Greece Watch out for Thanos Bairlis in Athens, Greece!

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I was advised to make the summary brief, but I could easily write pages of positive reviews for Thanos Bairlis. I have no investment or reward in writing this review other than to, in some small way, try to repay the effort made by Thanos to ensure a life-long wish to experience the locations of the ancient Greek battlefields and homes to Greece’s heroes. I say “watch out” for him, because he deserves massive attention and respect, and because you would be lucky to employ his services.

First off, it should be acknowledged and appreciated that Thanos has been receptive and professional throughout our many email interactions, and he is fluent in many languages. Most people are able to maintain a professional demeanor for a short period of time, but due to life events, Covid pandemic, moving to another city, a new work opportunity, etc, Thanos and I have been communicating about this trip for 8 years…every single inquiry has been met with nothing but the best and most attentive response.

The trip did not start out quite like we had envisioned it. Our plane was delayed over 5 hours leaving the US for Athens. Although we had agreed previously that Thanos would pick us up (this is known as a “transfer” in Greece) and begin our tour upon arrival, we fully anticipated that he would have altered his plans and we would resume our introductions the following day. We were incredibly surprised and delighted to see his friendly and inviting face, present with his “welcome sign” when we finally made it mid-afternoon. He had been on time and then had stayed at the airport for hours to ensure that the first face we saw after exiting the baggage claim was his!

After dropping our bags at the hotel and checking in, Thanos took us on a “mini” sight-seeing tour of roughly 4 hours to introduce us to the Acropolis of Athens. This included a preview and description of the best times and methods of enjoying the Parthenon, a visit to the Art and Cultural Center of Athens with its amazing gift shop…and its view of the rough region that the planning of the naval battle of Salamis was to have taken place. Thanos pointed out an actual replica trireme, similar to those used in the battle that occurred in the 5th century BC. We ended the evening at Kalamogyros with an authentic Greek dinner, with vegetables so fresh and colorful you couldn’t help but overdo it. I literally saw and learned more in the “mini” tour with Thanos than either of my parents had on their respective trips to Athens.

 

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The second day of touring started at 0830, and our initial destination was the Corinth canal. Thanos and I enjoyed a quick break for snacks, and a history lesson of the ancient and progressive desire to move ships and cargo from the Ionian Sea to the Agean Sea, which ultimately resulted in the building of this massive channel. We opted out of the bungee jumping opportunity, even though it looked incredible! Following Corinth, we arrived at Sparta! The city was tighter than I had expected, but modern and vibrant. We made our way to Ancient Sparta, and the site of Leonidas’ statue in front of the Olympic training center. A short trip brought us to the location of the ancient site of the great Spartan civilization. We were allowed to wander at our pace and leisure, and to see/touch/smell everything until we were content. We marveled at the current excavation site, perhaps evaded some overprotective archeologists (I assure you, we did not encroach on any digs…just a bit out of bounds), with evidence of an ancient theater being revived. Thanos was able to rebuild the ancient kingdom with clear descriptions and discussion about their somewhat isolated location, the surrounding mountains, the rough layout for where they lived, and he even pointed out the riverbed by which the warrior training (Agoge) was undertaken by all Spartan boys. Then, he provided a one-on-one private tour of the Spartan Museum, with the bust of Leonidas proud and prominent. Following through the historical museum was like wading through millennia of history, and we were completely uninterrupted during our discussions of the prominent players, the family trees filled with power struggles, and the relics from the times past. Thanos’ knowledge and enthusiasm while describing every moment along the way was infectious…years of reading about this history was pale in comparison to the vibrant explanation and description he provided. Our day, like all good days, ended with a meal amongst friends…an authentic Spartan meal which filled our bellies to breaking (that meal was shared with a local cat, and I enjoyed many meals in Greece in the company of well-behaved but unowned dogs and cats). I was delivered to my wife on the streets of Athens, where she had been site-seeing and shopping to her heart’s content…we had both had one of our best days ever.

