Greece Photo Blog

Athens: Ancient and Modern Times

2007-07-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I find the most interesting part about Athens is the range of time the city encompasses. Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world with a recorded history of no less than 3,000 years. While walking through the city I saw big modern buildings, cars and shops yet a quick look up to the Acropolis and there is the Parthenon and the Ancient Agora. You can see this disjunction in the photo of Monastiraki square with the Parthenon in the background and bustling city life in the forgeground. Because of this span of time, I have separated my thoughts about our visits to Athens into Ancient and Modern sections.

Ancient Athens

2007-07-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state; a cultural center where learning and art were practiced and respected. Athens was also the hometown of great philosophers Socrates, Pericles, and Sophocles. Many call Athens the birthplace of Democracy.

Upon the Acropolis is the Parthenon, the temple of Greek goddess Athena. After the Ottoman conquest it was used as ammunition storage and the building was ignited by an attack by the Venetians on September 28, 1687. The explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and the surroundings, though much of the structure endured. The Greek Ministry of Culture is working to restore the Parthenon and other Acropolis structures stone by stone. During my visit in Athens I walked up to the Acropolis a few times, including once at night to see the beautiful view of Athens.

Also on the slope of the Acropolis is The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a stone theatre built in 161 CE by Herodes Atticus. I remember the first day looking down at this from the Acropolis and my whole perspective changed when had the opportunity to see the Greek Festival there as well. Sitting in the stone seats I really felt like I was experiencing a piece of history, taking in music the way ancient Greeks once did. It was a wonderful blending of old and new.

Another site we visisted that Herodes Atticus was involved in was the Panathinaiko Stadium, which is the only stadium in the world built completely from white marble. The stadium was first used to host part of the Panathenaic Games, honoring the Goddess Athena. The ruins from the ancient structure were refurbished for the revival of the Olympic Games that were held there in 1870 and 1875.

A prominent landmark of Athens is Mt. Lycabettus, with its peak rising high above the city. On our visit to Mt. Lycabettus, I ascended the hill in the Lycabettus Funicular, a railcar that climbs the hill. At the peak of Mt. Lycabettus is the Chapel of St. George, a beautiful white church, contrasted against the bright blue sky of Athens. In Greece, St. George is the patron saint of the Hellenic Army. While I was outside the chapel I saw a woman from the church and a man selling worry beads talking with each other, and I loved the interaction.

My favorite part about Mt. Lycabettus is the astonishing views of Athens. I was amazed (and still am through photos) at how expansive a city Athens is. Buildings start in the valleys and roll up through the hills until the highest mountain peaks, like a bowl, accentuated because there are barely any trees atop the mountains because of fires.

Modern Greece

2007-07-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

At the Hellenic-American Union, Professor Vlavinos spoke about modern Greece and the Greek acceptance in the European Union as well as the separation between church and state. We discussed Parliament, and I thought it was very interesting that the current president of the parliament is Anna Benaki-Psarouda, the first woman to hold the post. I can parallel this with the upcoming elections in the States, and the country being skeptical about a woman running for office. What we may think of as a more traditional country actually elected a woman to serve as President of Parliament. The Pariliament Buidling is located in Syntagma Square, right up the block from where we stayed. In Syntagma, as well as all around Greece there are many stray dogs which were released when Greece received its independence and stnad for a symbol of Greek freedom.

The Monument of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard, lies in front of the Parliament building. The monument started being constructed in 1929 and was inaugurated on March 25, 1932. One evening I took my camera up to the Parliament to get some photos and I lucked out as they were conducting changing of the guards!

My favorite part of staying in Athens was walking around Plaka and Monastiraki Square, taking in the sites, sounds and smells. Even though this area is swamped with tourists, visiting local restaurants and shops gave me a good idea of the local culture. It was interesting to me that restaurant owners would walk right up to you on the street and ask you to come eat at their place, that is so different than from the states!

One thing I found interesting when we went to visit the University is finding out that police are not allowed on school grounds unless sanctioned from the school. Because of this, students found assylum in the university and lived there for nearly a year protesting! Graffiti is found everywhere in Greece but I found it particularly interesting that it was on the walls inside the communications deptartment. Most of the graffiti in Greece is also intelligent and powerful, written with intent, unlike much of the graffiti here in America.

