1999-greece

Greece - 1999

In June-July-August-September-October 1999 we went on our first around the world trip.
(99-days - Melbourne - Bangkok - Frankfurt - Moscow - St. Petersburg - Stockholm - Helsinki - Copenhagen - Malaga - London -
Western Europe - UK - Egypt - Jordan - Israel - Greece - New York - Las Vegas - Melbourne.)

We flew from Jerusalem in Israel to Santorini.

	Beautiful, beautiful Santorini. Overlooking the caldera formed from a volcanic eruption about 1450 BC. Ash and pumice from the eruption has been found as far away as Egypt and Israel.
	There has been speculation that the eruption was the source of the legend of Atlantis and of stories in the Old Testament book of Exodus. It did not take Margaret long to find a cat.
	Santorini.
	The main town on Santorini, Thira (or Thera or Fira), is perched on the rim of the caldera.
	A donkey carrying pistachio nuts for sale in one of the alleyways on Santorini. There were a lot of jewelry shops here.
	The sunset from Thira on Santorini.

	Large pithoi at Akrotiri on Santorini. Excavations that began in 1967 uncovered this ancient Minoan settlement.
	Minoan ruins at Akrotiri on Santorini. The excavations are under cover as work is expected to continue for another 50 years. Less than one third of the site has been excavated.
	The bull's horns at Akrotiri. As part of their tradition, the Minoans worshiped the bulls. The various imported objects found in the buildings indicate the wide network of their external relations. Akrotiri was in contact with Crete but also communicated with the Greek Mainland, Cyprus, Syria and Egypt.
	Minoan ruins at Akrotiri on Santorini. There are remains of 2 and 3 storey buildings and a sophisticated drainage system.
	Minoan ruins at Akrotiri on Santorini. Part of an excavated street. The town's life came to an abrupt end in the last quarter of the 17th century BC when the inhabitants were obliged to abandon it as a result of severe earthquakes. The eruption followed. The volcanic materials covered the entire island and the town itself. These materials, however, have protected the buildings and their contents, just like in Pompeii.

	You can clearly see layers of ash from many previous volcanic eruptions on Santorini. The last huge eruption of the volcano dates back 3,600 years, in the late bronze age. Thirty million cubic meters of magma in the form of pumice and ash were blown to a height of up to 36 kilometres above the island. Pumice deposits, dozens of metres thick, buried one of the most prosperous pre-historic settlements of that period, feeding the myth of lost Atlantis.
	A view of the main island of Santorini from Nea Kameni, a rocky island recently formed during a volcanic eruption.
	You can how the main town on Santorini, Thira, is perched on the rim of the caldera.
	A closer view of Thira, the main town of Santorini perched on the rim of the caldera. You can see the zigzag path leading from the old port to the top. Only small boats use this port.
	Santorini. The crater on the volcanic island of Nea Kameni. The are 2 places on this island where wisps of sulphur fumes drift.
	Santorini. The rocky volcanic island of Nea Kameni. Vegetation has not started growing yet. Nea Kameni (Young Burnt Island) began to form only 425 years ago and its youngest lavas are less than 50 years old.
	A view of the town of Oia on the main island of Santorini from Nea Kameni.
	Another view of the main island of Santorini from Nea Kameni.
	A typical Cycladic church sits on a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea at Oia on Santorini.
	The sunset over the Aegean Sea from Oia on Santorini.
	The sunset over the Aegean Sea from Oia on Santorini.

	The wall paintings of Akrotiri. Discovered barely thirty years ago, the collection of the wall paintings of Akrotiri is one of the most important discoveries in art history. Akrotiri goats.
	The wall paintings of Akrotiri. A sea lily.
	The wall paintings of Akrotiri. Akrotiri Sea Lilies.
	The wall paintings of Akrotiri. Akrotiri Fishermen.
	Thira, the main town of Santorini is perched on the rim of the caldera. You can see the zigzag path leading from the old port to the top.
	A cat and a dog asleep in a shop window at Thira.
	One of the volcanic black sand and stone beaches on Santorini.
	One of the islands in the caldera at Santorini.
	A larger church at Santorini.
	Waiting for a taxi outside the Summertime Pension, where we stayed at Santorini.
	Leaving Santorini by ferry.
	Leaving Santorini by ferry.
	Leaving Santorini by ferry on our way to Crete.

