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Greece Gallery
Favorite modern
& ancient sites. Photos by Nick |
- Aegina, in the centre of the Argosaronic, immediately conquers the visitor, as soon as the boat passes the
lighthouse, the town and port of Aegina appear. A walk around the town will lead to many historical
buildings dating from 19th c. Among them is the house of Capodistrias,
the first Governor of Greece after the War of Independence in 1821. It has
remained standing to remind us that Aegina was for two years the temporary
capital city of Greece, before it was officially installed in Nafplion. A stroll
near the port will bring you to the archaeological site of Kolonas.
Here the ancient city was built, when Aegina, with its powerful fleet,
ruled the seas, long before Athens began to make its presence felt.
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Athens. Athens
is a place of great cultural interest, as well as a vivid and modern
city. The harmonious and perfectly balanced combination between the
old and the new age make this city unique. Both sides of Athens are
extremely appealing to tourists.
- Corinth
was transferred to a new site in 1858 after a severe earthquake and
rebuilt after a further earthquake in 1928 and a great fire in 1933.
The city of ancient Corinth grew up 7 km (4 miles) SW in a beautiful
setting on the northern slopes at the foot of the hill of Acrocorinth (Akrokorinthos), which acted as the
fortified citadel of the ancient and medieval cities. The site was occupied
continuously from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages. There are extensive
remains, mostly dating from the Roman period, dominated by the imposing ruins
of the Archaic Temple of Apollo.
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Delphi stands high on the
slopes of Mount Parnassus, in the heart of Phocis at the
crossroads of important routes of the ancient world. Is
one of the most famous cult sites in Greece, renowned
throughout the ancient Greek world and beyond as the
sanctuary of
Apollo and the seat of his
oracle. It was at the end of the Mycenaean period that Apollo, Olympian
God and guarantor of universal harmony, is supposed to have overcome the
old underworld deities. A hymn attributed to Homer tells how, after his
birth on Delos Zeus' son came to Delphi, killed the snake Python with
his bow and arrow and in accordance with divine law, he went into exile
for eight years to atone for the killing of the snake and on his return,
he took his place, becoming the god Python, who gave oracles through the
intermediary of the
Pythia. A festival consisting dramatic and lyric
contests were held in the sanctuary theatre, and the stadium was home not only to the athletic games, but also
to musical events.
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Epidavros. In the hinterland of Epidavros, on a site enjoying a mild climate and plentiful water
from healing springs, the Epidavrians founded the sanctuary of
Asklepios, the most brilliant centre of healing in the ancient
world, which flourished from the late 5th century B.C. until the
end of Roman era. The towns magnificent theatre, still almost
intact, stands in a wooded hollow of a hill not far from the
Archaeological Museum.
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Gythion.
A seaside town
in Laconia
in Greece, long known as the seaport of Sparta
some 30 miles inland. It lies at the northwestern end of the
Gulf of Laconia, in a fertile small plain around the mouth of
the Gythius River. The reputed founders of ancient Gythion were Heracles
and Apollo.
In
455 BC, during the first Peloponnesian War,
it was burned by the Athenian admiral Tolmides. In 370 BC Epaminondas
besieged it unsuccessfully for three days. Its fortifications
were strengthened by the tyrant Nabis, but in 195 BC it was
invested and taken by Titus and Lucius Quintius Flamininus, and,
though recovered by Nabis two or three years later, was
recaptured immediately after his murder (192 BC) by Philopoemen
and Aulus Atilius, and remained in the Achaean League
until the league's dissolution in 146 BC.
Subsequently Gythion formed the most important of the Eleuthero
laconian towns, a group of twenty-four, later eighteen,
communities leagued together to maintain their autonomy against
Sparta and declared free by Caesar Augustus.
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Levadia, a lively town, an important junction in the road network
and an industrial centre, the textile mills treat the cotton
grown in the Copais valley.
The upper town is graced by white
houses with jutting wooden balconies dating from 18c. We'll
stop for a drink by the beautiful river Krya. Over the
spot where the water springs out, lies the Municipal Cafe "XENIA". During the ancient times, Krya is said to be the
location of the Oracle of Trofonios Zeus which included the
springs of Mnemosyne
(Remembrance) and the spring of Lethe (oblivion). The
oracle was used as a stage before visiting the oracle of Delphi
and as such, through the times, it acquired great power and
riches.
