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Mount Olympus optional trip

Mainland Greece includes the regions of Thrace and Macedonia in the north; Epirus, Thessaly (Thessalia), and Central Greece in the central section. About 80 percent of Greece’s land area is mountainous. The Pindus Mountains, with an average elevation of about 2,650 m (about 8,700 ft), extend from north to south through the middle of the mainland. A northeastern spur of the Pindus range includes Greece’s highest point, Mount Olympus (2,917 m/9,570 ft), considered in ancient times to be the home of the gods.

Lower mountain ranges, including the Taíyetos Mountains on the Pelopónnisos, generally run from northeast to southwest through the country, including on the islands. Much of Greece lies in an earthquake zone, and earthquakes occur frequently. In 1978 an earthquake inflicted considerable damage on the city of Thessaloníki (Salonika).

Olympus, Mount (Greece), mountain, northern Greece, 2,917 m (9,570 ft) high, is the loftiest point in Greece, on the boundary between Thessaly (Thessalia) and Macedonia, near the Aegean Sea. In early Greek mythology it was believed to have been the home of the gods.

From 120 to 460 m elevation (400 to 1,500 ft) are deciduous and evergreen forests containing oak, black pine, chestnut, beech, and sumac. Tulips, hyacinths, and laurels are also characteristic of this elevation. Firs and wild flowers such as anemone and cyclamen are found above 1,200 m (4,000 ft), and mosses and lichens predominate above 1,500 m (5,000 ft).

Wildlife on Mount Olympus and its close surrounding includes boar, European black bear, lynx, jackal, chamois, deer, fox, badger, and weasel. Among the birds are the hawk, pelican, egret, pheasant, partridge, nightingale, turtledove, and stork.

On Mount Olympus summit were the palaces of the gods, which had been built by Hephaestus, god of metalwork. The entrance to Olympus was through a gate of clouds, protected by the goddesses known as the Seasons. Zeus had his throne on Olympus, and the gods feasted on nectar and ambrosia and were serenaded by the Muses.

The 12 major Olympian deities were Zeus and his wife Hera; his brothers Poseidon, god of the sea, and Hades, god of the underworld; his sister Hestia, goddess of the hearth; and his children: Athena, goddess of wisdom; Ares, god of war; Apollo, god of the sun; Artemis, goddess of the moon and of the hunt; Aphrodite, goddess of love; Hermes, messenger of the gods; and Hephaestus. Later Greek writers transferred the home of these deities to a heavenly region free from snow and storm and filled with light.

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