Crete

	The Palace of Knossos near Iraklion on Crete. The birthplace of the Minoan culture, Europe's first advanced civilization which flourished from 2800 to 1450 BC.
	The Palace of Knossos. In 1900 the ruins of Knossos were uncovered by Sir Arthur Evans, who spent a fortune reconstructing some of the buildings. Although archaeologists tend to disparage the extent to which Evans reconstructed the site, the buildings do give the layperson a good idea of what the Minoan palaces may have looked like.
	The Palace of Knossos. The Minoans were literate - their first script resembled Egyptian Hieroglyphs, which progressed to a syllable-based script called Linear A (still undeciphered).
	The Palace of Knossos. In the ruins, archaeologists also found clay tablets with Linear B inscriptions, the early Greek form of writing used by the Mycenaeans, which suggests that Mycenaean invaders may have conquered the island, perhaps around 1500 BC.
	The Palace of Knossos. The large number of rooms at Knossos has inspired the myth of the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Classists have speculated on the origins of the myth; one theory is that it may have been based on a Minoan religious festival.
	Knossos is the most famous archaeological site on Crete. It contains the ruins of the largest and most luxurious Minoan palace, built in the middle of a large town. The first palace was built around 2000 BC and destroyed around 1700 BC. The second one was built immediately afterwards, more magnificent than the first. This was also destroyed, around 1500 BC, most likely by the terrible eruption of the volcano on Santorini.
	The Palace of Knossos. An elaborate system of drains, conduits, and pipes provided water and sanitation for the palace, and the whole urban complex was connected to other Cretan towns and ports by paved roads.
	The Palace of Knossos. Storage magazines at Knossos from the back of the main palace building. These many passages help to give the impression of a labyrinth amidst the many hallways of the Knossos site.
	The Palace of Knossos. Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. The island is full of relics of the Minoan ages.
	The Palace of Knossos. The Palace of Knossos is amazingly unprotected, in contrast to the buildings of Egypt, whose exteriors show only a stark closed face to the world.
	The Palace of Knossos. There are good reasons for this openness. There is a remarkable lack of inter-city conflict on Crete. The geography helps, mountains and hills separating cities, allowing a high degree of autonomy, though Knossos was the acknowledged leader. As for external danger, the reason is clear. Crete enjoys the natural protection of an island, combined with a navy that totally dominates the surrounding seas. It would have been foolhardy indeed for anyone to attempt an invasion.
	The Palace of Knossos. The art of Minoan fresco painting reached its zenith at the heyday of Knossos, with scenes of dancing, sports, and dolphins done in a naturalistic style.

	The Archaeological Museum at Iraklion on Crete is one of the most outstanding archeological museums in the world. It contains findings from all over Crete, focused primarily on the prehistoric Minoan civilization, a civilization that ruled the island for over 1,200 years. A terracotta coffin.
	The Phaestos Disk. About 1600 BC. Both sides of this clay disk have hieroglyphic characters separately impressed by means of punches and arranged in a spiral. The script has not yet been deciphered.
	Minoan Goddesses. Clay figurines and others made of stone or precious materials. The figurines are connected with human fertility: loving couples, pregnant women, and women suckling their babies.
	Horns of Consecration. Horns of Consecration played an important role in Minoan religion and were found in shrines, murals, and were even architectural features.
	A decorated terracotta sarcophagus. Clay sarcofagi were widely used. They are of two types: those in the shape of a chest or a box with four feet and a lid, and those in the shape of a bath. The motifs painted on them are decorative or are taken from nature (schematised flowers, fish, octopuses) or have religious significance (double axes, sacred horns etc).
	A fresco of athletes leaping over a bull, using the bull as a vaulting horse.
	These large pithoi are big.
	Large double axes at the Iraklion Archaeological Museum.
	Stoneware - mainly vases made of marble or semi-precious and precious stones. Those which come from the sacred treasuries of the palaces at Knossos are outstanding.
	Dolphin frescoes at the Iraklion Archaeological Museum.