Crete

2007-07-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved Crete. It was colorful, right on the water, and had beautiful landscape. I also found the people of Crete to be very inviting, more so than other places we visited. One night a group of us walked past a Greek restaurant and the owner got so excited to see Americans he came out with a bottle of Raki and we all had drinks with him, that would never happen at home!

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and was the center of the Minoan civilization, the oldest civilization in Europe. While in Crete we saw Knossos and Festos, two Minoan sites. We also stayed in Rethymno, the site of a Venetian harbor and hiked through Samaria Gorge. We also had the opportunity to visit beautiful beaches!!

Gortys

2007-07-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

The first site we saw on Crete was Gortys, which was a flourishing Minoan town between 1600-1100 BC. The most fascinating part of Gortys is the Code of Law, which is the oldest and most complete known example of ancient Greek law, discovered in 1884. It was also at Gortys that Andreas told us the myth of Europa and Zeus. According to Greek Mythology, Gortys was the site of Zeus’ affair with princess Europa, which the continent has been named after. Zeus takes Europa from Lebanon discussed as a bull and has an affair under a tree that still lives in Gortys today. From their union three sons were born who became the kings of the three Minoan Palaces in Crete.

Festos

2007-07-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

Festos was an ancient city inhabited from 4000 BC. The palace at Festos was ruined by an earthquake during the Bronze Age. The area upon which Festos stood was the site where the Festos disc was found in 1908. The Festos disc is made of clay, etched with a Cretan hieroglyphic script. I purchased a necklace pendant in Rethymno of this disc, a souvenir with historical significance. The disc remains one of the most curious archeological finds as many still dispute when the disc was made (dated to between 1950 BC and 1400 BC) and for what purpose. There was also a gorgeous view from the peak of Festos.

Arkadi

2007-07-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

Arkadi was one of my favorite sites on Crete, though the story of the tradgey at Arkadi is both harrowing and powerful. During the tale end of the Ottoman Empire, Greeks were fighting for their independence from the Turks occupation and the Arkadi monastery became the Cretan rebels' headquarters because of its strategic position. The morning of November 8, 1866, the rebels awoke to find the monastery surrounded by 15,000 Turkish soldiers. There were also almost 700 unarmed women and children inside the walls of Arkadi, seeking refuge from the Turks. Though there was several days of battles, it was evident that the Cretans didn’t have the materials or manpower to fight off the Turks. The greatest fear of the refugees at Arkadi wasn’t death, but being enslaved by the Turks. More than 600 women and children gathered into the gunpowder storage room waiting until the Turks broke through the door. Before the Turks could capture them, a spark was put to the gunpowder keg and a massive explosion killed all the refugees and many Turkish soldiers.

When Andreas first told us this story, I got goosebumps. To be standing on ground that a holocaust occurred on was upsetting. The grounds of Arkadi now are beautiful, and that contrast between death and a flourishing garden really struck me.

Chania

2007-07-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Chania is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania Prefecture and can be broken into two parts, the old town and the larger modern city. Chania is the site of the Minoan settlement the Greeks called Cydonia.We spent an afternoon in old town Chania, walking through the Venetian village and harbor. In spite of being bombed during World War II, to me, Chania was the most beautiful part of Crete. I found it interesting that though 97% of Greeks are Greek Orthodox, there still stands a mosque in the harbor left from the Ottoman Empire. My very favorite pictures of Crete are from the Venetican Harbor and Village. Walking in places such as the old town really reminds me how young America really is.

Down by the harbor there were Greek fisherman and one of them caught the most beatiful tiny fish and flipped it onto the sidewalk for me to take a photo of.

Agios Nikolaos

2007-07-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

We visited a small Cretan town on the way to Agios Nikolaos and I learned quickly the Cretan people do not like their picture taken. I was talking with Artemis about this and she believes this is still because of the distrust of the communist times. I did manage to get a few photos of the small village and also of a man making shoes. We discussed later that people rarely leave these villages; inhabitants live there their whole lives unless they want to travel to Athens to go to school.

