About 80 kilometres west of Athens, our holiday home was near a town called Kineta, in the Saronic Gulf. There some friends had rebuilt an old family house which was on a curving cliff top with steps down to the beach and sea. 

They had left us a battered VW which shook heavily around 60kph for local shopping for food etc. In the daytime, the doors of the house were kept closed to keep the heat out. Daytime temperatures were around 40C. Here's a view from the clifftop.  
 

After a few days we chanced the VW on the motorway; the wheels shook at 60 kph but after 80 kph, the shaking stopped, although you need to be a strong-nerved driver to stay alive near Greek motorists who drive as if possessed by dangerous spirits intent on raising hell in the baking sunshine. 

After an hour we reached Corinthos, and the famous Corinth Canal. You can stand on a footbridge and peer down below with knees trembling in the Atttic breeze. 
 

Ancient Corinth, at the foot of the massive Acrocorinth peak (1,863 feet) was blessed: it governed the north-south land route over the isthmus and the east-west sea route. The fertile plain and hills around the city (where currants are grown, which are named for Corinth) are extensive, and the Acrocorinth afforded a virtually impregnable refuge. Corinth was a wealthy city with a reputation for luxury and vice and a Temple of Aphrodite with more than 1,000 sacred prostitutes (isn't that a good example of an oxymoron?). These facts are emphasized too often today, and amid the titillation the real story of Corinth is lost. 

The city came to prominence in the 8th century BC, becoming a centre of commerce and founding the colonies of Syracuse in Sicily and Kerkyra on Corfu.  

Corinth was conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 338 BC. After his assassination, Alexander immediately swooped down on Corinth to confirm his leadership and stop any rebellion. It's said that outside the gates Alexander encountered the philosopher Diogenes the Cynic, who espoused a creed of living as simply and cheaply as possible. When not carrying a lantern around in broad daylight on his quest for an honest man, he lived in a large storage jar, which is where Alexander found him. When Alexander the Great asked Diogenes if there was anything he could do for him, "Only step out of my sunlight" was the curt reply. 
 

 

The history of Corinth is extensive but a few highlights: The Romans came and crushed the city, women and children left alive were auctioned. In 44 BC Julius Caesar refounded the city and under the Pax Romana, Corinth flourished as never before. Its population was recorded at that time as 300,000 plus 450,000 slaves. 

The apostle Paul lived in Corinth for 18 months (AD 51-52) and worked there as a tent maker or leather worker. 

Seven of the original 38 columns of the Temple of Apollo are still standing. It is by far the most striking of Corinth's ancient buildings, as well as being one of the oldest stone temples in Greece (mid-6th century BC). 

Click here for More holiday news: Freelancers need a complete break from time to time to escape from the pressure and routine of everyday life. Someone wisely said: "Sometimes it is necessary to go away only so that one may come home again."