	Ruins at Hania on Crete.
	The harbour at Hania on Crete. Hania is the second largest town in Crete and unquestionably the one which has preserved more of its old character than any other. Many buildings and even entire neighbourhoods from the Venetian and Turkish periods have been preserved in good condition.
	It did not take Margaret long to find a cat at Hania.
	At Hania.
	At the waterfront at Hania. Hania was a delightful, relaxing place. The Venetians occupied the town for a long period and there were many Venetian style buildings.
	Hania has one of the most beautiful ports, with a big Venetian lighthouse.
	Hania.
	At the archeological museum at Hania. Notice the crude flying buttresses. This building was once a monastery.
	Ah! This is the life! Refreshments by the waterside at Hania. Resting after our 16 km walk the day before.
	A cat with different coloured eyes at the Internet café at Hania.
	A last look at the delightful Venetian style town of Hania on Crete.

We had a day trip walking 16km down the Samaria Gorge. (Click to see photos).

Paros

	From Crete we caught a ferry to Paros. A windmill on the foreshore at Parikia, the island's main centre and port. We found Paros to be a pleasant spot.
	Antiparos is a small island that is less than 2 km from Paros. We visited some limestone caves on this island. There were some good formations but they were rather dirty.
	A small church on the Greek island of Paros.
	Another church on Paros. There were many churches, mostly small, on all of the Greek islands.
	We hired a Fiat Panda to drive around Paros for half a day.
	Butterflies at the serene spot of Butterfly Valley (Petaloudas) on Paros. Although they are more prolific in early August there was still a lot of them resting on trees and walls.
	Butterflies at Butterfly Valley. They are called Panaxiaquardi Punctaria and are a member of the Arctiidae family (night moth).
	At Butterfly Valley on Paros.
	Terraced slopes on Paros.
	Waiting at Paros for the ferry to Naxos.

Naxos

	You know that you are on Naxos when you see the "Portara".
	In the entrance of the harbour, on the small island (now joined to Paros by a causeway), there is a huge gate, the "Portara". It is the remains of the half-finished archaic temple of Apollo (6th century BC), the palace of Ariadne according to the tradition. A church was built there in the Byzantine period, but it was destroyed in 1344 from the Turkish invasions and never rebuilt.
	A small church on its own island in the harbour of Naxos town
	Outside a pottery on Naxos.
	Bougainvillea and a narrow street at the village of Halki on Naxos.
	At the village of Halki on Naxos.
	Naxos, the largest and most fertile of the Cycladic islands, lies almost at the centre of the Aegean. Meadows running down to vast beaches, cliffs sinking suddenly into the sea, rocky mountains side-by side with fertile valleys, abundant springs and streams these are just some of the features of a natural environment marked for its variety. We liked Naxos.
	At the marble village of Apiranthos on Naxos. Throughout Greece there were lots of outdoor eating places.
	At Apiranthos on Naxos. Of course, such a rich and fertile island was bound to have many enemies as well as many conquerors: Persians, Macedonians, Romans. This is the reason why its inhabitants settled in the central parts of the island.
	Is was not all go, go go! Relaxing by the beach at Apollona on Naxos.
	At Apollona on Naxos.
	At Apollona on Naxos.
	A colossal half-finished statue of a kouros representing Apollo (7th century) lies in an ancient marble quarry near Apollona on Naxos. The head cracked during its construction. He had a wine glass in his hand.
	Sunset at the "Portara", the remains of the half-finished temple of Apollo on Naxos.
	At the pension (Studios Zafari) where we stayed for $40 (double) a night at Naxos.
	At Studios Zafari where we stayed at Naxos.
	A last look at Naxos before leaving by ferry to Mykonos.