 

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Our third day of sight-seeing with Thanos started again at 0830. This time, with my wife along for the fun, we visited the Parthenon in Athens. While Thanos was able to provide some additional insight, because he is not a hired tour guide for the site, he was professional and courteous enough to avoid a full guided discourse. Following this very popular site, we stopped by Corinth and the shops again. Thanos provided a full description of the history of the canal for her benefit, from the days they would portage ships across the land mass, to the first proposals to build the canal and its many aborted attempts until completion. The site of this structure is impossible to describe and even harder to capture in pictures, but well worth visiting…it is a beautiful site in its simplicity. Following the canal viewing and history presentation (again, we chose not to bungee jump), we made it to the actual city and site of its ancient ruins. It was spectacular and yet under-appreciated; it was all ours to take in from every angle and for as long as we liked. After Corinth, we headed to our first surprise venue: Mycenae and its magnificent palace of Agamemnon. Still exceptionally preserved and wonderfully open, the history is rich and omnipresent there. We walked through the magnificent Lion’s Gate as Thanos recounted all of the amazing history that was present there. It was a beautiful city, and one of the first colonized people in Europe. His knowledge of the history was supreme, and what I would come to find was that he would seamlessly integrate all of the separate sites’ information into one confluent story. We would also frequently discuss the concept of “history repeats itself”, as modern conflicts may have many similar overlaps and themes. On our way from Mycenae to Nafplio, Thanos asked if we would like to see a real man-made replica of The Trojan Horse, from Homer’s description of the Iliad and Odyssey. “Uh, yeah!!!” We planned a short visit to a friend of his, who owns Silo Art Factory. This “short detour” resulted in a surprise first-hand spontaneous demonstration of one of the oldest and perhaps best traditions of the Greek people: We were welcomed as weary travelers and treated as family! As a citizen of the US, it is hard for me to describe the experience. We (in the US) typically believe that strangers going above and beyond for us are expecting something equal in return. As we toured Stelios’ factory and marveled at his imagination and creativity, he invited us to dine with him…he shared his lunch, his family and his time, with no expectation other than that we would get to know each other and enjoy a meal together. After approximately 4-5 hours, we were ready to head back to our hotel, as it was well past 8pm and we had a long journey ahead. Throughout the entire visit and discussion of how Stelios would assist us with furnishing our home in San Diego, Thanos had read, eaten and patiently waited. He never once indicated that we needed to move along, as he was genuinely happy that we were enjoying our time in his country. However, Thanos had promised us yet another breath-taking surprise venue: Nafplio. He was certain that we would enjoy the site, and we had no reason to doubt him, so off we went! Entering the town at dark, the castle was evident from miles away, nestled on a hilltop massive and glowing in spotlights! Even at night, it was as beautiful as he had said. The town was clean and active with friendly shop keepers and individuals enjoying their dinners. The harbor was quiet and peaceful, and Thanos took us to a vantage point that allowed us to see the Bourtzi islet in all its illuminated majesty. Once, a strategic defense point of the harbor, it was transitioned to an island prison. I must admit…I could think of worse places to be imprisoned, as Nafplio is considered one of the most fantastic areas of mainland Greece. I believe we made it back to the hotel early in the morning, with promises of being prepared for another whirl-wind trip in a few hours.

 

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Because of my work, I am accustomed to little sleep and long days. I guess I would not have been surprised if Thanos had asked to change pick up times…but, he is an ultimate professional, and he met me at the hotel again at 0830, only a few hours after he had dropped us off from Day 3’s excursions. This day was too important, and he was not going to disappoint.

Our first stop was at the site of the Battle of Marathon. There were only a few souls there that day, and the visit was amazing. Thanos led me to the large scaled map of the area that demonstrated all of the pertinent locations. We walked the entirety of the field, and discussed the first major victory of the Greeks in the Greco-Persian war. We marveled at the Athenian burial mound (Tumulus), which was about 40 feet high (a smaller Tumulus was present for the Plataean soldiers present that day). Thanos was able to reconstruct the battle in such fine detail, from the movement of the armies, the strategic planning of their approach, and the final clash of thousands, that I felt that I had been witness to one of the great moments in the fight for democracy. Following our tour of the battlefield, Thanos took me to a beautiful seaside village, and we walked the coastline that would have been the site from which the “retreating” Persian troops would have departed, and tried to out-flank the Geek contingent, with their true intent being to land closer to Athens for a surprise attack. Again, Thanos was able to reconstruct the events based on years of research and retrospection, adding clarity to the maneuver and ultimate outcome. The story of Marathon is truly incredible, with so many heroes, and yet most people are familiar only with the race that bears its name. Thanos also took multiple opportunities to demonstrate “the blue line” that runs from Marathon to Athens, delineating the actual race course that is still run to this day.

