Day 4, Thursday - Philopapou Hill, Corinth, Mycenae, Naplion
Pam and I awoke feeling the effect of the red wine we drank the night before. After a leisurely breakfast, we started climbing up Philopapou Hill which was across the street from our hotel. A group of five workmen were building a foot path to the top of the hill. Four of them were busy hauling stones and digging out dirt, but the fifth was sitting serenely on a large rock enjoying the early morning air. None of the others bothered him while he was in this condition. They seemed to respect his desire to enjoy what was for him, a special moment. I've always thought mornings were the best time of day and I immediately understood the magic feeling that had come over him. Perhaps because of the their ideal climate, Greeks value beauty in the world around them and recognize that life is but a fleeting dream that should be savored every moment. For them, it is paramount to maintain an awareness of this beauty, rather than become mentally embroiled in the pursuit of money.
In classical times, Philopapou Hill was known as the place of the muses, or, the Museum. At the top stands a Roman monument with all the heads knocked off for souvenirs by past tourists. From here one has an ideal view of the Acropolis and a 360 degree view of Athens. In one direction is the acropolis and in the other, the sea port, Pireaus. It's was still early so there was little pollution. We spent a little time here savoring our own special moment. I aimed my camera directly at the Parthenon and took the ideal picture. This ideal shot of the Parthenon has been well known through the ages. It was from here that the Venetian, Morosini, also took aim with his cannon at the gunpowder packed Parthenon. We picked up a red Suzuki automobile from the rental agency. While we were taking our luggage down to the car from the hotel, we met another couple who had just finished the trip we were about to take to the Pelopponese and islands. They didn't like Krete, so I was concerned. The husband was a Harvard M.B.A. living in Phoenix, Arizona. His family was from the Peloponese like mine.
We drove out of Athens around 11:00 a.m. The city takes its cue from its antiquities. Everything looked worn down, gray and unkempt like a ruin. There were lots of half built structures. It looked like a poor neighborhood in Chicago. My wife warned me that this is what life would be like if everyone was like me and never put things back where they belonged. Once we left Athens, however, the country side looked far more appealing. Distant olive trees and the sea were visible on both sides of the road. The hills reminded me of the Pacific coast line along route 1.
An hour later we arrived at Corinth. Looking down from the road, the "new" town appeared large, but drab and ugly. All the buildings looked as if they had once been pristine white once, but darkened by dirt and smog. We quickly continued pass new Corinth and went to old Corinth.
Old Corinth is a very small village up on a high plateau which exits solely for tourists comming to see the ruins. Ancient Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. The population was sold into slavery and most art objects were hauled off to Rome. There was still a temple to Zeus/Apollo. The University of Cincinatti is excavating the major streets of the city. All this is perhaps 30 feet below current ground level. It made me wonder where all the dirt came from to cover it up. At the top of a distant hill there is a temple to Aphrodite. In ancient times "sacred" prostitutes could be bought at the end of a long climb. Ancient Corinth was famous as an "open" city with a reputation for luxury and lasciviousness. There are just a few modern buildings there, mostly cafes. We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe. Everybody was having very appetizing salads. We tried Greek yogurt for the first time. It was very thick and rich with honey on top. It was delicious. I only found out later that it is made with 10% milk fat, that's cream! We also saw some farmers trucking their apricots.to market.
After lunch we drove off to Mycenae to see the 3,500 year old ruins of the Mycenean capital of Greece. The Myceneans were the first mainland Greek civilization, the people of the Illiad. Their civilization came to an end around 800 B.C. when the Dorians entered Greece. Mycenae is situated on a hill which overlooks the surrounding area for miles in all directions, very useful for viewing an approaching enemy. The palace is at the summit. One enters through gigantic gates decorated from above with two stone lions facing each other. Just inside the gates is a circular cemetery where archaeologists excavated a golden mask which had covered the face of a corpse. Stone walls surrounding this complex are so thick, classical Greeks thought they were built by giant cyclops. Pausinias wrote in 140 B.C., 1,500 years after they were built that the walls were still over ten feet high, but now they are a mere three feet. At the rear of the fortress-palace, a higher peak rises up not far in the distance. This would have been a natural barrier to entry. The soil really amazed me. It was dirt mixed with many small rocks. I have never seen so many rocks in soil. Its amazing that anything grows here at all. Across the road from the palace was a "Beehive" tomb. These tombs are round with a top pointed like a bullet or a beehive. Myceneans of great distinction were probably buried in them. This particular tomb was unique because of its proximity to the palace and because it is the only one with a separate room to one side. Originally, it was buried below ground level. Like other beehive tombs, it was discovered because the sharply pointed top had collapsed or broken off and a sheep had fallen in.
We continued to Naplion, a harbor town along the sea. This was the Turkish provincial capital of Greece and was also captured by the Venetians several times in the midst of Turkish occupation. There are many Venetian balconies and a few Turkish fountains in Naplion. Out on the harbor there is a Turkish fortress guarding the entrance to the bay. At the top on the hill, there is a much larger fortress with the lion of Saint Mark of Venice marking the entrance way. This is a real town, not just a tourist attraction. There are grocery stores, coffee grinders, and other normal, non tourist places required for everyday life. Naplion was the site of a major confrontation between Greeks and Turks early on in the Greek struggle for independence. After the initial revolt in Tripoli, The Turkish soldiers marched down to the port of Naplion to await supplies and reinforcements. Greek gunboats offshore kept these supples from arriving. After months of anxious waiting the Turks gave up and marched back to Tripoli, however, by then their existing supplies were waning and ordinary Greeks acting independently took positions all along the road back and fired on the Turks in a guerrila warfare action which destroyed the only Turkish army in the Peloponnese before they made it back to Tripoli.
The Hotel Victoria where we stayed had hot water, but no shower curtain. In the morning it was quiet and the sounds of many birds along with church bells marking time can be heard. The night before I ate squid on the waterfront that was as tender as butter. All the young Greek men sat in outdoor cafes sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes. Hardly anybody drank liquor or even wine.
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