Mykonas

	The landmark Mykonos windmills overlooking the harbour, echoes of the time when wind power was used to grind the island’s grain.
	A narrow alleyway on Mykonos. We stayed in the pension that has the blue balcony.
	A closer view of the famous windmills at Mykonos.
	Looking at "Little Venice" on Mykonos.
	A windmill under reconstruction on Mykonos.
	A narrow alleyway on Mykonos.
	Mykonos is a well-known island of the Cycladic Archipelago and one of the most famous centers of international tourism. It is a small island, with few villages, without high mountains and without greenery, in the clean and blue waters of the Aegean Sea.
	Mykonos. The curving streets were designed to confuse attacking pirates in the 16th century. Today, the pleasant, narrow, cobble-painted streets of two-story whitewashed homes and shops confuse tourists, rather than pirates.
	An interesting old church on Mykonos. Mykonos Island has reportedly 365 churches and chapels. They display the signature Greek Cyclades Islands cubic architecture with whitewashed facades and blue domes.
	Mykonos town is just the right size to keep you interested - perhaps at times lost, yet always comfortable. You may see an old man greeting suntanned vacationers as he leads a donkey laden with vegetables or flowers. You’ll see fishermen leaving the harbor in the morning and returning in the afternoon. In the cool of the evening the residents will promenade down the esplanade to meet their friends at the numerous cafes.
	A number of the churches on Mykonos had red roofs unlike the blue roofed churches at Santorini.
	Mykonos harbour.
	The main port on Mykonos. The very characteristic colors of the island, the dark color of its land, the white of its houses and the blue of its sea are illuminated by the strong sun of Greece and are beautiful scenery for vacations in an unique natural environment. Mykonos is full of life in summer.
	A delightful evening at Mykonos.
	Using your old toilet as a flower pot. From our pension window on Mykonos.

Delos

	Approaching Delos. The Cyclades are a group of islands that appear to form a notational circle around the sacred isle of Delos. According to Greek mythology, Delos is the place where Apollo, the god of light and Artemis, goddess of hunting, both Lito and Zeus children, were born.
	Terrace of the Lions at Delos. Among this mass of ruins, marble lions in a row still stand. These were the guardians of the sacred lake. They still gaze out to the east, waiting for the rising of the sun, the sun of Apollo its god. The marble lions were constructed by the Naxians at the end of 7th century BC Originally there were sixteen in number, but only five lions and the remains of three more, standing on modern bases, can be seen in position today.
	Taking a plaster cast of one of the lions at Delos.
	Delos. A dolphin statue.
	Delos ruins. The myth says that the island called Delos was revealed from the waves when Lito, chased by Zeus wife, Hera, could not find a place to give birth to Apollo and Artemis. Zeus asked for help from Poseidon and he revealed a small rocky island called Delos (a word which means revealed). Delos was first inhabited by Cares or Phoenicians during the 3rd millennium BC.
	In 477BC Athenians decided a new purification of the island and forbade people from being born and dying on it. They also ordered the transfer of all dead people from Delos to the neighbouring Rinia. In 314BC, Delos was under the protection of Ptolemy of Egypt and then under the influence of Macedonians when another flourishing period began. During Roman Times, the island was an important port in the Aegean Sea. This was the most prosperous time in its history. In 88BC Mithridatis, King of Pontos, who was in war with the Romans, destroyed Delos and Mykonos and looted the sanctum.
	Delos is a small low island. This small island, rocky and barren, supported a flourishing economy and a thriving culture for centuries.
	Delos ruins.
	Delos. A statue of a bull.
	Delos. The preserved marble theatre was constructed at the beginning of the 3rd century BC and replaced an earlier, wooden one. The first row of seats, which is for the privileged, is followed by twenty-six stone tiers in the lower part and seventeen more in the upper part, that could accommodate about 5,500 spectators. In front of the round orchestra, the remains of the stage-building (skene) are to be seen.
	A closer view of the ancient theatre on Delos.
	A view over Delos from its highest point, Kynthos (112m).
	Since 1873 the French Archaeological School, has undertaken many excavation expeditions which have brought to light monuments and archaeological finds of enormous value. Research and restoration of these finds continues until today.
	At its heyday, Delos was a large city of about 30,000 inhabitants. It evolved into a major commercial port of the central Aegean, and was destroyed in 88BC by Mithridates, king of Pontus who was in war with the Romans.
	Delos ruins.
	High quality floor mosaics in The House of the Dolphins.
	An elaborate mosaic floor at Delos.
	A closer view of the beautiful mosaic floor.
	Old impressive ruins at Delos.
	A last look at Mykonos.
	Sunset over the Aegean Sea from the ferry on our way from Mykonos to Athens.

