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“No Room For Error” / “In The Hands Of The Amazing Race Gods” Episode Description: After traveling to seven countries and 17 cities, one team will be crowned the winner.
Episode Airdate: Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 on CBS
This concise yet still enjoyable season of The Amazing Race has come to a close. In Episode 10, teams journeyed from GREECE to PORTUGAL and then to the UNITED STATES in hopes of arriving first at the finale Pit Stop to win $1 million. Teams travelled westward about 1700 miles (over 2730 kilometers) from Thessaloníki, Greece to Lisbon, the national capital of Portugal. Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has a “little brother” replica in Lisbon named Cristo Rei, the location of this episode’s first clue box.
● Guided by the clue found near the Cristo Rei statue, teams knew to visit a fortress known as the Fortaleza de São Filipe in the city of Setúbal, a small to medium sized city with a residential population of over 120,000. The clue mentioned that there are two Roadblocks in Part 1 of this episode and that teams should “choose wisely” regarding which teammate will complete which roadblock. The clue also said to “take in the view; look for your next destination.” From the top of the Fortaleza, teams peered out to the seaside to find a vertical-striped flag flying near the port. The tricolor flag features yellow outer stripes and a red center stripe — somewhat resembling the appearance of an archetypal clue envelope of this show. Teams hustled down to the flag and found their first…
● Roadblock (“Who Wants to Go Exploring?”): one team member was tasked with finding a rowboat emblazoned on the back with the name of a Portuguese explorer. If the boat finder chose a correct example and rowed the boat to the marina’s other side, he or she received a clue. Incorrect boats had the names of national celebrities, so the Roadblock participant had row back until he or she found an explorer boat. Kim correctly completed this Roadblock first.
● Teams then made their way to Mercearia Confiança de Troino, a grocery store established in 1926. In this “Paint the Town” Route Info task, teams chose a colorful sardine can and brought out their inner artistic abilities (or lack thereof) to enlarge the can-label design into a colorfully painted outdoor mural. Teams then drove to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Cape Espichel (Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel) where they encountered the second…
● Roadblock (“Who’s Down for the Count?”): in Season 33’s final Roadblock, one team member counted the columns on both sides of the church’s courtyard and had to recite the correct number of columns (106). Cayla was the first in this Roadblock to figure it out, which benefited her and teammate Raquel since they arrived first at a Pit Stop for the first time in this season of The Amazing Race. While the Part 1 Pit Stop at the Farol do Cabo Espichel lighthouse did not award Cayla and Raquel with $1 million, they won a likely enjoyable and invaluable vacation to SAINT LUCIA. Kim and Penn arrived second, followed by Dusty and Ryan in third. Since Arun and Natalia was the last team to arrive, they were eliminated from the competition and did not score a spot in the top three.
● In Part 2 of the finale episode, teams left Portugal and flew to Los Angeles. The City of Angels is the largest metropolis by population in California, the United States’ second most populated city, and will welcome athletes from around the world to the 2028 Summer Olympics — the 44th anniversary of the city’s 1984 Olympics. You might know that the LA Rams won the Super Bowl last month. Anyways, the two Roadblocks in Part 1 gave way to the Route Infos (no Detours or Roadblocks) in Part 2.
● Once arriving in Los Angeles, teams found their way to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel which has four towers with a locked clue box atop each tower. While going up and down the outdoor elevator, teams had to look out the window to spot the wall with a number, hinting of the lock combination that unlocked the clue box.
● Teams visited the historical monument known as El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, “the birthplace of Los Angeles.” They found three portions of the next clue by smashing an assortment of piñatas. One team member was blindfolded and of course did the piñata hitting, while the other teammate directed him or her on where to hit. In addition to the colorfully wrapped pieces of candy falling from the piñatas, teams were treated with three pieces of the Route Info clue and combined them to reveal the next assignment.
● The “Become a Foley Artist” Route Info brought teams to S.I.R. Hollywood where they learned how to perfect their Foley-style sound effect abilities by recreating classic scenes from The Amazing Race. Teams used a variety of materials to recreate audible sounds from the following scenes:
● The squeakiness of running bull inflatables.
● The shuffling of hay in search of a literal needle in a haystack.
● The catapulting “whoosh” of a watermelon slingshot.
● The throwing of a pie in the face.
