Thessaloniki, Greece
[Odysseus weeps] as a woman weeps when she throws her arms round the body of her beloved husband, fallen in battle before his city and his comrades, fighting to save his home-town and his children from disaster.
—Homer (800–700 B.C.), The Iliad, Greek epic poet
Spectacular Mount Olympus rises regally above the clouds in central Greece, silently blessing those seeking the treasure of its peace. In the classical Greek and Hellenistic worlds, the mountain was known as “the home of the Gods,” where Zeus, king of Olympus and the supreme deity, resided with his Divine family.
If you seek serenity and strength, visit the sanctuary of Zeus and let the breathtaking beauty of the mountain permeate your being with restorative healing. Catch a bus or train from Athens or Thessaloniki to Litochoro at the base of Mount Olympus, and rise early to see the mountain blaze awake with the fiery colors of crimson and ginger.
Hike to the summit to feel the breath of those ancient gods caressing you as the breezes blow. Affirm the richness of life. Pray for someone you have lost or for strength and serenity to deal with the loss.
Mount Olympus rises a spectacular 9,577 feet near the Thermaic Gulf on the Aegean Sea and borders Thessaly and Macedonia. Often snowcapped, the mountain, with its fifty-two peaks, frequently has cloud cover despite Homer’s observation, in his epic poem The Odyssey, that it never has storms but basks in cloudless ether.