Athens

	Agil Theodori Byzantine church in Athens.
	On Sundays at 10.45am, a platoon of traditionally costumed guards (evzones) accompanied by a band marches to the tomb of The Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament building in Athens.
	Some people find the costumes (skirts and pom-pom shoes) and marching style comic, but the ceremony is colourful and entertaining.
	Another officer came and straightened his skirt while he was standing at attention.
	An Athenian guard at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
	A view of The Parthenon from our hotel, The King Jason Hotel.
	Overlooking Athens and its port of Piraeus from the summit of Mt. Likavittos, Athen's highest hill.
	A small lion in the National Gardens in Athens. These gardens were once part of the royal palace. Most of the gardens were planted between 1838 and 1860 in the times of King Otto and Queen Amalia. There were lots of cats in these gardens.
	Andronikos Kyristes' clock also known as the Tower of the Winds. Built during the 1st century BC, it housed an hydraulic clock. Each of its 8 sides was decorated with representations of the 8 winds.
	A pleasant tree-lined street on the way to The Acropolis.

	Overlooking the Temple of the Olympian Zeus from The Acropolis. Zeus was the head god of all the Greek gods.
	The Temple of the Olympian Zeus.
	Remains of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.
	The Panathenaikon Stadium is a faithful replica of an ancient stadium on the site. This marble stadium was built between 1869 and 1870 for the first Olympic Games held in modern times in 1896.
	The Arch of Hadrian. Built in 131AD it was a gateway to the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.
	The Arch of Hadrian. It bears 2 inscriptions. The one on the side facing The Acropolis reads: "This is Athens, the ancient city of Thesus" while the other, on the side facing the sanctuary and the extension of the city by Hadrian, reads: "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Thesus".
	The French Embassy in Athens has an eucalyptus tree in its backyard.
	A modern building built over a tiny church in Athens.
	A close up view of this small church.
	A couple of lions on a building in Athens.
	Three lions in Athens.
	An elaborate church in Athens.