After Marathon, we took a winding road through some of the most gorgeous hill sides, until we reached site number two: the plain of Plataea. Prior to my visit, I fully understood that looking out over some of these areas would probably be much like looking out over the plains of the lands that I live near. Plataea, while lush and green, was like that…for a moment. Then Thanos pulled the car over on the side of the road, we exited and stood at the edge of a cliff. He popped the trunk of his SUV, and made a makeshift desk, upon which he opened two books. For the next 30 minutes, Thanos replayed every singular moment of this defining land battle of the Greco-Persian war. He pointed out the location of an ancient riverbed, now covered in a line of trees, which marked the major contact location. He was able to spot ancient barriers and outlined walls of the older cities. And, he took the locations from the books, pointed their exact positions sitting in front of me, and we replayed the entire engagement, up to and including the battle dress of the warriors involved, which were also in his textbooks on the desk. I don’t know if I can relay the importance of this, but any other tour trip would probably have driven by, pointed out the land and been on to the next location. While I was more than content, even somewhat overwhelmed in the moment, with the tutelage, Thanos recalled that I had wished to “taste the dirt and feel the history” of the sites. As such, we returned to the car and drove a few more miles down the road and exited again so that I may wander amongst the ruins of the hillside and soak in the history.

 

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As we ventured on to our final battlefield, we stopped short at a small gas station. Next to the gas station was an inn and restaurant. I was a bit reluctant, because in the US, eating at a restaurant near a gas station often results in terrible gastrointestinal problems. But, as they say, “when in Rome”!!! We had lunch at a table under the shade of a giant tree, and the company of a local stray dog. The lunch was freshly made and excellent, and the service was absolutely 5 star, while the cost was surprisingly inexpensive. When I tried to give the shop owner a sizeable tip (I could not stand to pay so little for such an enjoyable dining experience, and it would be completely reasonable in the US), his response was, “no, I cannot take it. I am just glad you enjoyed my food.”. This would be just another example of the Greek way of thinking that is so fresh and enjoyable.

Filing back into the SUV, we started our last leg of the day’s outbound trip. Thanos noted a vista point for photos, and we pulled over. We were within a mile of the location that had become the ignition for the journey I was currently enjoying…Thermopylae! As we continued through the hillside, Thanos continued to educate in the most entertaining method. I could understand how ancient Greek scholars could instruct their pupils, as he was always relaying information in a way that was understood and enjoyed. We came upon the location of “The Traitor’s Path” (Kallidromon) that Efialtes had used to lead the group of the Persian Immortals around the flank of the contingent of Spartan and Thesbian defenders in 480 BC. Of course I wanted to hike it that day, but Thanos refused! This was obviously strange, as he had been so open to every other opportunity! He then pointed out the rough area of the starting point, explained that over the past 2500 years it had become overgrown, and most importantly…it took the Immortals about 12 hours to hike the goat path back then! I thought, “oh well, maybe next year?” Shortly, we were at the main gates of Thermopylae. There was a small tour there, and a few cars…not surprising, right? This was the sight of one of the most recognized and famous battles of all history! What was surprising was the reason most of the people were gathering there! It is called Thermopylae for a reason…the Hot Gates has its name from a naturally warm sulphuric hot spring that flows through the area, and people have been bathing in its healing waters for millenia. I will flat say that the smell is somewhat off-putting, but the water is warm, fast flowing with a waterfall, and it is amusing to see the visitors cleansing themselves and playing in the water. According to Thanos, the Spartan warriors camped there would likely have bathed similarly, though perhaps with less frolicking? We ventured along the water line uninterrupted and noted an abandoned hotel which had been repurposed to house refugees from other parts of the world. After speaking with some of the tourists, we returned to the SUV and moved about 800m down the road to a lesser known entrance. THIS was the battlefield, and the corridor was exactly as I had imagined it. Thanos explained that the original water line would have been much higher and closer to the narrow landbridge I was exploring, and the winding road we took up through the mountains would have been similar to that which the Persians would have traversed. The narrow breadth of land between the steep mountainside on the left and the winding downhill to the previous ocean on the right…a perfect bottleneck to stack the Spartan phalynx against the Persian onslaught (it is fully recognized that the “300 Spartans” were not alone, and that thousands of Greek warriors had participated)! Behind my line of sight was the location of the “final stand” with a plaque recognizing the warriors’ final debt paid. It was the dirt that I had longed to breathe and taste for years! While the view and experience were amazing, the sight of people camping out in tents with their clothes laying over ancient ruin walls and obvious burned out campfires dotting the battlefield were shocking. I think I had imagined that it would be prized and protected, given the value of the stand there and the price paid. Thanos then led me to the statue of Leonidas and the words of defiance that would last through the ages, “MOLON LABE”! We also saw the statue erected to remind the world that the price paid was not only of Spartan warriors, but a contingent of Greeks, notably the Thesbians who fought side by side. Thanos was able to bring the entire trip’s education to a resounding summary, leading me through centuries of development in only a few days. He included trips that I had not even thought to seek out, but he had taken the wish list I had provided and improvised to enhance my experience. Who does this?