Mt. Olympus

Yes, it's a real place. And it's really in Greece. In fact, it's the highest mountain in Greece (and one of the highest in Europe).


According to Wikipedia, the highest peak is Mytikas, meaning "nose" 9,570 ft).
Mytikas Peak

It played a major role in Greek mythology as the home of the gods (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, hades, Demeter, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Hephaestus.)

They moved there after it formed itself, and it only formed itself after the gods defeated the Titans in the Titan war. I'm not sure where the gods lived before then, though. One presumes somewhere, but apparently it wasn't as nice as the nose...er...mountaintop. (Suddenly I have the theme from "The Jeffersons" running through my head. "Movin' on up" indeed!) There was much to recommend it as "it was not shaken by winds nor ever wet with rain, nor did snow fall upon it." (Homer: The Odyssey, 6.41)


I think Homer may have exaggerated the "no snow" thing, but it certainly looks lovely in the summer:

It's supposed to be a relatively easy hike until you get near the top and it's all rocky. Still, it might be worth scaling, just to say you were in the nose...er...home of the gods.

The Everglades

Also known as Laguna del Espiritu Santo, River Glades, Pa-hay-okee, and the River of Grass, the Everglades is a subtropical wetland that stretches from Orlando to the bottom of Florida.The Kissimmee River flows into Lake Okeechobee which, in addition to a fun name, is extremely shallow - on average 9 feet with a maximum depth of 15 feet. From there water continues to flow down the peninsula of Florida at a rate of about a half mile per day in what is known as a sheetflow. According to Wikipedia, "water leaving Lake Okeechobee may require months or years to reach its final destination, Florida Bay."This wetlands is home to wildlife such as the great egret (above), in addition to alligators, crocodiles, manatees, bottlenose dolphins, and even the Florida panther.Not only animals, but also a wide array of trees thrive in this area. Mangrove swamps, sawgrass prairies, and Big Cypress swamp thrive in this nearly 11,000 square mile area (which is half the area it once was).
Unfortunately, for many years now, pets have been released or escaped into this area, including Burmese Pythons which thrive in the climate.On a final note, it is home to the smallest post office in the U.S.