The Parthenon

	An Australian tourist in front of The Parthenon. The pride and glory of Athens. One of the guidebooks says "The Parthenon is the unique masterpiece of the world." The beauty, harmony and grace of this monument makes a really lasting impression on you.
	Another Australian tourist in front of The Parthenon. It is chief temple of the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens the goddess of wisdom and war). The construction of the monument was initiated by Perikles. Work began in 447 BC, and the building itself was completed by 438 BC.
	Looking across Athens to Mt. Likavittos from The Acropolis.
	The colonnade, consisting of 8 columns on the east and west and 17 on the north and south, encloses a walled interior rectangular chamber, or cella, originally divided into three aisles by two smaller Doric colonnades.
	It did not take Margaret long to find a cat at The Acropolis.
	To the north of The Parthenon is the Erechthelon, immediately recognised by its much-photographed Caryatids, the 6 large maidens who take the place of columns to support its southern portico. The Erechthelon was dedicated to Athena and Poseidon and supposedly built on the spot where they competed for possession of ancient Athens.
	The base of one of the columns of The Erechthelon.
	Some ruins at The Acropolis.
	Misaligned blocks that make up the columns of The Parthenon.
	The columns of The Parthenon become slightly narrower towards the top, making them look straight.
	A statue outside the small museum on The Acropolis.
	The Parthenon housed an 11 metre tall statue of the goddess Athena. The interior of the statue was made of wood and the naked parts made of ivory. The dress and helmet were made of gold. It was lost during the first years of the Byzantine period.
	Looking across Athens to Mt. Likavittos from The Acropolis.
	Looking down on the Theatre of Dionysos from The Acropolis. The oldest of all known theatres in the world. Here the 4 greatest Ancient Greek poets, Aeschylos, Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophokles, saw their plays being performed for the first time in the 5th century BC.
	The Odeion of Herodes Atticus. The Herodeion as it is called by modern Greeks, was built in AD161 by Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes. When his wife died, he built this roofed Odeion for musical performances to honour her memory. Today the Athens Festival takes place at the Odeion every summer.
	A view of the Observatory from The Acropolis.
	Looking over the Ancient Agora from The Acropolis. It was the commercial centre of ancient Athens as well as its political, cultural and religious centre. This is where Athenians gathered on a daily basis to buy and sell, to learn the news and to criticise the government. The Theseion dedicated to the god Hephaisteion is the building near the western boundary.
	A view of the Observatory from The Acropolis.
	Looking up at The Herodeion and The Parthenon.

	The Stoa of Attalos at the Ancient Agora at the foot of The Acropolis in Athens. This two-storey building is believed to have been a kind of ancient shopping centre housing 21 shops on each level. It has been very well restored recently and now houses a museum of items found during excavations of The Ancient Agora.
	At the Ancient Agora with The Stoa of Attalos in the distance.
	At the Ancient Agora in Athens. It was the commercial centre of ancient Athens as well as its political, cultural and religious centre. This is where Athenians gathered on a daily basis to buy and sell, to learn the news and to criticise the government.
	At the Ancient Agora looking up at The Acropolis
	The Theseion dedicated to the god Hephaisteion at the Ancient Agora. The temple was dedicated to two gods, Hephaistos and Athena, whose bronze cult statues stood in the interior. The construction of the Hephaisteion started in 449 BC.
	Looking inside the Hephaisteion.

	Athens Archaeological Museum. The Poseidon of Artemision. The bronze statue represents Poseidon brandishing the trident with his raised right hand. It is an original work of a great sculptor, possibly of Kalamis. It was raised from the sea, off Cape Artemision. Dated to about 460 BC.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. Socrates.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. The Staff of Hippocrates.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. The "jockey" of Artemision. The bronze statue represents a young man riding a horse. He probably held the reins in his left hand and a whip in the right. Dated to about 140 BC.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. Margaret found an Athenian lion.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. Gold mask from Mycenae. A funerary gold mask similar to the misnamed "Schliemann's Agamemnon". Dated to the second half of the 16th century BC.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. A famous gold crown from Mycenae.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. A Minoan bull's head made of granite and gold.

Cape Sounion

	The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion overlooking the Aegean Sea, about an hour from Athens.
	The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. This is the place where the ancient Greeks worshipped their mighty god of the sea, Poseidon.
	A quiet cove near Cape Sounion.
	Overlooking the beautiful blue Aegean Sea at Cape Sounion.
	The beautiful blue Aegean Sea at Cape Sounion.

Corinth Canal

The rail bridge over the Corinth Canal. The 6300 m long canal links the Aegean and Ionian Seas across the Isthmus of Corinth south-west of Athens.

