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GREECE RE-VISITED 2006 - Week 9 |
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Leaving our camp at Epanomi, we had a perfect view of the misty and distinctive outline of Mount Olympos way across the Thermaic Gulf. The mid-May days were certainly getting hotter as we continued our journey into the Halkidiki region and on into Eastern Macedonia.
The 3 'fingers' of Halkidiki, projecting down into the north Aegean, each has a distinctive character. The westerly peninsula of Kassandra suffers from the impact of mass tourism: one horrendous morass of tacky resorts overwhelmed with traffic and the weekend exodus of holiday-makers from Thessaloniki, to be avoided at all costs. The 60 km long easterly 'finger' of Athos is also a no-go area, but for different reasons: largely deserted, it is inhabited only by some 2,000 monks resident in the large monasteries which for 1,000 years have clustered along the wooded slopes. The peninsula is tipped by Mount Athos whose spectacular 6,500 feet pinnacles rise sheer from the sea. The middle 'finger' of Sithonia, with just a few minor settlements, is a peaceful paradise with just a few discerning visitors. This was our base for the next few days. A corniche road winds over the wooded hills down the eastern coastline of Sithonia, giving spectacular views over the turquoise-blue sweeping bays to the majestic peak of Mount Athos (Photo 1). We followed this long and winding road over the barren hills of Sithonia's tip, to the wonderfully positioned and hospitable Camping Areti on the western shore-line. Our pitch, shaded by olive trees and oleander bushes, looked out across the tamarisk-fringed small beach and the still waters of the bay (Photo 2). As we prepared supper, we were rewarded with another flaring sunset with its reflected tail streaking across the water (Photo 3). During the day, crested larks strutted around us, and on the balmy-warm evenings, the lights of distant settlements twinkled along the horizon of the Kassandra peninsula.
We drove on to the eastern Macedonian port of Kavala, staying at Camping Alexandros 12 kms east of the city. Weary from a long day, we happily languished with beers on the campsite bar veranda looking out across the north Aegean to the mountainous mass of Thasos island. On a fiercesomely hot day, we caught the bus into Kavala, now being familiar with the system for buying tickets in local shops. Kavala's old town and citadel on a rocky headland overlooking the harbour (Photo 6) date from the period of Turkish occupation, and a remarkable Roman-style aqueduct, built by Sultan Suleiman in mid-16th century to bring water to the citadel still spans the modern city street.
We now move on to cross the Nestos River into Western Thrace, the last piece of mainland territory to revert to Greece in 1923. It will doubtless seem remote, and its ethnic mix derived from its curious history will give us much to investigate. But just before leaving Eastern Macedonia, a reminder that it's mid May, and the storks are back for nesting - in the village of Pondolivado, 5 storks' nests were occupied, set up on power poles along the village street (Photo 8). Stay tuned and follow us next as we move on into Thrace, to the furthest NE corner of Greece along the Turkish and Bulgarian borders. Sheila and Paul Published: Friday 26 May 2006
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From
Areti, we made 2 fascinating visits in the Halkidiki hinterland. The
first was to Petralona Cave, where part of the huge system is open to
the public, and crammed with beautiful geological formations. The
cave had been scientifically explored in the 1970s, producing masses of
flint and bone tools and
fossilised animal bones, now displayed in the
excellent museum. But the most interesting find was the calcite-covered
skull of a Pleistocene man, over 250,000 years old, the earliest
pre-homo sapiens remains found in Europe. It
was fascinating standing
in the dwelling place of such remote human
ancestors. The other visit was to the archaeological site of ancient Olynthos, a prosperous and powerful city, founded in the 5th century
BC and allied with the Athenians. Despite the urgings of the Athenian
orator Demosthenes to resist the expanding power of Macedon in the 4th
century BC, Olynthos was destroyed by Philip II (father of
Alexander the Great). The site had been systematically excavated,
showing its extensive grid layout of streets, buildings and mosaics. As
we explored the site, we met our first wild tortoise of the trip; once
disturbed, they initially tuck into their shells, and then quickly scuttle away into
the vegetation.
We moved on
to camp at Ouranoupoli, the last settlement on the Athos peninsula before
the forbidden monastic territories. The 'Holy Mountain' (Agion Oros) of
Athos is an administratively autonomous province of Greece, governed as
a Theocratic Republic by a council of monks from the 20 monasteries. The
Byzantine Emperor Basil I recognised Athos' sole monastic presence, and
a decree of 1060 AD banned
all females, human or animal, from the territory. Even now, only males can visit,
and then only after a duly Byzantine process of permits. From Ouranoupoli,
we took a 3
hour boat ride down the coastline of Athos to view the
series of monasteries
from an uncontaminating distance off-shore (Photo 4).
