Kalinichta Greece

“Even people who know nothing about Greece know something about Greece. The very name sparks visions of ancient civilizations that dominated the Mediterranean.” ― Polly Letofsky

As my time in Greece comes to a close let’s stop off at the archeological site and museum in Mycenae and of course Athens for a final farewell.

The Treasury of Atreus of the tomb of Agamemnon is the largest beehive tomb constructed before the Roman era and is still considered one with the largest corbelled dome, see next picture.

Little is known of who might have been buried in this tomb, but it is hypothesized that it may have been intended for a ruler of Mycenae. The tomb was first excavated in the 19th century by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin who removed the marble sculptures and facades to England hereby coining the name Elgin Marbles that were displayed in the British Museum.

Inside the tome you can get a feel for the immense size of the structure most particularly the dome which is considered one of the largest in the world of its kind.

The Lion Gate is the main entrance to the Bronze age citadel of Mycenae. The gate is the sole surviving example of Mycenaean sculpture as well as the largest surviving sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean.

Mycenae the fabled city of Agamemnon and Atreus is considered to have been founded in 5000 to 4000 BC and is reputed to be the foundation of the development of ancient Greek civilization. The accomplishments of the Mycenaean civilization in art, architecture, and technology, inspired European cultures.

Besides the archeological marvels that we visited on this day we stopped for lunch at what I would classify a tourist stop popular with tour buses. The place was one of the best organized operations that has been my privilege to visit, and the baklava was the best baklava that I have tasted in the Balkans, throughout Greece and Turkey.

We wrapped up our day in Athens. Checked in at our hotels, a short nap and refreshed we headed for the popular Monastiraki neighborhood for dinner. We walked by what was described to us as the most Instagram able store front in Athens as well as an amazing view of the Acropolis dominating the skyline.

That night for dinner we were accompanied by three young local Greeks who chatted with us and exchanged stories about their lives even as we satisfied their curiosity about living in America which is their dream to visit one day.

The Olympic Stadium in Athens. There was an event happening and we could not get too close since the sightline was blocked with trucks and barriers.

Monastiraki, Plaka are popular areas and full of crowds, taverns, cafes, shops. Even as we held onto our purses and dodged people there was an exhilarating sense of freedom being one of the crowds that milled around enjoying the ambiance.

This was a whimsical capture. In India most popular tourist spots used to have these vendors wandering around selling chanas. I remember their cries of “Chana Garam” as they promoted their wares. No, I didn’t buy any nuts, we had just eaten dinner and the vendor did not try any promotional tactics, and yet it left a smile on my face.

As we took the city tour, we passed many impressive facades and buildings. This one with its neoclassical architecture and the paintings stood out. It is part of the University of Athens.

This used to the old royal palace and is now the parliament with the tomb of the unknown soldier and a constant guard patrolling the front. The last time I was in Athens, we stayed in a hotel almost across from this building. While Greece was already a part of the EU there were tensions regarding the devaluing of the currency.

Since our hotel was directly across, we were warned to leave the immediate area. While we missed the riots and the bullets that pierced the glass windows of the hotel’s foyer, we ended up having to be dropped off at a distance since there was a curfew imposed and walking through a park where discontents were milling around burning stuff in the trash cans.

Certainly, this time we did not have any violent events and yet memories from so many years ago surfaced.

Lord Byron was an English poet though much beloved of Greece. He traveled extensively in Europe and ultimately joined the Greek War of Independence. He is honored by a statue here in Athens.

We had an early morning slot at the Acropolis and were well in time. I was hoping that I could take the elevator to the top but as it turned out they said that they were waiting on the inspection of the elevator and that would take another half hour, so much for time slots huh! Anyhow I suppose it’s a good thing the elevator wasn’t working otherwise I would have missed the stops along the way to the top.

I am so grateful to have made it here since I had a broken foot the last time I was here having slipped and fallen down steps in our hotel in Santorini.

After resting our tired feet during the driving city tour, we got to the museum. I had of course visited here on my earlier trip, but I was amazed to see how many people were here and let me tell you tour guides have no qualms about pushing ahead of you and are rude to boot.

Isn’t it weird what things come to mind when you are surrounded by so much history. There are a lot of statues of maidens since this was a sanctuary of Athena and she had many handmaidens who donated a statue when they left their service in the temple. I was looking at the level of detail on these statues and appreciating how each one has their hair done just so.

So, the museum is tilted just so that you are aligned with the top of the Acropolis. As we walked around the archeological finds, we found pieces that were identified as replicas with a blue sticker indicating that the original is housed in the British Museum. I understand the British plan to repatriate some of these statues someday.

This statue in the museum so appropriately measures my mood as I say Goodbye to my Greek adventure. Sofia has been an amazing tour manager and guide and friend whom I hope to welcome her to Southern California someday. Our bus driver Lampros was always there with a smile to lend a helping hand or holding out a chilled bottle of water as we approached the coach after a sightseeing adventure. Goodbye until we meet again.

This has been a great travel year and I have more adventures to come. I pray for peace even as the world continues to become a more dangerous place to wander.