June 5
We'll meet in Athens around
7 pm in the hotel lobby to go for dinner at a loal restaurant.
June 6
The morning is free for
everyone to do what they want. If you haven't been to Athens
before, you might want to visit the Akropolis and Agora. If
you've already seen these, you might want to go to the renovated
National Museum or the Cycladic Museum.
Late afternoon we'll take a
flight or high-speed catamaran to Santorini, where we'll go to Oia for
the famous sunset.
June 7
In the morning we'll go to
the new Cycladic Museum and then to the ancient site Akrotiri.
Santorini was
not
always crescent-shaped; before
around 1600 BC it was a circular island around a
large volcano which, after several smaller eruptions, blew its entire
top
around 1450 (or, according to a recent conference, more than 150 years
earlier). This cataclysm, four times greater than the eruption of
Krakatoa in 1883, made the island center into a bay, perhaps destroyed
the contemporary civilization of Minoan Crete, and covered the Cycladic
city on the south coast with a
layer some 50 feet deep of volcanic tufa. The ancient city, now called
Akrotiri, was discovered in 1869, but serious excavation began in 1967
under the Greek archaeologist Marinatos. After two decades of constant
digging much of the city still is uncovered: the work involved in
moving thousands of
tons of tufa is enormous and expensive. Like Pompeii and Herculaneum in
Italy, Akrotiri was preserved by the disaster which destroyed it:
buildings
up to three stories high are still intact, and spectacular frescoes
were
found (which you'll see upstairs in the Athens Museum). Since no human
remains
were found here, the inhabitants probably received sufficient warning
from
earlier eruptions or rumblings that a catastrophe was imminent, and
fled,
only to perish in the devastating seismic wave which followed the
collapse
of the volcano’s caldera. The walk through the roofed site takes about
40
minutes (you must follow a roped-off path); the small flower-decorated
mound
you used to see inside a house was the grave of Marinatos, who died
while
digging when a wall collapsed on him in 1974.
From Akrotiri our bus will take us to Fira, the island’s main town. The
views are great from the top of the cliff, but the town is a bit
disappointing; years of visits by cruise ships have made Fira one large
gold and jewelry store, with the most persistent and persuasive
salesmen in the Aegean. Mid-afternoon we'll
take the catamaran to Iraklion in Crete.
June 8
This morning we’ll go for a walk around Iraklion; particularly
interesting
is the open market. At the end of our walk we’ll arrive at the
Minoan
Museum, which houses the most important finds from Knossos and other
Minoan
sites.
The museum is very easy to navigate. It’s arranged
chronologically;
you walk up the right-hand set of rooms, then back the left-hand rooms,
then upstairs to the frescoes, then downstairs to an annex of
post-Minoan
Greek and Roman objects. Since the best Minoan art is miniature (some
of
it can only be seen through a magnifying lens), I would like to compel
you
to look at everything in detail. Therefore, instead of giving you the
location
of the most important objects, I will give you an assignment, to find
the
following: 1) the House Mosaic; 2) the Snake Goddesses; 3) the Phaistos
Disc;
4) the double bee pendant (on the entrance ticket); 5) signet seals
showing
2 rabbits dueling and a mouse sitting on a stool; 6) any evidence that
the
Minoans knew the wheel; 7) a boar’s tooth helmet; 8) Linear A and
Linear
B tablets; 9) Kamares pottery; 10) the Hagia Triada Sarcophagus.
Late afternoon (when it’s cooler and less crowded) we’ll go by public
bus
(about 10 minutes) to the so-called Palace of Minos at Knossos, just
south
of Iraklion. This was the largest and most important of the Minoan
palaces
in Crete, and has been partially reconstructed, chiefly by the original
excavator, Sir Arthur Evans. The name “Minoan,” derived from the
mythical
king Minos, was used by Evans to designate the Bronze Age civilization
of
Crete (3000-1000 b.c.).
Although Knossos was inhabited far back into Neolithic
times, the first
palaces were built around 2200 BC. The Minoan civilization was
extremely
advanced, the first “high culture” in Europe, and rivalled the
contemporary
cultures of Babylon and Egypt. Sometime around 1750 (or earlier)
the
first palaces were destroyed, perhaps by earthquake, and new palaces
(the
“Second Palaces”) were built; these in turn were destroyed during the
first
half of the 15th century (or more than a century earlier, if the
destruction
resulted from the volcanic eruptions at Santorini). The best Minoan
pottery
(especially Kamares Ware, beautifully-shaped polychrome cups and vases
with
eggshell-thin walls) was made during the First Palace period, while the
best jewelry, engravings, and frescoes are from the Second Palace
period.
The Minoans also had writing systems, both hieroglyphic and linear
(“Linear
A”), but these have not yet been deciphered. Later Linear A was adapted
by the Myceneans to write Greek; this script, called Linear B, is a
syllabary
(each symbol represents a syllable) and has been found on more than
4000
tablets from mainland Greece and Crete.
There are two important things to keep in mind as you walk through the
ruins: (I) at least 75% of what you see has been reconstructed, much of
it to conform with Evans’ theories of Minoan history, and these
theories have recently
come under heavy criticism; (2) the Minoans were not Greek, although
they
greatly influenced the first Greeks (the Myceneans) in art and
architecture; their impact on historical Greece seems to have consisted
mostly of certain religious traditions and practices (e.g., the
Eleusinian religion).