● The sloshing in the mud of the infamous “My ox is broken” moment.
● In the final Route Info and challenge of Season 33, teams visited the 8,000-seat tennis stadium of Dignity Health Sports Park, a multi-sports complex prominently known as the home of the LA Galaxy soccer team. As with most of the final tasks in previous seasons, this task involves memorization of happenings throughout the season. The task involved tennis rackets with imagery from previous legs in the competition in addition to tennis balls labeled with corresponding riddles. Teams matched a scene/racket with the applicable quote/ball and were able to proceed to the finish line once every combo was correct. As an example, a tennis ball notes that “He joined you throughout the leg” while the corresponding racket depicted a “selfie” of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome. While Cayla and Raquel arrived first at the Part 1 Pit Stop, that was not the case with the final Pit Stop. Instead, the team (Kim and Penn) who won four previous legs reclaimed their spot and won 1 million dollars!
● Pit Stop: LA Galaxy’s 27,000-seat soccer stadium
Season 33, Episode 10 Finale Results
1st — Kim and Penn, winners
1st place prize — $1 million!
2nd — Cayla and Raquel
3rd — Dusty and Ryan
4th — Arun and Natalia
“Rock Bottom” Episode Description: Racers leave no stone unturned while looking for a clue in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Episode Airdate: Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022 on CBS
In the penultimate episode 9, teams stayed overnight in a hotel of their choice in the area of Néa Kallikráteia in northeastern GREECE. Their first task of the day was to drive about 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) or so north to the city of Thessaloníki in search of the Forest Theatre (Theatro Dassous). The show furnished each team with a map of Thessaloníki and required teams to navigate with this map instead of a GPS, although this map centered exclusively on the city and did not include the surrounding area’s highways. As with teams in every season of The Amazing Race, teams in this episode had navigational difficulties. If finding Thessaloníki was not difficult enough based on the map provided, navigating within the city certainly proved to be a challenge for these English-speaking teams since much of the city’s signage is in Greek. Once they finally arrived at Theatro Dassous, teams encountered a…
● Roadblock (“Who Will Leave No Stone Unturned?”): At first, this Roadblock seemed to be an idyllic setting for the competitors. Kim mentioned the place “feels like a spa” mostly thanks to the serene harp music. Once realizing the herculean assignment of this Roadblock, Kim quickly changed her tune: “This is the worst spa ever.” As the Roadblock title aptly indicates, one member of each team was tasked with overturning practically every large stone — among thousands scattered on the outside amphitheater stage — until they found one of four gold coins stuck underneath a stone. He or she would then deliver the stone with the embedded coin in exchange for a clue handed out by a woman sitting on a throne: a cosplaying Oracle of Delphi. Raquel found the first coin, followed by Kim and then Arun. Dusty found the fourth coin after an excruciating three hours of searching as well as helpful motivation from Ryan, his teammate.
● Teams visited the Trigonion Tower to listen to the proverbial words of wisdom of a cosplaying Socrates. After the wise “Socrates” impersonator said, “there’s only one good, knowledge — and one evil, ignorance,” teams received the clue for this episode’s…
● Detour, choice between “Bring ‘em” or “Break ‘em”: this is one of the relatively rare Detours in which every team chose the same option (Break ‘em). If teams otherwise chose the first option, they would have brought 300 plates up the steps to Café Jasmine. Since they chose the second option, all teams smashed a towering pile of plates in search of a mini clue hiding in a random plate. The tiny clues were about the size of the slip of paper used in fortune cookies. Teams were allowed to smash plates while the music was playing but had to refrain when the music paused. If teams smashed plates without music playing, they had to switch to a new plate pile to smash — no teams had to switch. Kim and Penn completed the destructive duty first, followed by Cayla and Raquel, Arun and Natalia, and Dusty and Ryan.
● Pit Stop: White Tower (Lefkós Pýrgos) in Thessaloníki
● The two-hour season finale of The Amazing Race involves rowboating, piñata hitting, flag finding, mural painting, etc. and will be recapped and summarized in the GeoFact of the Day Blog’s next post.
Season 33, Episode 9 Results
1st — Cayla and Raquel
1st place prize — vacation to Kauai in Hawaii
2nd — Kim and Penn
3th — Arun and Natalia
4th — Dusty and Ryan
Eliminated from the competition? No; non-elimination leg
“Souvlaki” Episode Description: Teams travel to Halkidiki, Greece, where they are tested on their spelling and memory skills.
