By the sea

It's a shame that we Americans are not allowed to travel the world, because here is a great place a lot of us might like to go and see.

It's in Greece, or off the coast of Greece.  It's the 2,000-year-old shipwreck of the Peristera. It's 92 feet below the surface of the Aegean Sea off the coast of the island of Alonissos and from early August until October 2, it will be open as an underwater museum.

An amphora

Late in the 5th Century BC, before online shopping brought amphorae to homes with ease, they were transported by B.A. ships. The Peristera is thought to have been carrying 4000 clay amphorae (those tall dual-handled bottles from back in the day), likely filled with the Greek version of pinot noir.

Greece used to patrol the area of the wreck to keep Scuba Steve away, but since 2005, they have been opening undersea wonders to those who will (pay to) see them close up.

On the floor

It's obvious, you won't be able to see the ship itself, because it was made of wood and, well, it's been a few years since the 5th Century BC. The bottles, resting in Davy Jones's Locker all this time, share the sea floor with fish and SpongeBob.

The only reason we even know about where she went down is that in 1985, some of the amphorae began floating off the coast of Alonissos.

And no one knows WHY she went down. Fire on board? Overloaded? Piracy? A hole in the hull?

We will never know that unless an ancient tape recording made at the time of the sinking bobs to the surface, and that seems unlikely. At any rate, after October, the site is closed to tourists until next summer. Let's hope things are different then!

Scuba Steve will meet you there