We
enter (after running a gauntlet of tour guides) near two large round
holes, perhaps cisterns. The main entrances were at the north and south
ends, and led into the central court: on the east and west sides
of the court were complexes of rooms and apartments, several stories
high, ventilated and lit by light wells. At the northwest corner of the
court is a throne room with nice griffin frescoes (restored); on the
floor above, around a light well, are replicas of many of the frescoes
found at Knossos (the originals are in the Iraklion Museum). All along
the west side are storehouses; in the southwest corner, at the end of a
processional corridor, are a propylaion and great staircase. On the
east side of the court is another staircase, called by Evans the
“Grand Staircase,” because he thought it led to the royal living
quarters;
this staircase leads down through three levels around a light well into
a
maze of rooms, one of which is called the Throne Room and another the
Queen’s
Bedroom. Outside these rooms, alongside a narrow stairs, is a
storehouse
of giant pithoi, 6-foot high storage vases; beneath a metal grill
nearby
is a good example of the terra cotta plumbing which brought running
water
to the palace; in the room of the Medallion Vases a small section of
floor
is cut away around a column base. Northwest of the palace is a paved
road,
perhaps the oldest in Europe, which widens as it ends at shallow stairs
leading
to the north entrance.
Tonight we’ll eat at an ouzeri on the harbor, and there will be an
opportunity to see, hear, and take part in Cretan dancing and lyra
music at a famous taverna.
June 9
Today we’ll go by bus to Faistos, an important Minoan palace on the
Messara
plain in southern Crete.
On the way to Faistos we’ll stop at the archaeological site of Gortyna,
where the famous archaic Law Code of Gortyna was found. Then we’ll
continue
to Faistos, a palace almost as large as that at Knossos. Built at the
same
time as Knossos, but more carefully and with better material, Faistos
is
our example of an unrestored Minoan palace.
From Faistos we'll drive north for a late lunch at Drosia, in a verdant
mountain valley, where all the residents have the same last name and
the
food is unique.
June 10
Today we'll visit Fodele (the
birthplace of El Greco), the city of Rethymnon with its quaint Venetian
harbor and Old Town, and some other interesting places in western Crete.
Tonight we'll return to
Athens.
June 11
We'll drive up the east
coast to Volos, with a brief stop at the Leonidas Memorial at
Thermopylai, where 300 Spartans lost their lives trying to stop the
Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC.
Volos is a wonderful city, a
smaller version of Thessaloniki, with a great waterfront. Above
it is Mount Pelion, one of the most beautiful natural region of Greece.
The best place in Greece to hear Rebbetika
music (the traditional Greek music, something like our jazz) is Skala
Milanou in
Volos. There was a famous rebbetika player
named Milanos some 40-50 years ago. He had a hole-in-the-wall
restaurant
in Volos (now in the family for 86 years), which is now run by his 2
sons
Nikos (age 68) and Karolos (73). They're the most incredible
musicians
I've heard in Greece. Every night Nikos cooks (incredible food)
and
about 10.30 Karolos comes in and starts playing with some of the locals
and
whatever musicians happen to be going through Volos. Then Nikos
joins
in and there are usually about 5 or 6 playing guitar, bouzouki,
baklama,
spoons, and singing. It's unbelievable. I know almost all
of
the old rebbetika, but they play this music in a totally unique and
completely
riveting style.
And you can eat and drink all night for about 7
euros.
June
12-13
This morning we'll go to
Skopelos. Like the other Sporades
Islands, Skopelos is mountainous and pine-covered, with dozens of
marvelous beaches and picturesque coves and villages. It’s visited
during the summer by many knowledgeable tourists from around the world,
but fortunately it has no
airport and hasn’t yet been ruined by mass tourism. It’s a big island,
about
40 miles long and from 5 to 12 miles wide. A single paved road runs
from
Glossa, an elevated village on the west coast, to the main town of
Skopelos.
Situated in a circular harbor surrounded by mountains, the town rises
steeply
above the water like a huge layer cake. The bottom layer is the
waterfront,
a half-mile of restaurants, shops, and cafes almost hidden by the green
of mulberry and plane trees, while above it layers of whitewashed
houses
with red tile roofs and brightly painted shutters seem to be piled on
top
of one another.
What is there to do in
Skopelos? One could easily spend two days just exploring the town; the
people are friendly and the view around every corner of the narrow
lanes is wonderful; when you get tired of walking, have a seat at one
of the waterfront cafes and watch the boats or chat with the people at
the next table. If you want to see other parts of the island, rent a
motor scooter or take the bus or a taxi; both taxis and busses leave
from a plane tree on the waterfront, and
the bus schedule is on a sign attached to the tree. About two and a
half miles
from town (a pleasant and not difficult walk) is Staphylos. the
best-known beach; it’s named for a mythical prince of Crete who
supposedly colonized Skopelos during the Bronze Age. Another two and a
half miles along the truly breathtaking scenery of the southern coast
brings you to Agnondas, a quaint village with a few houses and three
seafood restaurants. Or, if you want to
see the whole island, take the bus all the way to Glossa and back.
Skopelos is the home of
Kostas and Voula Kalafatis, my Greek colleagues (they help me with my
arrangements while I am in America). If you want information,
help, or just friendly conversation and a cup of coffee (or something
stronger), go to their shop on the waterfront.
June 14
We'll spend today on the
island Alonissos, a smaller and much less touristy island about 30
minutes by hydrofoil from Skopelos. The harbor town is new and
picturesque. It was built after a major earthquake destroyed
the Old Town, on a hill about a half mile inland. We'll
visit the Marine Park, one of the finest examples of ecological
preservation in the Mediterranean.
June 15
Today we'll return to
Athens, arriving mid-afternoon (depending on the ferry schedule).
June 16
Departure day (unless you
want to continue on to northern Greece with tour G5.
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