Viking Cruises

horizon, bathes everything in a soft golden light which is perfect for photography. This is vividly illustrated on my first excursion to the ancient city of Corinth in Greece. Leaving the port of Piraeus we take the coastal road along the northern shore of the Saronic Gulf. After a dull start the clouds begin to part and shafts of mellow sunlight break through and light up the Saronic Islands which are covered in beautiful pine forests and are popular with Athenian day-trippers during hot summer weekends. Our first stop is the Corinth Canal, a four-milelong straight channel that cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth and links the Ionian and Aegean Seas. Attempts were made in ancient times to build the canal, but proved too difficult for their limited technology. The modern canal only opened in 1893, by which time the rise of steam shipping made it a commercial flop. It is now mainly used for leisure craft and the narrow channel flanked by towering cliffs and graceful bridges is a marvel of 19th century engineering. By controlling trade across the Isthmus, Corinth became one of the wealthiest cities in ancient Greece and enough of the ruins remain to give visitors an idea of its importance. The city was built beneath a towering monolithic rock where the walls of a mighty fortress, rebuilt by the Venetians curl around its summit. The city is dominated by the Temple of Apollo, one of the oldest temples in Greece, which has magnificent views over the Gulf of Corinth. The temple looks especially stunning during sunny winter days when the soft light beautifully enhances the honey coloured hues of the sandstone Doric columns. From Athens we sail across the Aegean to the pleasant Turkish seaside town of Kuşadası which is only a 20 -minute drive to Ephesus, one of the greatest cosmopolitan cities of the ancient world. A processional way, Curetes Street, slopes gently down through the ruins and it's impossible not to be awestruck by the imposing remains of its temples, theatres and civic buildings, many still adorned with decorative sculptures. And as you walk over the marble paving slabs you're walking in the footsteps of legends. Anthony and Cleopatra, the Clockwise from top image: Ephesus ruins; Temple of Apollo ruins; Corinth Canal, Greece viking.com | 35 C H R I S T M A S I S S U E 2 8

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