Athens. The "evsones," or the Greek Presidential Guard, stand watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Thirty-Two Days in Greece. My most recent trip to Greece was with Dave and Trudi Hummel and Rojo and Lucy Moore. We started in Athens, moved to the Peloponnese, to northern Greece and finally Crete and then Naxos.
Athens. Bouzouki.
Athens. The caryatids of the Erechtheion at the Acropolis.
Athens. The Parthenon, under repair.
Athens. Hercules and a lion. Part of the original colors remain.
Athens. Examples of how ancient Greeks colored their sculptures.
Athens. Narrow walkways surround the ancient Agora.
Athens. Easter procession from the Metropolitan church.
Athens. Greek Easter procession.
Athens. East side of the Acropolis.
Athens. All that remains of Hadrians's library.
Athens. Minoan wall art in the Archeological Museum.
Athens. Pottery from Mycenae at Makines.
Athens. Archeological Museum.
Athens. The Parthenon at night.
Peloponnese (southern Greece). The Isthmus of Corinth.
Peloponnese. The massive walls of the Mycenean fortress at Makines.
Peloponnese. The famous Lion's Gate at Mycenae.
Peloponnese. Shaft tombs at Mycenae. Bodies were placed in small holes carved from stone.
Peloponnese. Shaft tombs at Mycenae.
Peloponnese. The Treasury of Atreus , also known as the Tomb of Agamemnon where incredible riches were found.
Peloponnese. The ancient theater of Epidaurus is considered the best of the Ancient Greek theaters because of its acoustics and aesthetics.
Peloponnese. The old section of Nafplio which is one of the more interesting cities in Greece. Some of the best food too.
Peloponnese. The Palamidi is a fortress built by the Venetians to protect the harbor at Nafplio.,
Delphi. One of the early Greeks' most sacred places. The high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was known as the Oracle of Delphi. The view of the mountains and valleys surrounding Delphi are spectacular.
Delphi. This is the Athenian treasury that held the gifts they brought to the oracle.
Delphi. Part of the temple of Apollo situation on the side of Mount Parnassus. People traveled from all over the Greek world to seek advice from the Oracle.
Delphi. Theater at Delphi.
Meteora. Twenty-seven monasteries are perched on these tall, rock formations overlooking the town of Kalambaka. Only a few are active now.
Meteora.
Meteora.
Meteora.
Meteora. The Penei River is in the background. The Pindus Mountains loom above the river.
Meteora.
Meteora.
Meteora.
Meteora. From left, Lucy Moore, Trudi Hummel, Rojo Moore, Dave Hummel and Arturo, our driver.
Meteora. Arturo took gave us a tour of the countryside around Kalambaka. The bridge spans the Penei River.
Meteora. Penei waterfall and bridge.
Meteora.
Meteora. Wall art inside the Varlaam Monastery.
Meteora. This is the lift that originally was used to bring monks and visitors up into Varlaam Monastery. We used a series of stairs that were later added.
Meteora. Varlaam wall art.
Meteora.
Meteora. Kalambaka gets ready for Easter.
Crete. The White Mountains are visible from Chania with their usually snowy peaks. There was less snow this winter so only traces of snow could be seen.
Chania, Crete. Photo of Chania's harbor taken from my balcony. The White Mountains are in the background.
Chania, Crete. The building in the center is the Alcanea Hotel. During the Venetian occupation of Crete, the building was a barracks for Venetian soldiers.
Chania, Crete. Our waiter showing us his ink.
Chania, Crete.
Chania, Crete. Lighthouse built by the Venetians.
Chania, Crete. Walking the narrow streets of the old town.
Chania, Crete. Dave and Trudi Hummel with me enjoying a meal in Chania.
Chania, Crete. The harbor at sunset.
Chania, Crete. This was supposed to be a shortcut.
Chania, Crete. Someone has finished their morning coffee.
Chania, Crete. The Hummel's balcony also had a nice view.
Chania, Crete. Waves crash against the breakwater on a windy day.
Arkadi, Crete. Site of the last stand by a group of Cretans who rebelled against the Ottoman Turks. Surrounded with no hope they blew themselves up in the old chapel,
Arkadi, Crete. Monk's cell. At it's busiest, there were about 50 monks who lived at Arkadi.
Arkadi, Crete. A new church was built after the Revolt of 1866.
Machairoi, Crete. A small, mountain village we passed on one of our drives.
Vryses, Crete. Cheese factory.
Nipos, Crete. Small chapel in one of the many caves on the island. Once used as a hideout from the Turks.
Emprosneros, Crete. The baker in this small village was baking this special bread for a wedding. He said he had hundreds more loaves to bake for a big wedding.
Melidoni, Crete. Our food class. Our hostess showed how to prepare what became our supper.
Melidon, Crete. Dave and Trudi are ready to enjoy the food we prepared.