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Mani is the southernmost part of the Peloponnesus, a great
rocky trident of land stretching into the Sea of Crete. Here lies the
inhospitable region known as the "deep mani". Nominally part of the
prefecture of Laconia, it is really another country, with its own
customs, architecture and code of honor.
In such fortified
towns, their characteristic,
Maniot tower - dwellings
silhouetted against the clear
Peloponnesian
sky , it is
easy to see why the Maniates are
considered the true heirs
of the bellicose ancient Spartans,
known
as the Lacedaemonians.
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Meteora
- The Rocky
Forest of Greece. 64 gigantic
rocks rise perpendicularly from the ground on the western
edge of the plain of Thessaly in the heart of northern
Greece. These ancient pinnacles etched by wind and rain
echoed the chants of the ascetic community of Meteora,
home of monks who live in monasteries and chapels perched
precariously upon the rocks. Meteora stands on the plain
of Thessaly beside the village of Kastraki around 26 km (16
m) north of Trikala and 375 km (234 m) northwest of
Athens. The grey monolithic rocks stand in front of the
Pindos Mountains. The impressive rocks are composed of a mixture of
sandstone and hard gravel called conglomerate.
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Monemvasia, a name which
derives from moni emvasis, the Greek
for "single entrance", is a
truncated mass of rock Attached, tentatively, to the eastern coast
of Laconia by a slender modern causeway. A true island known as the
"Gibraltar
of Greece" , Monemvasia was settled in the
sixth century AD. by Lacedaemonians fleeing Sparta.
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Mycenae.
Greece in the bronze age,
had several important centers, including Mycenae.
The city of
Agamemnon was one of several heavily fortified strongholds. The king
lived in a place with many rooms which served as a military headquarters
and a centre of administration for the surrounding countryside. The
Mycenaean's were warriors, and weapons and armor have been found in
their graves. They were also great traders and sailed far and wide.
Their civilization reached the height of its power in about 1600 b.c and
eclipsed the Minoan civilization of Crete. All seemed secure and
prosperous, but around 1300 b.c the Mycenaean's started to build huge
defensive walls around all the major towns. The Mycenaean world was
under threat from foreign invaders. By about 1200 b.c the cities began
to be abandoned or destroyed.
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Mystras, the Medieval town. Following the road
from Sparta which passes through plane trees, cypresses, olive
trees, mulberries and orange trees we reach Mystras.
In the distance, mount Taygetos looms proudly. We scan its
innumerable peaks, precipitous slopes and deep gorges until our
gaze suddenly rests on a hill, detached from the mountain range. On the
naturally defended hill of Myzithras in Lacedaimon, the
ruler of the Frankish Principate of Achaia
Guillaume
de Villehardouin built in 1249 a strong medieval
castle the "Oriokastro" which
was to play an important role in the history of the last
centuries of the Byzantine empire.
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Naupactus or
Nafpaktos (Greek:
Ναύπακτος, Latin:
Naupactos; Italian,
Spanish and Portuguese: Lepanto), is a town in the prefecture of
Aetolia-Acarnania, Greece, situated on a bay on the north side of the
straits of Lepanto. The harbor, once the best on the northern coast of the
Corinthian Gulf, is accessible only to the smallest craft. The origin of
Naupactus comes from the two Greek words: ναύς naus ship, boat and
πήγνυμι pêgnumi, pegnymi builder, fixer. Distance from Patras
is about 15 km NE and about 215 km NW of Athens with the new Rio-Antirio
bridge.
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Nafplion has 20,000 inhabitants
and is divided into the old and the new town. The old town was
built mainly in the days of the governor
Ioannis
Capodistrias, at the beginning of the 19th c, but
buildings still exist from the Venetian era. The new town is an
ordinary Greek town with no special assets, so stroll about the
old, historical quarters with their neoclassical buildings,
charming squares and majestic fonts. Nafplio has known tourism since the first
decades of the century. It is a colorful town with culture and history
and tallies entirely with the standards of the demanding modern visitor
for accommodation, meals and entertainment
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Nemea
(41 km. from Corinthos) is close to
the limits of the state of Argolida. This municipality is
surrounded by an abundance of grapevines, which have given Nemea
fame for the good wine they produce. Even in ancient times Nemea
was renowned as being the place in Greek Mythology where
Hercules killed the fearful lion. In the ancient site of Nemea
the most notable building is the temple of Zeus ( 40c BC), The
archaeological digs (which are still going on ) have brought to
light baths and arenas, a stadium and foundations of other
buildings.
