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The Ionian Sea begins at the southern end of the Adriatic. It was named for Io, one of the many targets of the affections of Zeus, subject to tribulations by Zeus, who turned Io into a young cow, and by Zeus' wife, Hera, who had Io chased all around the sea that now bears her name.
In 31 BC, Octavian ruled the western part of the Roman Empire and the east was governed by Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. There was a sea battle between them at Aktio and the winner, Octavian, then ruled the whole Roman Empire. He celebrated his victory by changing his name to Augustus Caesar, and by building a town near the site of the Ionian Sea battle. He called the town Nikópolis, or "Victory City."
The remains of the city include the theater shown below, an Odeon, which is an indoor theater, a gymnasium, thermal baths, and a stadium. So this was less of a city and more of a theme park.
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Olive trees are all over Greece, in commercial groves, in people's backyards, and sometimes just growing like weeds anywhere you turn. Paxós, the smallest of the seven Ionian islands, is well-known for its olives and olive products. One of our guidebooks said that the oil from Paxós is the only olive oil sold at Harrod's in London. The olive tree is easy to spot. Its small leaves have a distinctive elongated shape, and they look silvery compared to the deeper green leaves of neighboring trees. The trunks are often gnarled and ancient-looking. |
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Greece's national religion is Greek Orthodox. This ornate painted wall was in a church we saw on one of the islands, not in a large city. It is representative of the meticulous art that we've seen in other churches in Greece so far. |
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