Agios Nikolaos, a beautiful seaside city, means Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors and of all of Greece. Instead of visiting the beach I sat by the Lake Voulismeni, a former sweet water lake, which is now connected to the sea. The lake connects to the harbor of the town by a channel dug in 1870. According to Greek legend, the goddess Athena bathed in it.

Palace of Knossos

2007-07-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Palace of Knossos was my favorite archaeological site on Crete because it has been partially reconstructed, allowing me to better understand what may have gone on during the Minoan civilization. Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete. Also at Knossos is the 2nd oldest road in the world, which just fascinated me, that is a span of time that is very hard for me to comprehend. The nice thing about this photo journal is that I can relive these experiences through photos and commentary, now that we are no longer in Greece things are starting to “sink in”.

There is a beautiful restored plaster relief at Knossos called "Prince of Lilies" believed to be a priest-king, wearing a lily crown with peacock feather, leading an unseen animal to sacrifice. Berlo liked it too!

Another thing I liked about Knossos is that you could really see how it was built in stories, because there were many steps and many underground rooms have been restored including the throne room.

Arkhanes, Knossos Museum & Vathypetro

2007-07-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Arkanes was a beautiful town and one of my favorite photos is from there, when a Cretan woman walked through the break in the gate of one of my photos. The discovery of ancient roads leading from Arkanes to indicate that it was an important regional hub during Minoan times.

There we visited the Knossos Museum and I’m sure everyone’s favorite part was the burial exhibit. We also visited on this day the archeological site of Vathypetro, a winery where an ancient wine press and olive press were found. The area continues to be covered with grapes and olive trees, and I saw some of the best green views at this site.

The Peloponnese and Central Greece

2007-07-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Peloponnese was an interesting leg of the trip because we traveled so much each day! But looking back, I also think the Peloponnese was the most beautiful of the whole trip. We saw the Meteora Monasteries, the Ruins at Delphi and Olympia, and Nafplion, which I truly believe is the prettiest town ever! I also loved visiting Palamidi, the old Venetian fort.

Meteora Monasteries

2007-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

On the way to Meteora, we stopped at the Statue of Leonidas, a modern monument to the Spartans of the Battle of Thermopylae.

Meteora is one of the largest and most important complex of monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos, which is off limits to women. Nina explained to us that Meteora means “suspended in air”, and that is exactly what the monasteries of meteora look like upon their giant rock peaks. The Meteora is home to six monasteries and we got to visit two of these, The Holy Monastery of Rousanou, founded in the middle of 16th century AD and The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron, the largest of the meteora monasteries, erected in the mid-14th century AD. At both Monasteries Nina talked about the importance and meaning in the wall paintings which were still mostly intact. The wall was separated by stories, each story lined in red. As you went up the wall, the stories went from mortals to immortals. The apostils were under Mary who was under Jesus and so on. At the Great Meteron, we saw the net that used to pull monks up the mountain before stairs were constructed. Out of respect, we did not take photos inside the churches, so I don't have photos of the wall paintings, but I did take many photos of the Meteora area itself. The view from atop the rocks was unreal!

Delphi

2007-07-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

At Delphi and Olympia, we visited the archeological museums and then went out to see the ruins of each. This was helpful because the museum created a picture of the site in my head before I went to actually see it. In the Delphi museum, there was a very famous statue of the Charioteer of Delphi cast in Bronze.

Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle and it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo, where there is a Temple erected. Atop the Delphi ruins is the studieum of the Delphic Santuary, where Greek athletes competed in the Pythian Games. Also at Delphi are a large number of treasuries. These were built by the various city-states thanking the oracle for their victories. The Athenian Treasury was restored and first erected to recognize the Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon.

Olympia

2007-07-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Olympia was the site of the Ancient Olympic Games, held every “Olympiad”, or four years. The ruins at Olympia were a lot flatter than other sites we had been to, and the gymnasium was very long and straight. The Ancient games were unlike what we know as modern Olympics, at first the only event was a running race. We all walked down to the 100 meter dash point, though it was too hot for me to run!

One of the most important parts of the ruins that is now housed in the museum is the Temple of Zeus which housed a giant statue of Zeus. Each marble pediment on the outside of the structure depicted scenes which are reconstructed in the museum.