The Corinth Canal is up to 70 m deep and 25 m wide at sea level. It was completed in 1893.

Mycenae

	The famous Lion Gate at Mycenae, Europe's oldest monumental sculpture (13th century BC).
	The Lion Gate at Mycenae.
	The Lion Gate at Mycenae. The lions, with their fore paws on an altar of some sort was supposed to represent the Mycenaean's power. Anyone coming to the Acropolis would have to enter through these gates.
	The Lion Gate at Mycenae. Mycenae is south-west of Athens. We went on a one-day bus tour to this ancient site.
	One of the massive stone sides of the Lion Gate. A large amount of famous treasure which is now in the archeological museum in Athens was found at Mycenae.
Ruins at Mycenae. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, had a brother named Menelaus, who was the king of Sparta. These two brothers married two sisters, Clytemnestra and Helen. Helen was of renowned beauty and was offered to a Trojan prince, Paris, by Aphrodite (Goddess of Beauty and Love) by judging her the most beautiful Goddess. So Helen went, somewhat willingly, with Paris to Troy. This enraged the brothers and Agamemnon arranged an expedition to go to Troy and bring back Helen. However, Artemis stopped the winds from blowing because Agamemnon had shot one of her prized deer, and made him sacrifice his daughter, to make amends and to bring the wind back. After this, the party of Greeks was able to set sail for Troy. This resulted in the Trojan war, a war that lasted ten years. (The Iliad, Homer).
	Ruins at Mycenae. The site was inhabited since Neolithic times (about 4000 BC) but reached its peak during the Late Bronze Age (1350-1200 BC), giving its name to a civilization which spread throughout the Greek world.
This is the entrance way into "Agamemnon's tomb". Though originally credited as Agamemnon's tomb because of all of the treasure found in it, it is now believed to be 200 years older than Agamemnon and it is thought it may be the royal treasury with another king buried in it. (A burial mask was found here.)
This is the entrance way into "Agamemnon's tomb". Though originally credited as Agamemnon's tomb because of all of the treasure found in it, it is now believed to be 200 years older than Agamemnon and it is thought it may be the royal treasury with another king buried in it. (A burial mask was found here.)

Epidauras

	The huge, well-preserved Theatre of Epidaurus near Mycenae. It has marble seats and is 3300 years old. It was discovered in 1970.
	The Theatre of Epidaurus. The acoustics are superb. It could seat 18,000 people.
	The god of medicine, is believed to have been born at Epidaurus.
	At the museum at Epidaurus. A token left by a person to hopefully improve his or her hearing.
	Athens Archaeological Museum. Asklepios treating a patient's broken arm and his daughter, Hygiea watching a healing sacred snake slither over a patient.
	The olive tree is well used.
	Asklepios has been given a plaque after healing someone's leg.

Nafplion

Nafplion or Nauplia. Bourtzi, stands in the harbour. It is a tiny island fortress built in 1471 by the Venetian Antonio Cambello and has undergone changes that made it from an assault pad for the bombardment of the then Turkish Nafplion, to a hotel as it existed between 1930 and 1970.
Nafplion. The Venetians built this impressive, mighty and for some, elegant, fortress of Palamidi, on the hill top right above the town. Built between 1711 and 1715 it fell in the hands of the Turks a year later in 1715 and remained so until the end of the Greek war of Independence at which time conquering Greeks used it as a prison.
Nafplion. This charming old town has seen generations of Byzantines, Franks, Turks and Greeks walk its narrow and winding streets through the centuries. After the Independence War, Nafplion became the capital of the newly born Greek State in and the seat of Governor Kapodistrias. King Otto, also landed in Nafplion in 1833, but transferred the capital to Athens a year later.
	A jelly fish in the harbour at Nafplion. Nafplion is not far from Mycenae.
	Jelly fish in the harbour at Nafplion.
From Athens we flew to Frankfurt and then to New York on the last legs of our 99-day around-the-world trip.