Episode Airdate: Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 on CBS
After experiencing two episodes worth of various picturesque locations in Corsica, FRANCE, teams flew eastward to another picturesque destination: northeastern GREECE. Episode 8 of the The Amazing Race mostly centered around the Halkidikí (Chalkidikí) Peninsula. Once they arrived at Peraía Beach in the town of Peraía near the city of Thessaloníki…
● Teams drove to the Konstantinos Olive Grove in the village of Néa Gonía and were tasked with finding a clue high up in an olive tree. Cayla and Raquel made use of the shoulder-stepping method — which displayed their dependable teamwork — to reach the clue. Unfortunately, they did not have to resort to the clever but shoulder-hurting maneuver because The Amazing Race showed a ladder close by! Teams traveled to Marianna’s Vineyard and encountered the episode’s first…
● Roadblock (“Who Likes to Wrap?”): Marianna’s Vineyard typically grows grapes to harvest the fruit’s leaves and not necessarily to make wine. One member on each team combined a mixture of rice, vegetables, and spices and filled grape leaves to make 60 dolmades, which are essentially “leaf burritos” as Dusty said. Kim successfully prepared her wraps first, maintaining Team Kim and Penn’s longstanding lead in the competition. Meanwhile, Raquel had difficulty in wrapping the dolmades to the satisfaction of the vineyard’s proprietor but finally found success after some trial and error.
● Teams visited Mamo’s Kantina Stand near Heraklia Beach about 13.4 miles and 21.6 kilometers east of Mount Olympus (Olympos). They asked the food cart vendor about the Dish of the Day and were instructed to spell the name of this cuisine: souvlaki. Teams then had to make a decision that would make some vegan and vegetarian viewers cringe or change the channel: choosing whether to eat a chicken souvlaki or a pork souvlaki. While clues for the next stop are typically found in an iconic black-and-yellow envelope, this clue was simply a place name (Saint George Church) printed on the souvlaki’s wrapper. Many teams did not notice the clue at first, including Lala and Lulu who ate several souvlaki servings and were puzzled about not receiving a traditional clue envelope in hand.
● Roadblock (“Who Wants to be Iconic?”): Néa Irákleia’s Saint George Orthodox Church is a circular and three-tiered structure featuring an octagonal bell tower. Outside in the church’s plaza, one member on each team took about ten minutes to listen to a priest as he taught them about Saint Anastasia (of Sirmium), Saint Christopher, Saint David (the Dendrite), Saint George, Saint Irene, Saint John the Apostle, Saint John the Theologian, Saint Mercurius, Saint Nicholas (of Myra), and several other saints. He or she had to correctly identify the illustrations of five saints — St. Anastasia, St. Christopher, St. David, St. Irene, and St. Mercurius — based on a vendor’s variety of quiz questions. Penn successfully completed this task first.
● Pit Stop: Néa Kallikráteia — a fishing port overlooking the Thermaic Gulf (Thermaïkós Kólpos) which is a component of the Aegean Sea
● An extra GeoFact: the Aegean Sea is home to over 1,400 islands.
● Before arriving at the souvlaki task(s) mentioned above and consuming way more souvlaki then they would’ve liked, Lala and Lulu somehow found the Pit Stop and show host Phil Keoghan before finding the souvlaki stand! While having the “advantage” of knowing the Pit Stop location ahead of time, this sneak peek ultimately did not help them since they ended up in last place and were eliminated from the competition. In this season, the twin duo occasionally argued with each other but quickly became one of my favorite teams as they tried to make the most out of their traveling mishaps — especially when they attempted to eat not-so-yummy meals! Their Amazing Race journey seems relatable; for me, traveling is not 100% enjoyable but I try to make positive memories nevertheless!
● On the next episode of The Amazing Race and even closer to the $1 million finale, “Teams leave no stone unturned”…
Season 33, Episode 8 Results
1st — Kim and Penn [same as previous episode]
1st place prize — $7,500 each
2nd — Cayla and Raquel [same as previous episode]
3rd — Dusty and Ryan [same as previous episode]
4th — Arun and Natalia
5th — Lala and Lulu
Eliminated from the competition
People all across GREECE are celebrating an Independence Day that commemorates the Greek Revolution. Greece declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Happy Independence Day!
