I hate to be repeating myself, but we woke to another beautiful day! ( Well, to be honest, I LOVE repeating that statement!) Today was going to be a very busy day, there is much to see and do in the area of our strategically selected campground.
We met with another local guide that our tour company obviously had used for many years. She accompanied us in our small, comfortable bus through most of the day. Our first stop was at Mycenae, which has the oldest ruin in the area dating back 3500 years!
Let me quote www.ricksteves.com:
"The Myceneans dominated the Greek world between 1600 and 1200 B.C.; about a thousand years before the rise of Athens. These were the early Greeks Homer wrote of in The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Following the same ancient sandal-steps as the Greeks, you’ll enjoy Mycenae’s majestic setting of mountains, valleys, and the distant sea. But the location was more than scenic; it was strategic. Surrounded by enemies, the Mycenaeans needed a heavily fortified capital on an easy-to-defend hill."
We got off the bus a little after 8AM, basking in the early morning sun as we headed down a grassy path that suddenly revealed an awe-inspiring sight! A huge, cave-like entrance leading into something, I was so curious to see. The sign read “Tholos Tomb”. Were we going to be able to enter it?
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| A tholos tomb. Notice how tall the doorway is. |
The guide explained the history and legends of the Tholos Tomb.
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| Treasury of Atreus : the most representative and best preserved example of a tholos tomb ( 1250 BC ) |
www.ricksteves.com states:
“Royalty were buried in massive beehive-shaped underground chambers, such as the Tholos Tomb. The tomb’s massive igloo-style dome was made of 33 rings of corbelled ( gradually projecting ) stones, each weighing about five tons. Kings were elaborately buried in the center of the room along with their swords, jewels, and personal possessions. After the funeral was over, the whole structure was covered with a mountain of dirt. But grve robbers weren’t fooled and got in anyway, so modern archaeologists have not found any bodies.”
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| Ancient architects realized that by putting the stone in a triangle like this kept the weight off of the slab below and kept it from breaking. Notice the workmanship. Amazing! |
The guide pointed out the massive stones that were placed over the high doorways that are estimated to weigh 120 tons. The legend is that a “Cyclops “ ( one eyed monster with two tiny arms ) “ Cycle” meaning “two” and “ops” meaning “eye” ( optical ) was the one who placed these heavy stones . She told how modern archaeologists hate to hear these stories because they want a more scientific answer to this great mystery but since there really is no “answer” they still refer to the building of these engineering mysteries as the “cyclops” era. Interesting.
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| Notice the huge slab of rock that is estimated to weigh 120 tons. How did they ever do that? It is strongly suggested that a Cyclops ( one eyed monster ) may have done the impossible. |
Since we were there so early in the morning, we had the ancient site virtually by ourselves. We could hear our voices echo inside the beehive- like structure, and understanding the guide was very easy.
We were than taken by bus to another ruin nearby, the Mycenaean acropolis, which dominated the surrounding area . It was uniquely placed to control the communication routes in all directions and was naturally defended making it the perfect location for the royal house.
Excavations began in 1874 and still continues today, have proved that this site was inhabited already in the 3rd millennium BC ( 5000 years ago ) and have brought to light brilliant creations of the Middle Helladic period ( 1900-1580 BC ).
I was most awed by the massive entrance called “Lion Gates” (which is the earliest known piece of monumental sculpture in the European continent) that took ancient Greeks into the interior of the acropolis. It continues to amaze me just how old but still preserved these artifacts are.
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| "Lion's Gate:, the main entrance to the fortified citadel is the earliest piece of monumental structure known in the European Continent |
After another history lesson which have become mixed up in our heads long ago, we walked around enjoying the views.
By now the “Super buses” had arrived so taking photos among those with “selfie obsession” became more difficult. I wonder if there is a 12-step program for “selfie-aholics”?
As we have been touring around we have been getting the attention of both the locals and tourists wondering who our unusual group of RV’s are, and where are we from. The natives are always thrilled when they hear we are from the States ( and one couple from Australia ). Perhaps they are glad the unfair and exaggerated negative publicity the press have been giving Greece over the years ( which has affected Tourism terribly ) had not kept us from appreciating their incredible country. American tourists are intrigued about touring a country by RV and marvel over our small, intimate group tours.
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| Palamidi Fortress |
It’s a very charming town in the Peloponnese with a population of 10,000 who enjoy streets with balconies dripping with bougainvillea, handsome neoclassical buildings, lovely shops and boutiques, outdoor cafes and enticing restaurants, plus two museums.
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| Inside Palamidi Fortress |
We all had lunch at an outdoor café then continued the walking tour of the city, learning the history behind the various statues placed about the square.
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| Another fortress inside the harbor had a varied past. Prison, Customs headquarters, high end hotel, and it's soon to become a museum. |
After Norm’s purchase of clear plastic shoes ( not unlike Cinderella’s glass slipper, without the heels ).
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| The only water shoe we could find. How pretty! Cinderella could wear these when she becomes geriatric! |
We browsed the many shops until we came upon a Greek Ice Cream place. The proprietor was a lovely lady that was very friendly and helpful. In her broken English she explained the shop had been in her family since 1972, and that her son hand makes all the amazing confections inside the store. We decided on a flavor,(chocolate sour cherry ) and strolled down the streets.
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| Norm and his new best friend - owner of this Greek ice cream shop! |
We met up with the group and brought them back to our new “Favorite Ice Cream” shop. This woman was so excited as 10 more of us bought ice cream and other goodies from her. She gave Norm a huge and very heavy box of baklava, and cut up more for each of us to try. Such a generous lady!
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| Downtown Nauplia |
We all met at the tour bus and headed back to the campsite when it started to rain. I guess Norm won’t get a chance to wear his glass slippers yet.
