Day 92 of 111. Iraklion, Greece We visited two sites today in Crete, the Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Archeological Museum. These are closely related because on the palace site, the frescos and most of the artifacts have been removed to the museum. This site has ruins that date back to the Minoan Civilization,…

Day 91 of 111. The Castle of Palamidi, Greece On a tall hill above the city of Nafplion a castle or fortress was built. This is a very well preserved fortress from the Venetian occupation. The castle dates back to the 18th Century A.D. There are three different fortifications in the city of Nafplion, one…

Day 91 of 111. Epidaurus, Greece This is a city with an ancient amphitheater whose importance was based on the god, Asklepios, son of Apollo who had the power to heal. People would come to his temple, have a good bath, a good meal, relax with entertainment in the theater (smaller back then) and then…

Day 91 of 111. Nafplion, Greece This port has a shallow bay, so the ship had to anchor offshore and we traveled to the shore via “tenders,” the lifeboats on the ship. The sea was very calm, so the ride was very pleasant. From the top of the hill above the city, we could see…

Day 90 of 111. The Treasury of Atreus, Greece This is one of the best-preserved examples of a “beehive tomb” and dates back from 1300 to 1200 BC. The tomb is reputed to be “Agememnom’s Tomb” but there is no evidence to support that claim. The tomb consists of two rooms: the “beehive” shaped room…

Day 90 of 111. Mycenae, Greece Here we are at another Acropolis, this time in Mycenae. This site is especially significant because of the scholar/historian, Schliemann , a German, who studied Ancient Greece and self-funded an archeological exploration that found this ancient city of Mycenae that dates back to 1300 B.C. The most exciting early…

Day 90 of 111. Ancient Corinth, Greece Ancient Corinth is an example of an ancient Roman city built during the Roman occupation of Greece. The Temple of Apollo was a fortunate survivor (many Greek buildings and temples were destroyed by the Romans) because the Romans admired/honored Apollo as one of their own gods. Corinth was…

Day 90 of 111. Corinth Canal, Greece Several rulers of Greece (including the Roman emperor Nero) dreamed of digging a canal through the Corinth Isthmus (red pin on map). When completed it would save ships 431 miles from having to sail around the Peloponnese peninsula to get to Greece’s western port cities. It would also…

Day 89 of 111. National Archeological Museum, Athens, Greece This museum has examples of pottery, artifacts, and art from all over Greece. We were especially taken by the pottery shard showing donkeys pulling a rope and the statue of the Minotaur. The gold Mask of Agamemnon (not really him, since the gold was dated before…

Day 89 of 111. The Acropolis, Athens, Greece The Propylaia is the monumental entrance to the sanctuary of the Acropolis. It was built between 437-432 BC. It also faces several significant Greek sites. Salamis Bay, in the distance, is where the Greeks defeated the Persians in a great naval battle. More importantly it faces the…