr. Ken Citron has contributed an article on the history of Ancient Halieis, with more detail which is well worth reading and the former assistant director and architect of the Halieis excavations has an excellent website with lots of photos & info so please visit his site. The Greek Ministry of Culture, has a great site with more about the ancient acropolis of Halieis and other sites of archaeological interest in Greece.
  
  

  www.portoheli.net
  
• NAFPLION
  Whatever the name or how you say it Nafplion is the historical Jewel of the Peloponnese.A history full of myth, occupancy and revolutions. The name is in honour of Poseidons son Nauplis and the Palamidi Fortress is named after Palamis the local hero of the Trojan War. Palamis was also known for supposedly inventing weights and measures and the Greek Alphabet. The actual area of Nafplion has been inhabited since ancient times, but not much is know from then although Palaeolithic and Neolithic objects have been found near by. Nafplion during the Greek Classical era again seems not to have played a part of any significance and even Pausinas the famous traveller didn?t have anything to say about the town. It does though come into it's own during medieval times and played a major part in the history and making of today?s Greece. During these times different occupying forces have left marks of culture and architecture in Nafplion giving it a cosmopolitan atmosphere. In 1377 the Venetians arrived and during this time, in the mid 1400?s the Bourtzi Castle was built.The Turks captured the town from the Venetians in 1542 AD and turned Nafplion into   a major port for the Greek mainland in the import and export industry. Nafplion was retaken by the Venetians once again and during this time the Palamidi Castle was built and the Acronafplia fortress reconstructed. Their hold over Nafplion though only lasted for a few decades and was then put back into the hands of the Turks. Over the next few hundred years Nafplion flourished under Turkish rule until the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Nafplion was liberated a year later and due to its strong participation during the revolution was named as the first capital of the newly liberated free Greece in 1823. Kapodistrias was the newly appointed Prime Minister until his assassination in 1831. King Otto arrived in Nafplion and decided to move the capital to Athens in 1834.Over the next century Nafplion begins a calm and unobtrusive era until the next major event which was the arrival of tourism in the 1960?s.
  
  Dominating the town of Nafplion is the Palamidi fortress. Named after Palamedes who was a local hero of the Trojan War, the imposing fortress is lit up at night turning it into an almost magical site.
  Strategically built on the highest point 216 meters high, the fortress was first constructed by the Franks and completed by the Venetians from the late 1600"s to the early 1700's.
  Just after its final completion in 1715 the castle was taken over by the Turks and remained under their control until the Greek War of Independence when it was rightfully placed into the hands of the Greeks in 1822
  To reach the fortress there are 999 steps to the very top. Steps that convicts under the supervision of the Bavarian Army during the Otto rule were made to build.
  For the more faint hearted local taxis' will drive you up the road way whence you will have a choice of returning by taxi or walking back down the steps.
  Giaxich and Lasalle are the engineers responsible for this typical baroque fortress with its' eight bastions surrounded by walls. Inside the fortress you will find the small Church of St. Andrew, built in one of the bastions of the fortress and in another bastion is the prison of Theodoros Kolokotronis a hero of the Greek Revolution.
  
  The small islet named the Bourtzi can be found resting in the harbour of Nafplion. The fortress was first designed as a fortified stronghold in the 1400's by architect Antonio Gambelo, who was from Bergamo. He had canons placed around the fortress to protect the entrance to the Nafplion harbour from all sides.
  After the venetians the Turks took over turning the Bourtzi into a prison to hold convicts awaiting execution and of course the executioners themselves who were thought to be bad luck and weren?t welcome on the mainland. A strong chain pulley was attached from the harbour to the castle where food and supplies where transferred. Remnants of the chain holdings are still visible.
  In more recent times the fortress has been used as a variety of tourist attractions including a casino and a hotel.
  Small taxi-boats will carry you over for a visit to the Bourtzi leaving and returning frequently from the harbour front.
  

  www.nafplion.gr
  
• YERACAS
  (Yerakas or Gerakas) The ancient city "Zarax" is tracked down at this location, at the North and eastern edge of the Municipality of Lakonia, where the people of Lakonia lived from 1300 b.C. The "Castle", as the local people use to call it, is surrounded by a wall of "Cyclopian" technique, but its secrets are well hidden below the dust of the centuries. This natural port, has become at the passing of the time, a starting point for pirates, a station for the Byzantines to repel the Saracuses and property of the Venetians. Pavsanias has written about the port of Gerakas. In the book of the famous Greek writer A. Karkavitsas, "words from the stem", the port of Gerakas became the reason for Captain Valmas to stamp his only son, when in the mist of the storm that threatened to sink their ship, the child insisted that behind the rocks of the Myrtoon sea, there was a secure and lee port.
  