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Olympia. Every four years
Greeks from all over the Greek world gathered in this sanctuary
to participate in the Olympiada. A sacred truce
was kept during the period of the games and attempts were made to
settle wars and conflicts between the (poleis -cities) based on
reasoning inspired by Zeus. They were finally banned by the
Emperor Theodosius, and came to an end in
AD 393 after an existence of more than a thousand years. A
direct consequence was the revival of the Olympic Games by
Baron
Pierre de Coubertin, the first modern
Games being held in Athens in
1896.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is marked with the
arrival of the Olympic flame which is
taken on every occasion from Olympia, Greece, the original site of the Olympic
Games
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Orchomenos in Boeotia.
Orchomenos was a very important Boeotian city and was particularly prosperous in
Mycenaean times. It is referred to by Homer, Strabo and Pausanias as one of the
strongest centers of the heroic past, with legendary wealth.
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Sparta in Southern Greece was founded in the 10th c. B.C.
in a fertile plain of Laconia, by the Dorian's, who defeated the original
inhabitants of the area. Its remoteness was an advantage to the warring
Spartans and the high mountains to the east, north, and west, and the sea to
the south, formed natural defences. Two centuries later, Sparta conquered its
neighbour, Messenia, and gained excellent agricultural land. It became a
luxury - loving state producing fine crafts. Music and poetry also flourished.
Later, the Spartans were defeated in war, and the conquered Messenians engaged
in a long running rebellion, so Sparta turned to military matters. It became a
super power in Greece and the main rival of Athens and Spartan society was
dominated by the need to maintain power.
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Vassae. The
temple of Epikurios Apollo stands at a height of 1130m on mount Kotilio, 14km
south of Andritsaina. At this site, which was called Vassai (little valleys) in
antiquity, the inhabitants of nearby Phigaleia founded a sanctuary of Apollo
Bassitas in the 7thc BC, where they worshipped the god with the epithet
Epikourios- supporter in war or illness.
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Vergina - Aegae. A
highly important ancient city, certainly
to be identified with Aegae,
the firts ancient capital of the kingdom of Macedonia, spreads over the low hills in the northern slopes of' the Pierian range,
between the modern villages of Palatitsia and Vergina.
This city was the most important urban centre in the region until the 4th c. BC.
Here were to be found the ancestral sanctuaries of the Macedonians, and the
palaces
and the tombs (with their famous treasures) of the Argead dynasty, which traced
its origins to the mythical hero Heracles and gave Greek history its most
captivating figure, Alexander the Great.
You
can view my portfolio of photos at
http://www.panoramio.com/user/45649
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Opening Hours for Archaeological
Sites, Museums and Monuments
October 15th - March 31st: Daily: 08.00-15.00
April 1st - October14th:
Daily: 08.00 - 19.30
Holidays
closed:
December 25th to 26th,
January 1st, March 25th, Good Friday (until 12.00), Easter Sunday,
May 1st
Mani: All Year - Meteora Monasteries:
All year - Nafplion:
All year - Nemea
Wineries:
All year
Sparta: All
year
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Days of free admission for all visitors
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Sundays in the period
between November 1st and March 31st
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The first Sunday of
every month, except for July, August and September (when the
first Sunday is holiday, then the second is the free admission day,
etc.)
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January 6th
(Epiphany)
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Shrove Monday in
March
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March 6th (in memory
of Melina Merkoure)
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April 18th
(International Monuments Day)
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Easter Monday
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May 18th
(International Museums Day)
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June 5th
(International Environment Day)
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Holy Spirit Day in
June
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August 15th:
Religious day
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The last weekend of
September every year (European Heritage Days)
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October 28th
(National holiday)
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