Our Greek Odyssey - around Nea Makri

As mentioned in my post of our visit to Athens, we stayed in Nea Makri

This was the view of the pool and bar from our hotel room

Nea Makri is a small town in the Bay of Marathon, some 7 kilometres from the port of Rafina

It is a holiday and/or weekend haven for Greeks who live and work in Athens but also caters for tourists from futher afield - like us!.

The main road to Athens lies about some 500 metres from the coast - so, as we were staying on the coast, we weren't within earshot of the traffic noise

This cafe-bar became our "local" for the week ...

... and this was the best fish restaurant in town

After three days of "commuting" by bus to Athens (75 minutes each way) we decided to have a day exploring Nea Makri and its environs. We registered (online) for these bikes - Cyclopolis: the Greek equivalent of London's "Boris Bikes"

We cycled along the coastal trail around Marathon Bay ...

... to the Schinias Rowing Centre, which hosted the rowing events of the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 

This site used to be Marathon Airport before it was converted for the Olympics

This is at the start of the rowing course - Sir Steve Redgrave will have started his Gold Medal winning race here

In March 2011, the Marathon Rowing Kayaking Academy began operating. This Academy, as well as offering rowing and kayaking for to children and adults also organises events such as cycling, triathlon and swimming

The Academy is part of the National Park of Schinias and during the migration season there is a large number of migratory birds arriving in what is one of the largest wetlands in Southern Greece

The grandstand at the finishing line

and this is where the medals were presented

A short ride from Schinias Rowing Centre we found this memorial of the victory of Battle of Marathon in 490 BC

The Battle took place during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. The battle was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The Greek army decisively defeated the more numerous Persians, marking a turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars

The battle is perhaps now more famous as the inspiration for the marathon race. The legend is that Greek messenger, Pheidippides, ran to Athens with news of the victory and this became the inspiration for this athletic event, introduced at the 1896 Athens Olympics, and originally run between Marathon and Athens

However the distance between Marathon and Athens is less than the 26 miles 385 yards that nowadays constitutes a marathon race. The reason why has less to do with ancient Greece and more to do with the British Royal Family. When London held the games in 1908 there was still no official marathon length. The British Royal family requested that it start at Windsor Castle and end at the Olympic Stadium's Royal Box - a distance of 26 miles 385 yards - so now you know!