  The port of Gerakas today, protected from the weathers with its amazing environment, the lagoon, and the little taverns that offer the fishes of the day, is a destination for unforgettable and calm vacations, every time of the year. At a close distance we meet the beaches "Kohilas", "Vathy" or "Vlyhada" and "Tama" or "Baogeri", each with its own unique beauty. All of them compose an ideal place for submarine fishing because of the rocky sea area. The coastal line, forms private beaches and bays that can also be reached by ship.
  
• ASTROS
  Astros (Paralion Astros) is a port city near the Argolic Gulf in the northeast Peloponnese in eastern Arcadia. The name and the settlement both date back to ancient times, when it was known as Astron. Astros is the seat of North Kynouria municipality, which is the largest in Arcadia and has the greatest number of communities and settlements. Astros is accessible by the road connecting Tripoli and Argos and Tyros and Leonidio and Monemvasia to the south; reportedly, it is the most popular vacation destination for the inhabitants of Tripoli.
  
  Astros was the site of the Second National Assembly of the Hellenes during the Greek War of Independence. Astros has a school, a lyceum, a high school, a number of churches including one which is situated on a hilltop, banks, and a post office. The port on the east side serves ferries to Spetses. There is a beach to the northeast. In the southern part of Astros, there is a water tower, and a square. Much of the land is rocky and bushy and unsuitable for cultivation, but there are some farms and groves are in low-lying areas near town. The panoramic view from Astros includes portions of the promontory protecting the harbor, and the western and the southern portion of Argolis, except for the most low-lying areas. This view sometimes includes the shoreline communities, but these can only be seen on clearer days. The western portion of the island of Spetses is only occasionally visible. The town is also home to the Astros Archaeological Museum, founded in 1985.
  
  Paralio Astros, the port serving the inland town, possesses beaches and a harbour which can accommodate small ships. It is a popular vacation spot for inhabitants of Tripoli and other parts of Greece. As of 2001, the port had 874 permanent inhabitants.
  
  

  Wikipedia
  
• ERMIONI
  Ermioni is built across a peninsula embraced by the sea on both sides, giving it the feeling of an island town with the benefits of being on the mainland. The old town rises up a hillside, with splendid views to nearby islands and a fertile plain rich in pomegranates, citrus fruits and olive groves. Below, the northern bay forms a natural harbour for the busy little port where you see fishermen cleaning their nets and small shops and cafes. Mandraki, to the south, offers a good selection of quay side restaurants, bars and traditional Tavernas with their octopuses hanging outside to dry in the sun.
  
  At the peninsula?s tip is a pine-covered Bisti, where rocky coves offer great swimming in calm crystal clear waters. Walkers will discover the stone foundations of Temples, and the remains of "Cyclopean Walls".  Here and on the opposite hillside are two renovated windmills from which you get great views of Ermioni and across to the Islands.
  

  www.ermioni.com
  
• HYDRA
  Hydra, a cosmopolitan, glorious and magnificent island, combined with tranquility and relaxation, offers entertainment all day long and intensive night life.
  
  The town which is the centre of the whole island is built amphitheatrically around the port which is filled with all the types of yachts like: sailing yachts, cruisers, caiques and traditional fishing-boats.
  
  Hydra Town looks glamorous like an art-paint, with grey, white and blue colours above the blue of the sea. Right and left from the entrance of the port, there are the Parapets with the Canons, which protected the town.
  
  Hydra offers to its quests the opportunity, inside from a variety of local customs and ctivities,
  to entertain themselves and get in touch with the navy tradition.A big festival, called Miaoulia, takes place in Hydra the weekend closest to the 21st June, to honour Admiral Miaoulis, a most important man of the Greek Revolution in 1821.
  
  A rare bonus in modern Greece is the absence, even from the town, of scooters and rapid motorbikes. The island has no motorized transport, except for sanitation and construction vehicles. Donkeys and Mules are the only means of transport.
  