Stylos, Crete. Mini bananas that grow in Crete's temperate climate.
Phaistos, Crete. Looking out over the Mesara Valley.
Platanos, Crete. The sandy beaches on the western end of the island are full of tourists during the Sumer.
Platanos, Crete.
Falassarna, Crete. Small chapel at the northwest end of the island overlooking Ancient Falassarna. There may have been an Ancient Greek temple here that the Christians replaced with their own place of worship.
Falassarna Beach, Crete. This is also the site of Ancient Falassarna, a Greek city and seaport. It was a hub for pirate activity in the Eastern Mediterranean until the Romans destroyed the city in 365 AD.
Ano Vouves, Crete. This olive tree is 3,500 year's old, the oldest on Crete.
Heraklion, Crete. The Venetian fortress in the background.
Heraklion, Crete. Someone's idea of modern Minoan art.
Heraklion, Crete. St. Minas Cathedral. During my two years on Crete in the 1960s, I attended two Greek weddings here.
Heraklion, Crete. The beautiful wall paintings at St. Minas are attributed to Georgios Kastrofylakas.
Heraklion, Crete. St. Minas.
Heraklion, Crete. The Morosini Fountain built by the Venetians. In my early time on Crete I would sit at one of the tavernas here. Great for watching people.
Heraklion, Crete. A model of Knossos in the Heraklion Archeological Museum.
Heraklion, Crete. Clay and bronze pieces found near Knossos.
Knossos, Crete. The throne room of the palace at Knossos. Some archeologists believe the Minoans were a matriarchal society.
Naxos. We left Crete on the fast ferry to spend a few days on the island of Naxos. Good beaches, good food and interesting small villages.
Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades. It feels different from volcanic Santorini and windswept Mykonos. Naxos is mountainous, fertile and covered with patches of trees, a rarity in the Cyclades. The geography, mythology and friendly people make Naxos one of the most interesting spots in the Cyclades to hike.
Naxos. The port city of Chora is now the capital of Naxos. Once you are in the old section of the city you wander though a labyrinth of narrow streets of homes and shops.
Naxos. Like many of the Greek islands, Naxos has had its share of occupiers. The Turks were the last but they left the administration of the island to the Venetians. The house above the walkway was the home of the Turkish representative.
Naxos has long stretches of white sand beaches that aren't too crowded in the summer since Naxos is just becoming a tourist destination.
Chora, Naxos. The sun sets on our least evening on Naxos.
Naxos. Stroumpoulas hill has two of the three remaining windmills ruins. Once used to mill wheat they are now only objects of photographs.
Filoti, Naxos. The village sits like an amphitheater on the slopes of Mount Zas.
Mount Zas, Naxos. We parked out car partway up Mount Zas with Filoti in the background and walked toward the cave of Zeus.
Mount Zas, Naxos. We walked about half a mile on a narrow paved road. Mount Zas, the highest mountain in the Cyclades, offers panoeramic views to the south and east. We can see the church of Prophet Elias on the opposite side of the valley.
Mt. Zas, Naxos. The paved road to the cave of Zeus ends and a rocky, uneven trail begins. It is misting and after continuing on for awhile we decide the path is getting too slick and turn back. Even though we didn't see the cave, the scenery along the way has been worth it.
Chalki, Naxos. Bougainvillea and honeysuckle adorn the side of this shop. Once the capital of Naxos, Chalki's old architecture and narrow alleys make for an interesting walk.
Chalki, Naxos. Once in Chalki we look for the Church of Panagia Drossiani, the oldest Christian church on Naxos. Walking past an olive grove we speculate on the age of the trees. Maybe seven or eight hundred years old?
Chalki, Naxos. After taking a wrong turn, we are finally heading in the right direction.
Chalki, Naxos. We finally find the church but it is locked. The church, built about 520 AD, is a good example of early Byzantine churches.
Chalki, Naxos. This olive tree seems to still be producing.
Aperathos, Naxos. If you're looking for an authentic Greek village, this is it. It's most impressive feature may be its architecture with its stone towers, old houses, marble paved alleys and local craft shops. As you walk up and down hundreds of marble stairs flat surfaces are few.
Aperathos, Naxos.
Aperathos, Naxos. Walking the streets is like walking back in time for three or four hundred years.
Aperathos, Naxos.
St. George Diasoritis, Naxos. We are looking for another church now. Sign says just a short walk.
St. George Diasoritis, Naxos. This small church, which may have been a convent, was built in the 11th century. The faded wall paintings may be as old as the church and two small rooms to the side may have been living quarters.
Sangri, Naxos. Near the village of Sangri lies the sacred temple of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, harvest and fertility. Built in the sixth century of the famous Naxos marble, its Doric architectural style is the same as the Parthenon in Athens.
Chalki, Naxos.
