Peloponnese II Day 1: Mt. Panachaiko

After leaving Athens early in the morning, we drove to Aigio, where we had coffee and then set off inland to explore the moutain Panachaiko. We spent the whole day there and it was incredibly beautiful. We spent the night in Patra.

Kerkini Lake

Another thing I did on my weekend trip to Thessaloniki was to visit the Kerkini Lake, after a whole day of driving around the back roads in the mountains visiting the little villages. We were lucky to see the lake while it was still light outside. At one point, we were only about 14 km from the Bulgarian border.

The Athenian Acropolis in the Archaic Period

Most everything visible on the Acropolis today dates to the Classical Period and later. However, the life of the Acropolis goes back much further, to the Mycenaean Period. Below are some photos from the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum that ought to illustrate the Archaic Acropolis.

This is a reconstruction of the H-Architecture. It's located behind the Acropolis Museum and is not currently possible to see without special permission.

The Old Temple of Athena; inner and outer foundations. Also only visitable with special permit.

From the Giganotomachy, probably belongs with the Old Athena Temple. This and the other photos below are from the Acropolis Museum today.

Charioteer (Apollo? Artemis?) from the Old Athena Temple frieze.

Agios Nikolaos and Environs

Sheep on the mountain beside Lato, demonstrating the topographical location of the city.
A monumental entrance into a house in Lato.
The bridge over the estuary at Agios Nikolaos.
A central street in Agios Nikolaos, a very peaceful place, if you come at the right time.
The lake at Agios Nikolaos.
A road in the Minoan city of Gournia.
Gournia houses.
An overall view of the site of Gournia.

Agios Nikolaos Archaeological Museum

Since the Irakleio Archaeological Museum is closed, the Agios Nikolaos Museum is very important. Here are some of my favorite objects. (Sorry for the extreme compression, I'm having trouble loading photos onto the site lately.)


Phoenician glassware.
Phoenician glassware, again.
The goddess with upraised hands.

A plate of anklebones.
Isis, in bronze.
Terracotta sistra.
The most important piece in the Museum: the Myrtos Goddess.

East Coast of Crete

I just got back from a trip to Crete. Here are some photos from the East Coast (Lasithi prefecture).

This is the coast by Erimoupolis, which is, in fact, deserted.

The Early Christian basilica at Itanos, in pretty good shape.

You can tell I'm getting tired when I start taking photos like this....

The palm forest at Vai is in fact native to this area, and not imported. It was noted in antiquity, and is the only native palm stand in all of Greece. It goes all the way to the beach, above.

A closer view of a Vai palm. They are date palms but apparently the dates are not edible.

The palace at Kato Zakros.

The town at Kato Zakros, which is suspiciously close to the palace (or central administrative complex, if you prefer).

The updraft kiln at Kato Zakros. This is an amazing find since you don't see these very often.