Clearly monkish business was on the up or sponsorship healthy, since
most of the institutions had major restoration work in progress. As we
rounded the headland towards the peninsula's southern tip, ahead loomed
the towering pointed massif of Mount Athos, with several monasteries
clustered on its lower slopes. The mountain looked formidable, and
certainly provided a remote location for monastic seclusion (Photo 5). On our
return to Ouranoupoli, the Greek Postal Service van was awaiting the
ferry to Athos with the monks' mail; they may live in seclusion, but the
trappings of modern life such as mobile phones figure prominently in
their monkish paraphernalia. At a taverna by the port, we tasted the
local delicacy of mythia saganakia - mussels cooked in a spicy
cheese sauce; it was wonderful and the recipe was noted.
Continuing
north up the coast, we paused at the well-excavated site of ancient
Stageira, a Classical city founded
on a hilly headland overlooking the Aegean, and birthplace of the
philosopher Aristotle. A newly opened section of the Egnatia Othos
motorway enabled us to make rapid progress eastwards to reach the site
of Amphipolis, founded by Athenian colonists in 437 BC. It was a
strategically important port-city at the mouth of the River Strymon, and
grew wealthy from gold mines on nearby Mount Pangaion. In the 4th
century BC, it fell under the Macedonian rule of Philip II, and
Alexander the Great mustered his fleet there for his expedition to
conquer Asia. Under Roman rule, Amphipolis was a flourishing
staging-point on the Via Egnatia which linked Rome and the Adriatic with
Byzantium. St Paul inflicted his missionary zeal on Amphipolis in
AD 50 and as usual was thrown out. The city continued as an important
urban centre throughout the Byzantine period and only declined under
Ottoman rule. The site was clearly extensive with a number of reported
archaeological features, but we were unsure of the exact topography. The
museum was excellent, displaying well-labelled finds from all stages of Amphipolis' 1500 year history, but as usual closed at 3-00pm. A
highlight was a Macedonian gold-leaf funerary diadem similar to the one
found at Vergina. Full of expectation, we enquired about site
layout with the museum
staff: did they have a map? No. Could they suggest where to
begin our visit; no. Why not? It's closed. No help, no information, just
negatives. The more we questioned, the more sullenly silent the
attendant became. Another forceful email to the Greek Ministry of
Culture is called
for. We explored the site as best we could, but all
the excavations were fenced and locked; so much for public
accountability. We did however find the remarkable remains of the
wooden-piled sub-structure of the 5th century BC Strymon river bridge
with its defensive walls, exactly as described by Thucydides, the
Classical historian. Thucydides had in fact commanded the Athenian fleet sent to defend Amphipolis, but to save his troops from
inevitable slaughter by a superior force under Spartan general Brasidas,
he had surrendered the city. As a result, he suffered the ignominy of
banishment from Athens, and devoted his life to writing his History
of the Peloponnesian War, for which we should be eternally
grateful. Of course the site was locked, but experience has taught us to
find the gap in the fence; we climbed through and spent a fascinating
time exploring this tangible piece of history, despite the Ministry of
Culture's attempt to deny access.
The
campsite taverna was hosting a large party that evening. At risk of
seeming somewhat obscure, it is necessary to explain that by tradition,
Greeks do not celebrate birthdays but rather the festival of the saint
after whom they are named. 21 May is the saints day of the beatified
Constantine (first Roman emperor to be Christianised in 4th century AD)
and his mother, Helen (Eleni in Greek). Constantine (shortened to Costas)
and Eleni are 2 of the most popular Greek names, All the local
Constantines and Elenis came for a collective celebration of their
name-day bringing their friends and relatives, hence the reason for this evening's
party. And what a thoroughly entertaining evening it was, with singing
and dancing to a Greek bouzouki band; and the ouzo flowed liberally.
Kavala in
its former embodiment as Neapolis, was the port serving the nearby
ancient city of Philippi. Founded originally in the early 4th century
BC, the city was absorbed into Philip II's expanding Macedonian empire
and renamed in his honour. Under later Roman rule, Philippi flourished
like Amphipolis as a trading
centre on the Via Egnatia. The assassins of Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius, were eventually defeated at the
Battle of Philippi in 42 BC by triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian, an
event which brought to an end the Roman Republic. In 50 AD, as described
in Acts of the Apostles 16, 11-40, St Paul subjected the city to his
evangelical ranting and was thrown into prison there for his troubles. His
subsequent Epistles to the Philippians, sent from Rome as he awaited
execution, must have had some effect, since Philippi became a leading
centre of Christianity under the subsequent Byzantine period. We spent
another scorching hot day exploring the archaeological excavations
of the Hellenistic, Roman and early-Christian city, which includes the
magnificent theatre set into the acropolis hillside (Photo 7).The
remains of Philippi are certainly a spectacular site to visit.