The following items are major exports of GREECE: barley, beverages (especially wine), chemicals, corn (maize), dairy products, iron ore, lignite, magnesite, manufactured goods, marble, meat, metal products, nickel, olives, perlite, petroleum and derivative products, processed food, salt, ships, sugar beets, textiles, tobacco, tomatoes, and wheat. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Italy (top importer), Germany, Cyprus, Lebanon, Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, the United Kingdom, the United States, Romania, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, China, Macedonia, Israel, Gibraltar, Poland, and Albania.
As of August 17th, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for GREECE in southeastern Europe lists 1 extinct species since the beginning of IUCN recordkeeping, 64 critically endangered species, and 95 endangered species. Greece's extinct species is the Graecoanatolica macedonica freshwater snail. Critically endangered species include the Adriatic Sturgeon and Stellate Sturgeon, Common Skate, European Blue Star flower, Greek Brook Lamprey, Karpathos Frog, Mediterranean Monk Seal, and Slender-billed Curlew. Endangered species include the Blue Whale and Fin Whale, Dusky Grouper fish, Greek Goldenring dragonfly, Kalopiss' Dactylorhiza orchid flower, Mediterranean Pillow Coral, Red-breasted Goose, and Rock Snail. The orchid flower is found in several regions of Greece, including areas surrounding and near the cities of Athens (Athína), Ioannina, Lárissa, and Lamía.
Greece post - link opens in a new tab or window
One of my blog-related missions is to update country posts and other posts from several years ago. The following posts have been updated recently. All links open in a new tab or window.
Angola
Armenia
Athens
Chile
French Guiana
Of course, you are always free to submit a comment on any post for suggestions, complaints, or compliments about the GeoFact of the Day Blog!
Flooded trees set a mystical and beautiful sight at Lake Vólvi, which is located in northeastern GREECE in the Chalkidikí peninsula. The week of January 30th to February 5th marked Southeast Europe Week on the GeoFact of the Day Blog!
Image source: P. Vasiliadis — Wikimedia Commons
Largest Lakes in Southeast Europe
Lacul Razim (Lake Razim), located in ROMANIA in the Danube Delta, is the largest lake in all of the countries that I've previously listed (the true definition of SE Europe varies from source to source and atlas to atlas); Lacul Sinoie, which is south of Lake Razim, also belongs on the list. Lake Scutari, also known as Lake Skadar, is located on the border with ALBANIA and MONTENEGRO. Lake Ohrid, in eastern ALBANIA and southwestern MACEDONIA, and Lake Prespa (also known as the Great Prespa), situated on top of the ALBANIA, GREECE, and MACEDONIA border, are close to each other (Lake Ohrid is northwest of Lake Prespa). Lastly, there are a few remarkable lakes in stretching across northern GREECE, like Límni Vólvi and Límni Kerkinitis. Now you know the largest lakes in Southeast Europe!
Belonging to Greece, the (Northern) SPORADES islands are in the western part of the Aegean Sea, east of mainland Greece, and north of Euboea island. Many islands are uninhabited, except for the four largest ones (Alónnisos, Skíathos, Skópelos, & Skýros) and a few small islands. Small inhabited islands, like Adelfoi, Peristéra, and Pipéri, possess populations hovering barely above zero. Below is a partial list of the Sporades islands with no human inhabitants.
Uninhabited Sporades islands: Erinia, Gioúra, Lechoussa, Pélagos, Psathoura, Sarakinó, Skantilion, Skantzoúra, Skyropoúla, Tsougkria, & Valáxa.
Comprising of a few major islands and many smaller islands, the SARONIC ISLANDS (Σαρωνικός Nησιά) are located in the Saronic Gulf (part of the larger Aegean Sea), in southeastern Greece; they are west of the Cyclades Islands (link opens to my Cyclades post) and south/southwest of Greece's capital, Athens. Almost every island in the Saronic Islands archipelago possesses unique characteristics. Spetsopoula (tiny island below Spétses in southern Saronic Islands) is a private island owned by Stavros Niarchos, who built the first oil tankers. Meanwhile, Dokos (which is also in southern Saronic Islands) is known for being inhabited with about a dozen Greeks, which are Orthodox monks and sheep herders. Lastly, Aígina (also known as Aegina) is famous for the myth in which Zeus brought the princess that he fell in love with, Aegina, to this once-uninhabited island to be alone with her. Also, Aegina's inhabitants minted the first coins in the western world.
