Friday, May 5th, Sparta, Greece

Greetings!

The first capital of Greece (First Helenic Republic) was the port city of Napfplio in the province of Peloponesse.  With an island sporting chains extending outward parallel to the waterfront, and a fortress on the hilltop behind it, the town was pretty defendable.  Kudos to our guide, Katarina, for introducing us to the architecture and ambiance of a city which was influenced so much by the northern Italians (Venetians).

Mistras was the last Byzantine holdout to the accension of the Ottoman Empire, and the castle on the hill down to the churches near the bottom reflects the blending of the Eastern Roman to Orthodox Christian architecture.  It fell in 1715 to the Ottoman empire, after being fought over by the Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, and Turks. The structures, church icons, and public designs demonstrate a blend of eastern and western Byzantine styles, and introduced us to one of the best single sites to understand the 14th to 17th centuries.

We're so glad we started at the top, that it wasn't too warm, and that we took our time getting down the hill.  Our guide, Natalia, was wonderful.  We descended 867 steps over 800 meters in elevation, and she packed every one of them with the history and importance of what we were seeing.

To see the photos taken today, click on Friday, May 5th, Sparta, Greece.

Thursday, May 4th, Nafplion, Greece

Greetings!

We started our Classic Greece Tour with Adventures Abroad today, and we drove and hiked to palaces, citadels, acropolis, the Lions Gate, Great Court, temples, sanctuaries, tombs, amphitheaters, and canals.

At each of the stops, our guide (Dora) provided an enormous amount of background with which to understand the historical and cultural significance of what we saw and experienced.

Combining the best information from Greek myths, story-telling, and archeological evidence, she equipped us with all that we needed. With Mycenean and Cretan parents, she was born to help us have a great day today.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Thursday, May 4th, Nafplion, Greece.

To follow our journey over the next two months, click on Our Map.

Wednesday, May 3rd, Athens

Greetings!

At dinner tonight, we met our guide and the other two couples we'll be traveling with over the next two weeks.  Serra Hughes is our main tour guide, a seasoned member of the Adventures Abroad family.  Bill and Jean currently living in Connecticut, and Bill and Karen currently living in Minnesota, all shared stories of their lives and traveling histories.  It is remarkable how similar we are, and how closely our lives have crossed and mirrored.  Serra explained the itinerary in much greater detail, and answered our questions about daily schedules and routines.  Most of the time, we'll also have local guides, and they will bring a wealth of additional insights.

Not many photos today, as the flight over was pretty uneventful (but too long waiting in lines).  We're right underneath the Parthenon and Acropolis, but can't see it for the high-rise hotels and apartments nearby.  We'll have two days here at the end of the trip, so I'm not worried we won't see plenty of it.

To see the few other photos, click on Wednesday, May 3rd, Athens.

Tuesday, May 2nd, Knossos

Greetings!

Knossos is unlike any other ancient ruin in the world.  Like other great cities, it was a ceremonial, administrative, and commercial hub. But it contains structural elements which are both far earlier than any others, and which support a civic design open to the general populace to a greater degree.  The four-story structure uses wooden columns to accommodate earthquakes.  It preceded by a thousand years the extensive use of sewer drainage, rainwater cisterns, an aqueduct, and clay drinking water pipes.  The architectural placement of its leadership residences, courtyards, sporting arenas, and theaters furthered civic integration and accessibility.

The power of nature, fertility, dance, and goddesses can't be over-stated.  Absent are the images and designs favoring warrior sacrifice, military campaigns, territorial conquest, and blood-letting.  The Minoans did not build fortifications around their cities.  They did not store weapons, nor maintain standing armies.  They built ships for commercial trading, and were the most dominant sea-faring force in the Mediterranean.

The clearest example of contrast is the veneration of bull-vaulting by women and men in elegant gymnastic exhibitions in the central courtyard.  The feeling I get from visiting the ruin is that this is the closest civilization to one that fits Sonoma County's lifestyles.  The wine-loving, peace-aspiring, freedom-fighting matriachal society I love would find a good home four thousand years ago on Crete.

To see the rest of the photo taken today, click on Tuesday, May 2nd, Knossos.

      

Monday, May 1st, Western Crete

Greetings!

Three days is not enough to really see Crete.  Our formula this trip is to spend the first day adjusting to the flight over and to visit the Museum of Archeology, the second day (a local holiday where everything is closed and folks head for the beach) driving west as far as we can, and the third day driving east as far as we can.

Yesterday's drive reminded us of Sicily, with a lot more small villages.  Narrow winding, well-maintained roads filled with determined drivers.   We should have stopped more, and would have if we'd not been day-tripping.  But we love seeing countryside, and the life it supports.  Lunch at Cretan Corner and dinner presented great opportunities to sample more appetizers, entrees, desserts, and after-dinner spirits (Raki).  Olive oil is everywhere (as are the trees), and the local fruits are fresh and plentiful.

Tomorrow, we'll spend the early morning at Knossos, the prize ruin of Crete.  Afterward, we hope to get to a couple more ruins, and to the beaches in eastern Crete.

Not too many photos this day, but here's the link:  Monday,May 1st, Western Crete.

Sunday, April 30th, Heraklion, Crete

Greetings!

Twenty=four hours after Barbara Tomin delivered us to the Airporter on Friday, we landed in Heraklion, Crete.  Tired as we’ve ever been, we picked up our rental car and spent another hour finding our way to the Kastro Hotel at 1pm in the morning local time.   We set the alarm for 7:30am to start our Sunday with a hotel breakfast.

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I know I always seem to find the next cluster of museum exhibits to be even more dazzling than the last, but this one sets a high standard.  I’m sure we’re going to see some Greek museums that will leave me speechless, but I cannot wait to compare them to the Archeological Museum of Heraklion, Crete.  The Museum contains six thousand years the Minoan artifacts beginning in 7,000 BC, and helps the viewer understand the role of one of the most important Neolithic to Bronze to Iron age civilizations.  

Our energy lasted through the morning and early afternoon, and we headed back to the hotel for another nap.  We went out to dinner on the main park square tonight at an excellent Tex/Crete restaurant (Amalia's Kitchen).  Unless you prefer the noisy, outdoor smoking scene, you won't be disappointed by the great food and friendly staff. Tomorrow is a national holiday, and we're going to take a drive through the eastern half of the island.

 To see the rest of the photos we took at the museum, click on Sunday, April 30th, Heraklion, Crete.  

Crete to Slovenia - Two months along the Adriatic Coast

Greetings!

This Google Map contains the route we'll be taking, from April 27th to June 17th.  The placemarks have the daily itineraries, and I've put some additional placemarks  where we'll be looking for ruins. Look for the usual daily posts with photos, and I will try to incorporate food, people, and politics.  I know that Sonoma County will continue to be a hotbed of resistance to our Great Leader's pursuit of administrative destruction, and we look forward to returning to plenty of stories of successful rebellion.