  On the Island you will enjoy romantic walks in the narrows, picturesque, paved alleys.
  Generally, Hydra is famous for the calm life that offers to the visitors in the day,
  but also for the intense, cosmopolitan night life. Hydra's waterfront fires up at night when daytime cafes become hot music bars.
  
  Hydra has also dozen of classic Greek tavernas and restaurants.
  Hydra, with its continuous offering to tourism and to the culture of our country,
  remains the adornment of the Saronic Gulf and one of the most important resorts that Greece has to offer.
  
  Hydra has got a lot of beaches with rocks or sand and pebbles.
  You have got access to them on foot, with donkeys or sea transportation means. Common characteristic of these beaches are the crystal clear blue waters.
  Close to the harbour is a beautiful rocky area with deep blue water, called "Spilia".
  It attracts many tourists every year and it is an ideal place to enjoy the panoramic harbor view.It is also a place where you can have snacks and drinks, day and night.
  Near Spilia is another beautiful beach for swimming in blue waters and nice music from the bar 20 hours a day, called "Hydronetta".
  
  "Kamini",a small, natural, picturesque harbour full of fishing boats. Next to it, it is "Mikro (small) Kamini", a beautiful, small, pebbled beach, ideal for water sports and small children. In Kamini there are tavernas with local food and hospitality.
  
  "Vliho", which it has a beautiful beach with cleanwaters and white houses up to the rocks. Bisti is the southeast cove of the island and it is surrounded from tall rocks.
  It is an organized beach and the visitor can dive into the crystal-clear waters.
  From the south-west of the island we reach the cove of Saint Nikolaos. There, one can find an organised pebble beach with clear and clean waters, ideal for underwater fishing.
  

  www.hydra.com.gr
  
• AIGINA
  Aegina was named after the daughter of the river God, Asopus.  Aegina Town lies on the island?s west coast and is the capital and main port of the island.
  
  The harbour front road is a speedway; it is lined with traditional caiques and lots of yachts in summer. Also, there are many cafes and restaurants ideal for relaxing on the waterfront and in the maze of the streets behind.
  
  When you enter the harbour, the small, white church of Saint Nikolas welcomes you.
  Your first impression is the modern type classical buildings, which are located along the sea front of the island.
  
  Take a ride on the horses and the carriages, walk in the narrow, paved streets and see the traditional houses, the churches with the blue domes and the shops with folk art.
  Don't miss seeing the fish-market, the traditional restaurants that serve snacks with ouzo (a Greek drink), also, the fishing boats, which are not only used for fishing but for selling groceries as well.
  And finally don't forget to buy the famous peanuts of Aegina.
  
  
  Near the port, on the left is an archaeological place called «Kolones» known for its one and only pillars (kolona in Greek), the only remaining thing from the temple of Apollo Delfiniou. The hill of Kolones was the Acropolis and the religious centre of the ancient city. Today on the hill of Kolona, there is the archaeological museum of Aegina, which many findings from the excavations are displayed there
  
  The impressive Temple of Aphaia, a local deity of Pre- Hellenic times, is the major ancient site of the Saronic Gulf islands. It was built in 480BC, when Aegina was at its political height. Aphaia is 10 km east to Aegina Town. Buses to Agia Marina stop at the site or you can sail to Agia Marina and moor there.
  
  The temple of Aphaia is built in the northern part of the island in a place covered with pine trees and with a view of the beautiful blue sea.It's in a very good condition. Twenty-four pillars of the temple remain, out of a total of 34.
  It has been built in 480 b.c. just after the naval battle in Salamina.
  Pafsanias gives us more information about Aphaia from some traditions in Crete.According to those, Vritomartis was born from Zeus and Karmi and because she liked hunting very much, Goddess Artemis was fond of her.
  Minoas fell in love with Virtomartis and in order to get away from him, she fell into the sea where she got tangled up in some fishermen's nets and they took her with them on their ship.
  
  But on the ship, a sailor fell in love with Vritomartis so she was forced to fall into the sea again in order to get away from him and she managed to swim to the island.
  The girl headed towards the forest of the island and the sailors watched her from the ship as she was vanishing with some kind of holy intervention and that's why they named her Aphaia from the word ?afandos? which in Greek means that someone has vanished into thin air.
  When the atmosphere is clear, you can see Poseidon's temple in Sounio and the Acropolis of Athens.
  
