Our Greek Odyssey

We've just returned from five weeks exploring a bit of Greece, the Western Balkans (Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia) and Venice, Verona, Vicenza and Padua in Italy, not to mention our stopover port-of-call, Doha in Qatar.

So, for the next few weeks, I'll be recording some thoughts and photos of our trip.
First up: Greece.
We went to the island of Crete (pronounced cray-ta by the Greeks) for a week then Athens for three days where we experienced quintessential Greek moments: swimming in turquoise seas, exploring the twisting alleys of the old towns, marvelling at the huge boughs of crimson bougainvillea cascading over walls, eating sardines, lamb and swordfish at quayside tavernas, strolling harbourside in the evening, and being immersed in Minoan, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Turkish/Ottoman and Venetian history. And all of this with the temperature 36 degrees plus! No wonder I wilted.  I even went to dinner in my shorts one night.

We stayed in Chania, Crete's second largest city on the north-west side of the island.

The rooftop courtyard of our hotel - quintessentially Greek.

The harbour at Chania.
In the left background are the arched roofs of the former Venetian shipyards.

Ubiquitous (but lovely) bougainvillea.

I loved the sardines (with a Greek salad of course).

Taking a photo of the sea sponges for sale.

Strolling (and shopping) in Chania.
Even though it was hot, it was good to get into summer clothes
after coming from 14 degrees in Encounter Bay.

Exploring the Chania Archaeological Museum.

Yummy lamb stew

One day we took a three-hour bus ride to Heraklion, the capital of Crete. The next group of photos were taken in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum where all the treasures from the nearby Bronze Age Minoan Palace of Knossos are displayed; replicas replaced these items on the actual site. The Palace complex was destroyed by earthquakes then fire; the site was rediscovered in modern times and excavations began in 1900 but poorly restored, with buildings rebuilt using concrete, incorrect colours chosen for columns, rooms added, and frescoes boldly repainted with no thought for authenticity. Many archaeologists have objected. One article I read said the restorer often plucked his ideas of how they should be restored from thin air. Oops!

We loved the museum, however, and spent hours here. It was also cool inside.

After the visit to the museum we wandered through Heraklion to the harbour. 

A courtyard in Heraklion

Heraklion Harbour and the 1523 Venetian fort Castello a Mare.

Amphorae collected in the waters around the fort by Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s.

I loved the attention to decorative detail on common objects such as this cannon.

Who couldn't resist taking these photos!!

We took a bus to Elafonisi beach on the south-western tip of the island, 75 kilometres from Chania, passing through the centre of Crete with its rugged mountains, olive groves and tiny villages.

 It was early autumn and some of the leaves were already showing signs of colour.

 We were in chestnut country.

The visit to Elafonisi Beach was fascinating. It was the first time we had seen a European beach, complete with sun lounges and palm-frond umbrellas and hundreds of people lying in such close proximity to each other.

Steve staking out a claim to our spot.
We paid 7 Euros for our lounges which were very uncomfortable.

The water was so clear.

We were here early but within the hour I was surrounded by bodies.

A packed beach.

 On another day we took a local bus to Rethymno, a charming town 45 kms from Chania.

We breakfasted at a restaurant that was near a Venetian fountain from the 16th century, when this was the centre of the town.

Water still poured from the gargoyle spouts.

Next stop was Athens.  It's such an iconic sight, but the Acropolis still takes your breath away on first glimpsing it.

On the climb to the Acropolis you pass the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built in 161 AD and renovated in 1950.  It is still used for classical concerts and ballet.

I loved this statue.

Can't you just imagine the crowds here at the theatre of Dionysus?

While the whole environment does make you think 'cradle of civilisation', it is so ruined (literally) that it's difficult to picture it in its heyday. Over the centuries it has been a sacred site, bombed, used as an arsenal, revered again, went into decline and ignored, and is now a national treasure and the most visited site in Greece. The site is being constantly restored. 

 

Interpretive signs explain what is being done to the buildings.

Even though it is shrouded in scaffolding, the Parthenon is still a magnificent sight.

The temple dedicated to Athena Nike, overlooking Athens.

The religious temple Erecthion with its famous porch of caryatids,
though I learnt that these are copies and the originals are in the museum.

Another view of the temple, sans me.

A close up view

And even closer.

As a respite from history, we discovered the Evzone guards outside Parliament House ...

 ...  explored the National Gardens ...

 ... and sustained ourselves for some more walking.

We continued roaming. But reminders of the past were everywhere.
In a park...

 Alongside a road.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus.
We didn't pay to go in but took photos through the fence.

In the middle of the Plaka district we discovered the arched entrance to Hadrian's Library.

We enjoyed the Agora a little further down the road. This was the centre of Athenian life, built below the Acropolis, where people met, business and commerce was handled, and religious and social activities took place. There were lots of excavated items on display.

The site covered quite a few hectares.

We loved the 5th century BC Temple of Hephaistos high on the hill (can't get my head around these dates).

Our Greek holiday was at an end. On the way back to our hotel I bought a container of juicy figs from a market stall and drizzled honey over them. My diary records 'Delicious, yummy, fabuloso!'