GREECE - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 290

a block farther on the left-hand side of the street and is open daily except Tuesday.
Admission is charged. This museum has an excellent collection of archaeological
exhibits.
The ancient theater and Roman ruins lie on the outskirts of town, in the direc-
tion of the hillsides. They are a 5-minute taxi ride or a 15-minute walk from the mu-
seum. On foot, turn left at the next street beyond the museum and walk until you
reach the next main intersection. Turn right, and walk straight ahead to the site. If
there is the slightest tinge of archaeology in your blood, you'll love this spot.
Athens (Athinai)—Argos (Arghos)
No train service is currently available to Argos. There are at least 5 buses a day
from Athens to Argos, and additional buses from Corinth to Argos. Travel time from
Athens to Argos is about 2 hours.
The theater has 90 tiers, which were cut into the hillside on a rather steep angle,
making it possible for a perfect, uninterrupted view of the stage area from any seat
in the house. Oddly enough, the 20,000 seating capacity of this amphitheater is
more than adequate for the current 19,000 population of Argos.
History comes out to meet you on this day excursion. Argos lies in the plain of
Argolis on the Peloponnese peninsula, land of myth and magic. Your mind can run
rampant as you journey there. The Iliad , the Odyssey , and the beautiful Helen hov-
er over all travelers who enter.
Modern history appears first as the train crosses the Isthmus of Corinth. Below
the railroad bridge lies the canal connecting the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Alex-
ander the Great, Caesar, and Nero all failed in their attempts to construct the wa-
terway through 4 miles of solid rock. A French engineering firm finally succeeded
in 1893. Watch for it about 1 hour and 20 minutes after leaving Athens. The best
view is from the right side of the train. The railroad bridge is only 108 feet long; if
you plan on taking pictures, have everything poised and ready to go, for it passes
quickly.
Medieval history is next in line as you approach Argos, where the hillsides north-
west of the city reveal at their highest point a Venetian fortress, which dominates
the White Chapel of the Prophet Elias and Our Lady of the Rocks Convent ly-
ing below.
Ancient history unfolds in Argos itself, with the 20,000-seat theater, and 5 miles
east of the town with the Argive Heraeon and the scattered remains of Greece's