Mystras

2007-07-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Mystras lies right above the town of Sparta. The Palace ruins at Mystras were ruled during the Byzantine empire. We visited two churches at Mystras that we were able to take photographs of, and I’m very glad to have photos of the wall paintings and alter. The monastery higher on the hill at Mystras was called Monastery of Pantanassa, and Nuns still reside in the quarters here. Unlike other experiences with Nuns of Monks that we had, one Nun was very willing to show us around and lead us into her maid room to see embroidered pieces she was selling and offer us a traditional gummy fruit candy. My favorite photos from Mystras are with the Nun quietly in the background watching the monastery.

Nafplion

2007-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Nafplion is a port with fishing and beautiful beaches, its main source of income coming from tourists. In the harbor in Nafplion is the Bourtzi Castle. We spent an afternoon in Nafplion, doing the cliff walk out to the rock beach and sitting at cafes after our morning at Mycenae. The view along the cliff walk is what I thought of when I first heard I was accepted into the Greek Dialogue program; beautiful water and mountains. Along they cliff walk there was also a tunnel and cactus, just gorgeous surroundings all ending in a beautiful beach. I loved spending the afternoon in Nafplion and was only sad about leaving! Nafplion has a cute town square with shops and amazing ice cream, I wished we could have spent another day there. Like Athens, looking up in Nafplion you saw an ancient site, the castle of Palamidi rises above the whole town.

Palamidi

2007-07-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

The castle of Palamidi resides on a high hill overlooking all of Nafplion. It was first fortified by the Venetians during the occupation of the late 17th century. In 1715 it was captured by the Turks until it was liberated by the Greeks in 1822. In addition it is also the location of the prison of Greek Rebel Kolokotronis, and we got the opportunity to step inside his tiny jail cell.

The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking! You could see the entire town of Nafplion and out to the sea with the mountains in the background. It is hard to imagine such a beautiful place as the grounds for fighting. I was adventurous and walked down the 900+ steps into Nafplion and then rewarded myself with a swim!

Thessaloniki and Northern Greece

2007-07-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

In Thessaloniki we met with Professor Wisner and learned about the history of Thessaloniki and Greece and American relations. It was very interesting to discuss the way Greeks think of America, and our people and politics, and compare it to Americans and how they view foreign policy. I think as a superpower, we citizens sometimes don’t realize the impact our foreign policy has on people all over the globe, because we have really tried to separate personal and politics in the states. For instance, before coming to Greece I had no idea why Greeks were angry at America because of Macedonia/FYROM.

Artemis also led us on a two part walking tour of the city and we learned that Thessaloniki was built in layers. They literally just built a church over an ancient village. We visited the Church of Saint Demetrius, the Patron Saint of Thessaloniki, and got to see underneath the church where there once was a town and baths.

The White Tower of Thessaloniki was used as a prison during the era of the Ottoman Empire. Today it serves as the landmark of the city. One evening I had the opportunity to visit the old castle walls and see the view of the entire city. It is amazing to me that the white tower was connected to these old walls as they are so far apart now. On Dimitrios Gounari Street we also saw The Arch of Galerius, built in 298 to 299. A road that ran under the arch used to connect the Tomb of Galerius and the Church of Agios Georgios.

The most amazing part of Thessaloniki was our trip to Vergina to see the Tomb of Philip the Great. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the museum, but the whole experience was wonderful. The town became internationally famous in 1977, when the Greek archaeologist Andronikos unearthed what he claimed was the burial site of the kings of Macedon, including the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. It is amazing to me that for thousands of years, this site could be undiscovered, and then just 40 years ago a great find was discovered. Because the site was buried under a man made hill, it was perfectly intact, and had not been plundered, so the artifacts like gold crowns and crystalline couches were still there. This was absolutely m favorite museum of the trip because everything was very easy to follow, even without a guide. The museum was very peaceful.

On our last day in Thessaloniki, the group trekked to Kalithea, the most beautiful beach of the whole trip. Kalithea is on one of the 3 peninsulas of Halkidiki between Northern Greece and Central Macedonia.