The third order internal administrative center for the Ionian Islands in GREECE is Kérkyra (Corfu)!
Comprised of several major islands and many smaller ones, the IONIAN ISLANDS belong to Greece and are located west of mainland Greece and south of Albania. The islands are scattered in the Ionian Sea (a section of the Mediterranean Sea). The largest island of the group is Kefallinía, the second largest is Kérkyra (Corfu), and the third largest is Zákynthos. Ionian Islands' third order internal administrative center, which is like a small capital, is Kérkyra (Corfu). The Ionian Islands boast a few ancient towns/cities and a few towering peaks. Palaiolastrítsa is an ancient town alongside the northwest coast of Corfu, while Nerikós is an ancient town on the northern coast of the island of Lefkáda. Aínos is a 5,340-foot tall peak on Kefallinía island, Eláti is a 3,800-foot tall peak on Lefkáda island, and Pantokrátoras is a 2,972-foot tall peak on Corfu island.
Peloponnese, or Pelóponnisos, is a peninsula in GREECE. It is located west/southwest of Greece's capital, Athens.
Located between the Aegean Sea & the Sea of Crete and east of the Cyclades Islands, the DODECANESE ISLANDS (Δωδεκάνησα in Greek) belong to Greece. Hence the name of this island group, there are 12 major islands (the prefix dodeca- refers to the number 12), and the Dodecanese Islands are comprised of at least 150 smaller islands. The Dodecanese are found southeast of Greece, northeast of Crete island, & off Turkey's southwest coast. The capital is Rhodes (also known as Ródos), which has more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Located between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Crete and west of the Dodecanese Islands, the CYCLADES (Κυκλάδες in Greek) belong to Greece and was a perfecture (perfectures are now defunct in Greece; there are now peripheral units, which form larger regions). There are around 220 islands in this archipelago. The Cyclades are found southeast of Greece, north of Crete, and west of Turkey. The Cyclades' capital is Ermoúpoli, which has more than 13,000 inhabitants.
Located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, CRETE is the largest island of GREECE and has a splendid history, not to mention a plethora of ancient cities. An interesting fact: Crete was the hub of the Minoan civilization; this is the first European civilization and the first to establish a palace in Europe (located in Knossos). Crete is found south of Greece , west of Cyprus, and west-southwest of Turkey. The capital is Iráklio (Candia) which has more than 135,000 inhabitants.
Located along the Mediterranean Sea, Athens (Αθήνα) is the largest city and capital of GREECE. The population is over 700,000 within the main part of Athens and 3,000,000 in the wider metropolitan area. As you probably now, Athens is an ancient city with plenty of sites of interest for visitors, such as ancient architectural wonders like the Parthenon. The city lies northeast of the Saronic Gulf and northwest of the Aegean Sea.
Sites of Interest
The Acropolis of Athens (Ακρόπολη Αθηνών) is an ancient citadel and predecessor to modern Athens. This popular tourist destination is the home of the Parthenon and other structures. In addition to the Parthenon, an ancient Greek temple located on the north side of the acropolis is Erechtheion. On the acropolis' northeast side, Anafiotika is known for its pleasing scenery and relaxing environment. Beside the acropolis, other sites in Athens include the National Archaeological Museum, Museum of Cycladic Art, Odeum of Herodes Atticus (a 2nd-century theater), and Mount Lycabettus for spectacular views. There are also various cooking classes and personal tours throughout the city for visitors who want to immerse in Greek culture.
GREECE, a country with at least 6,000 islands, is located in Southern Europe. Greece is south of the countries Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Turkey is east of Greece, with the Aegean Sea in between the countries. Other bodies of water surrounding Greece include the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Crete (above the island Crete), and the Ionian Sea. Large islands include Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, and Rhodes. The capital and most-populated city of Greece is Athens (Athína), one of the world's oldest cities. The currency is the Euro, and Greece's previous currency was the Greek Drachma. The Drachma's ISO 4217 currency code was GRD.
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