Katakolon, Greece

Katakolon, Greece is a port town on the western Peloponnesian peninsula – a town of 473 residents nobody has heard of, except for the cruise companies.  It is the place closest to Olympia, site of the ancient Olympic Games.   (I’m sure the cruise companies contributed to building the infrastructure… and our tour guide told us the city runs on a schedule of “what’s in port” during the high months of the summer.)

"Jesus" tree at entrance
(it dies, and is resurected each year)

Our tour took us to both the site of the games and the Archaeological Museum. The site is more than 4,000 years old, much of it excavated through around 20 feet of mud that buried it when the two surrounding rivers flooded. 

the gymnasium

temple columns

The site was controlled by the priests.  On right were the  training areas and a large hotel for the sponsors and officials from the city states.  

the hotel

On the left were the more sacred sites – the baths where the athletes purified themselves, then the temple of Zeus (one of the original Ancient Wonders of the World), a statue to Nike (Victory), and other smaller temples.  Young athletes were trained, then “selected” by the priests.

marble pedestal, statue of Victory (Nike)

All the athletes competed in the nude, so no women were allowed in the stadium – under penalty of death.  

Everyone entered the stadium through a tunnel (much like today’s stadium entrances. The entire distance was covered instead of this 6-ft portion.

the stone throne was for an Empress (the only woman ever allowed) - while the athletes were nude, she was fully-clothed

The stadium was an open, banked grassy area surrounding the field.  The field was measured by stepping off 100 “feet”.  Runners ran the race and only the winner was acknowledged – no gold, silver and bronze.  There was one race that went back and forth 24 times – and one version of that race where full armor was worn. 

the starting blocks

loser row

Outside the entrance to the stadium a series of statues listed the men who had committed some offence and were banned from the games.  The name of the athlete and the city state where he was from were both listed. 

As other conquerors came in, some of the architecture changed.  Alexander the Great was responsible for adding a curved temple to the site.

Museum

From here we headed up the hill to the museum.  Its primary focus was on artifacts found on the site, but it also included what happened to other items.  For instance, Christian emperors banned all the pagan elements at the site, so the 40-foot high statue of Zeus was transported to Constantinople and was burned and destroyed.

Nike 

They have found a way here to show artifacts in approximate position.  As you can see in these pictures, the statue is not complete, but they position it so you can see it as it was. The outer galleries surround one room that is so large that the two friezes that were at each end of a Roman temple are displayed on the side walls.

Hermes, messenger of the Gods

It is interesting to note, that the Greek statues of men were nude.  The female statue of Nike was one of the first ones to depict the female form correctly.  

The Roman statues were fully clothed, with all their armor and evidence of their rank and privilege.

On the way back we got a better look at the farm country between Olympia and Katakolon.  

olive trees everywhere

This year the heat in May “fried” watermelons in the field.  The farmers applied to the EEU for disaster assistance, leaving the melons in the field where other farmers bring their sheep and goats to feed.  This whole area provides produce for Athens, three hours north.

watermelon disaster

 

Corfu, Greece

Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek) is an island near the west coast of Greece.  It was part of the Venetian Empire, and then under the British and the French influence.  The first Greek University was founded here, the first Philharmonic Orchestra and the first School of Fine Arts.  Its architecture blends many traditions.

It is a city of open air and tight spaces at the same time. We took the Hop-on Hop-off bus.  If we went down a street with cars parked on both sides, the bus driver had to be so careful to avoid hitting anything.  They’re so used to doing it, they answer their cell phone while steering carefully around a car. If you park in Corfu, always remember to fold in your mirror. 

bits of green everywhere - a sense they live outdoors

FOLD...YOUR... MIRROR!!!!

Along the waterline are restaurants, marinas, beaches and places to stroll.

with the old fortress in the background

water all directions

boats everywhere

It has two fortresses, one near the new port and this one on the eastern approaches to the city.

historic Greek orthodox church

The St. Michael & George Palace, built during the British occupation, now serves as an Asian Art Museum.  A Japanese show was the current offering.

the new fort

new fort

crowded pier

We returned to the pier, feeling like we had been through a wringer because it was hot and crowded. 

