Riches of the Mycenaeans

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

In Athens Again

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

Bailing Out

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

When Women Ruled

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

Palace of the Minoans

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

Tombs of Kings

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

Famagusta or Magusa

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