Argolid and snow in Athens

This weekend was the first of the school field trips I'm going to have over the next few weeks. This one was to the region of the Peloponnese known as the Argolid. It's the region that is in the northeastern section of the peninsula. This region has been settled since the beginning of history, with settlements dating from the Bronze Age all the way to the modern day. It's a fairly agriculturally rich area with mountains, plains, rivers, and a gorgeous ocean view.

While I was there, I went to Mycenae, Tiryns, Epidaurus, and Nafplion. Essentially, I saw settlements dating from all the major periods in Greek history. Mycenae and Tiryns date from the Mycenaean period, Epidarurus from the Classical and Roman, and Nafplion is mostly a modern/17th century and beyond. Each place had it's own individual character and each was gorgeous in it's own right.

The first stop was the Corinth Canal. Minus the horribly overpriced market there, the actual canal itself was pretty spectacular. Unlike with the Panama Canal with it's locks, this one is just a straight shot, carved about two hundred or so feet down. It's quite imposing/scary. The water was fairly blue and it was certainly worth a stop.

After the pit stop, we pressed on to Mycenae. In mythology, Agamemnon called Mycenae home (he's the guy that attacked Troy). Discovered/excavated by Henriech Schliemann in the late 1800's, Mycenae was an impressive citadel which controlled the surrounding area. Today, it's still a daunting sight with it's tremendously large stone walls and gorgeous view. The first thing we looked at was a tholos tomb. Essentially, the Mycenaeans built a large stone structure, then covered it all with dirt. The most incredible fact is that, given the design, if they were off by more than a MILLIMETER, the entire thing would collapse. Just think about that. It's a hard feat to pull off even today, and these were built around 1400 BC!! The other remarkable feature was the relieving triangle in the front. It was remarkably similar to the Roman arch, but again, that would not be invented for another 1000 years at least! As we walked towards the actual citadel, the walls began to tower over me. The stones were enormous (some as big as me), and the walls themselves were several times as tall as i am. The Lion Gate guarded the entrance, at one point holding a massive door. Minus the grave circles which i'll skip, there wasn't much else. There was most def. a gorgeous view, and some other things that don't really excite non-dorky history majors. The only other notable thing was the large cistern that was carved down 3 long flights of stairs and could contain enough water for 3 months. Tiryns was pretty much the same, some very large (bigger than Mycenae) walls and some cisterns and a meeting hall.

After Mycenae, we traveled on to Nafplion, the original capital of independent Greece. The city has a long history, stretching all the way back to the Mycenaean era. The Venetians and Ottomans fought heavily for this area, as it is a very good natural harbor. As such, it has several impressive fortifications on top of some large hills. The most impressive was the Palamidi, which was built by the Venetians, but quickly taken by the Ottomans due to a traitor. The castle was enormous, with 900 some odd (i counted 902, but other people got different tallies) and several bastions within the walls. You literally could get lost for hours, and it would make the ultimate site for a game of hide and go seek. I climbed up the night before we actually went there and got an gorgeous view of the harbor. The other amazing castle was the Bourtsi in the middle of the harbor. At a good sunset, it creates a beautiful picture. There were some really good tavernas and one exceptional gellato place with really good Italian ice cream. I also went to a wine tasting and learned about Greek wines. If you're ever here, for a red, get one from Nemea, for a white, go for one from Mantinea.

The final stop on the trip was at Epidaurus, home to the sanctuary of Aesciplus, the god of healing, and the best preserved ancient theater in the world. It probably has the best acoustics anywhere, even today. Even in the last row, you could hear a coin dropped on the stage or a person scuffing their feet on the ground. Performances are still done today in that space, unfortunately in the summer, so i can't see one, but i hear they are spectacular. The backdrop behind the actors was equally impressive, with large mountains rising up, green trees and plains. The sanctuary of Aesciplus was where people came to be healed. This was a major site with hotels in the area to provide for visitors. Apparently, a person came to be healed had to perform the proper rituals and provide payment before treatment. Treatment consisted of being knocked out with drugs, while the priests cured what was wrong with you as best they could. The idea however was that Aesciplus came to the patient in their dreams and healed them there. There were some pretty funny stories told to us by my professor of cases that came to the sanctuary. After treatment, the patient had to provide a sacrifice within a year. Overall, there was not much left at the site, mostly ruins. There was a stadium for athletics and the actual sanctuary itself, but all were in ruins. The Greek gov't is testing out new ways of preservation by rebuilding much of the site using modern materials to differentiate from the ancient. In my opinion, the end result is an ugly blend of classic and ancient. But who am i to judge?

The other major development was it snowed here in Athens! Yes, snowed! And not just a little bit, a legitimate 3-5 inches. I had a snow day in fact because of the weather which was an unexpected bonus. It's quite the sight. Sadly it won't last for very long, with temperatures expected to reach 60 by Wednesday. Everything is pretty much shut down, but it's not bad. It's an experience that is not soon forgotten.