Most days, we’ve had one ship in port with us, but this was a day with 4 additional (2 NCL, Mein Schiff 4, MSC Armonia, and the three-masted Sea Cloud 2) – almost 9900 passengers.

Sea Cloud II

Just to get a perspective, the arrow shows where our cabin is on the stern of our ship.

Kotor departure

Since we made the approach to Kotor in the dark, as we sailed out at 5 pm we got to see what was along the fjord.  

the view as we left

One of the big attractions in the bay is the church of Our Lady of the Rocks.  Speedboats take people for a 25 minute ride out to the island to tour the church.

Since it was the height of the season, all sorts of traffic was out on the bay.

ferries and Mein Shippe 4 thread their way among the pleasure boats

this guy comes charging at us, pulls up just short of our wake
a few minutes later he got pulled over by maritime patrol boats

Along one side was what I think is a fish farming operation.

these guys are pretty good at making roads up these sheer mountains

We finally sailed out of the bay and into open water of the Adriatic.

After a VIP reception with the Captain and ships officers, we went down to the Summer Palace for dinner.  (This place tries to pretend it's the Romanoff Palace in St Petersburg - complete with faberge eggs as newel posts on the stairs and railings.)

This was the view when we sat down.

We were treated to a great sunset, but no green flash.

Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor, Montenegro, is nested in a deep, fjord-like bay.  It is famous for its medieval old town (Star Grad), massive Venetian city walls, and a a rich maritime history.  Settled over 2,000 years ago by Romans, the city has been governed by the Byzantine Empire, the Venetian Republic and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Venetians were responsible for building the defensive walls which stretch nearly 5 kilometers around the city and rise up the steep limestone cliffs behind the town towards the Castle of San Giovanni.  The old town has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

People had said the entrance to the port was worth seeing, so when I woke up about 6:15, I looked out and could see the tops of the mountains just catching the dawn light.

 

Two ships were calling here today, so both anchored out and tendered their passengers ashore.  As soon as you get to the port, you see the walls.  They probably once touched the water, but the port has built a big plaza, and a roadway, so it’s a very busy, high-traffic area.

the city wall

You enter the old city through the Marina Gate directly into a central plaza – and see how different it is from Dubrovnik.  This is more welcoming, a series of buildings, narrow streets, and plazas.  And behind everything are sheer cliffs rising into the sun.

 

the Marina Gate

the main square

greeted by clock chiming 9

the cathedral

While there are the typical tourist things, you get a sense that people live here.

laundry hangs like flags

When we visited Malta years ago, there was a cat feeding station.  Kotor has something similar – cats all over the place.  Bar cats, street cats, cats on walls, cats on stairs, cats everywhere (in some areas away from the main plaza).

 

The city walls are not as tall as those in Dubrovnik, and it is FREE to walk them.  Only about 35 steps from the city level you come out on the top of the wall level.  I don’t think you can do the entire 5 kilometers (unless you are a mountain goat), but about 1,000 feet gives you a good sense of what it must have been when they were built.  Now the best places on the wall level are restaurants and parks.

atop the wall looking towards the port

Coming down from the wall, and back to the central square, you encounter the official greeters. 

Outside the wall, as you look up the hill you can see more of the wall as it climbs up the hill to the castle.

The local farmers lined the area outside the wall with a market selling fresh fruits and vegetables.  Real highlight - the fresh figs.  And the olives were unbelivable.  

Back on the tender, headed toward the ship, you could see how everything revolves around the bay.  Houses only go 3-4 roads up from the waterline.  Unlike the flat beaches in Ravenna, beaches here are only 20-50 feet of sand, tucked wherever you can find it.

They make the best of what they can... here is a lighted navigation aid marking a rock, but at the foot of the rock is a cross.  Then you realize there is a chapel atop the rock.   They warn you, but if you miss, you can hold your funeral there.