  It is said that the 3 temples form a triangle (the holy triangle of ancient times).
  
  
  

  www.aegina.com.gr
  www.aeginagreece.com
  

  
  
• SOUNION
  Cape Sounion is a promontory located 69 km (43 mi, by road) SSE of Athens, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula in Greece.
  
  Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of an ancient Greek temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical mythology. The remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea. The ruins bear the deeply engraved name of English Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788 - 1824).
  
  The site is a popular day-excursion for tourists from Athens, with sunset over the Aegean Sea, as viewed from the ruins, a sought-after spectacle.
  According to legend, Cape Sounion is the spot where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea. The story goes that Aegeus, anxiously looking out from Sounion, despaired when he saw a black sail on his son Theseus 's ship, returning from Crete.
  
  The earliest literary reference to Sounion is in Homer 's poem the Odyssey, probably composed in the 8th century B.C. This recounts the mythical tribulations suffered by Greek hero Odysseus in a gruelling 10-year sea-voyage to return to his native island, Ithaca in the Ionian sea, from the sack of Troy. This ordeal was supposedly inflicted upon him by Poseidon, to whom the temple at Sounion was dedicated.
  
  We are told that, as the various Greek commanders sailed back from Troy, the helmsman of King Menelaos of Sparta 's ship died at his post while rounding "holy Sounion, cape of Athens". Menelaos landed at Sounion to give his companion full funeral honours (i.e. cremation on a funeral pyre on the beach).
  
  Odysseus' ship was blown far off course, to the land of the lotus-eaters, believed to be an island off the north African coast (possibly Djerba, Tunisia). From there he sailed to the land of the Cyclops (one-eyed giants), where he and his surviving men were captured by Polyphemus, a cyclops who was the son of Poseidon by a nymph.
  
  Ancient Greek religion was essentially propitiatory in nature: i.e., based on the notion that to avoid misfortune, one must constantly seek the favour of the relevant gods by prayers, gifts and sacrifices.
  
  In a maritime country like Greece, the god of the sea was bound to occupy a high position in the divine hierarchy. In power, Poseidon was considered second only to Zeus (Jupiter), the supreme god himself.
  
  The temple at Sounion, therefore, was a venue where mariners, and also entire cities or states, could propitiate Poseidon, by making animal sacrifice, or leaving gifts. The temple of Poseidon was constructed in approx. 440 B.C., over the ruins of a temple dating from the Archaic Period. It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 m. The design of the temple is a typical hexastyle i.e. it had a front portico with 6 columns. Only some columns of the Sounion temple stand today, but intact it would have closely resembled the contemporary and well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus beneath the Acropolis, which may have been designed by the same architect.
  
• MARINA ALIMOS
  Alimos Marina is one of the largest marinas in Greece with a 1000 permanent positions. The Marina is located South West of Athens 15 Km from the city center, 8 Km South of Piraeus port and 30 km from El. Venizelos International Airport. It is served by a dense transportation network of Trams, Buses and Taxis, with stations 500 meters from the Marina.
  
  For most part of the year the winds in the area have Northern direction with seasonally varied strength ranging normally up to 6 Beaufort maximum.
  
  Alimos Marina is located South West of Athens 15 Km from the city center, 8 Km South of Piraeus port and 30 km from El. Venizelos International Airport. It is served by a dense transportation network of Trams, Buses and Taxis, with stations 500 meters from the Marina
  
   The marina has around 1000 places for servicing cruise boats and yachts up to 40 meters long. The maximum depth of the Marina is 6.5 meters.
  
  The services available in the Marina include:
  
      * Entrance Lights for safe navigation
      * Electricity supply
      * Water supply
      * Refueling services
      * Able Car Parking in several places around the Marina
      * 2 Restaurants-Bars
      * VHF Communication (Channel 71)
      * First Aid provisions
      * Security and PIR automatic lights around the Marina.
  
  Services available in the vicinity of the Marina include:
  
      * Banks
      * Restaurants and Bars
      * Rent a car
      * Pharmacy, hairdressing, laundry, etc
  
  The Marina is located close to Athens city center offering all the conveniences of the city. Howeve, 700 meters from the Marina there is also a large local market for shopping.
  
  

  www.alimos-marina.gr