Athens, Greece Jan 18,2023 Of course no visit to this ancient city would be quite complete without my usual lengthy tour of the Archeological museum. I dutifully spend the better part of a day doing just that. In the pride of place, at the entrance were the grave goods that all the grave robbers … More Riches of the Mycenaeans
Athens, Greece Jan 15, 2023 It has been some thirty years since I was last in Athens and the city has changed enough that this is no case of Déjà vu. It all feels new. I have memories of the Acropolis but even that seems new with plenty of restoration in progress, new museums and … More In Athens Again
Athens, Greece Jan 13, 2023 “Come back in summer” said the man at the bus station in Iraklion. “Not many buses now”. The info on accommodation was even worse. Apparently almost all the south and large parts of the east closes its shutters and hibernates until summer makes its appearance. I had planned to see … More Bailing Out
Iraklion, Crete Jan 11, 2023 All ancient civilizations without exception, had a mother goddess they worshipped. She was the supreme deity and sometimes the only deity. Unsurprisingly perhaps, women in these societies were not only revered, but frequently held superior positions in society. Cleopatra and Hatsepshut of Egypt are well known but their reign came … More When Women Ruled
Knossos, Crete Jan 9, 2023 Crete is synonymous with Minoans and arguably the most famous relic of that age is the Knossos Palace. Knossos conjures in my mind a vast palace with hallways and squares held up by gracefully tapered blood-red pillars, the walls covered with intricate frescoes. I am off to see it for … More Palace of the Minoans
Kastelli, Crete Jan 7, 2023 I had been wandering in Iraklion in my usual aimless fashion, taking photos of the central area and the harbor when I came across a group of older men sitting on a bench. It was picture-postcard perfect and I asked if I could take a photo. They acquiesced and thus … More An Unexpected Festival in a Mountain Village
Chania, Crete Jan 2, 2023 The catch of the day lies on slabs waiting to wind as dinner, probably much as it has for centuries on these shores. Like most modern cities, the everyday hums along predictable lines. In the pedestrian center are the glut of shops and cafes leading up to and around the … More Many Faces of Chania
Kato Paphos, Cyprus Dec 31, 2022 On the southwestern tip of the island of Cyprus lies its Archeological treasures, arguably the best in the island. Kato Paphos or the lower reaches of the city is home to a vast area of 950 thousand square meters, chockful of ruins, most of it is still being … More Villas of the Exalted
Paphos, Cyprus Dec 31, 2022 Imagine a vast rocky field on the shores of the Mediterranean sea, the sound of surf pounding the shores ceaselessly. Blue skies with scurrying clouds above and the screech and squawk of seabirds drifting in the breeze. A place fit for kings one might say. And so it is. This … More Tombs of Kings
Magusa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Dec 30, 2022 The name might read Famagusta, but cross the border and it becomes Magusa. It was simple enough to get to the bus station, in the northern part of Nicosia. More of a bus stop, the dust-laden little room sat at the corner, well known enough to … More Famagusta or Magusa
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 