Trip 1: Days 4-5

It is the end of Day 5; I am currently without internet, even though the hotel says it offers wireless internet (the proprietor is not concerned by the fact that no one can get the internet, as his own laptop is fine, so he assumes everyone else is having the problem).  Realizing this, I decided to label my pictures and write a blog post so that tomorrow (hopefully) I can slap it up quickly.

When last I left you I had arrived in Ioaninna.  That hotel was quite nice (it had a real shower, with luxuries like a shower curtain), and the town of Ioaninna is nice.  There is a castle at one end where Ali Pasha, who ruled the area in the early 1800s, once lived, and lots of nice shops and restaurants around there.  After asking a man who knew Greek and German but not English for help, a few of us found a restaurant right by the castle walls for dinner.

The next morning we visited the castle; there is a whole part of the city right inside, with homes and stores, and everything looks very rustic.  We went to the fortress proper and learned about Ali Pasha, but couldn’t stay long as we had to move on.  From Ioaninna we went to Kastoria, where there is an ongoing excavation of a Neolithic settlement.  This site was inhabited from about 5400 BCE to around 3500 BCE, with the first settlers building homes on poles over the lake (though later the homes were moved to the land).  There is a replica of the town, with buildings and artifacts and boats, and a little museum with some more of the finds.  It was a good change from just mostly old sites, and really quite interesting in itself: you can’t see Neolithic settlements like this in North America, so it was a fun experience.

After Kastoria we moved on to Aiani.  This meant leaving behind Epirus (the northwesterly region of Greece) for Macedonia (the region to Epirus’ east), and involved going along a road which was just a series of tunnels going through mountainsides and bridges bridging the gaps between mountains.  Aiani itself has some Macedonian burials, which admittedly are just big holes in the ground lined with big rocks (I think at this point fatigue was setting in; we had been on the bus for hours, were behind schedule, and I was having trouble getting excited about much).

From Aiani we drove another two hours to Naoussa, to the Esperides Spa.  The Spa is a bit romantic; the rooms are dimly lit with cushy furniture, and are clearly meant for couples’ getaways (the hotel also offers room service and full spa service, and each room has a mini-bar).  The hotel also provided dinner for us (we’re not exactly in a town, just a hotel off a highway, so there aren’t any choices), and we ate out on the terrace and it was quite pleasant.

Day 5 started with a trip to Vergina.  If you ever visit Northern Greece, Vergina should be on the top of your to-do list; in fact, it might top a list of must-see places in Greece.  When you arrive it looks like a big mound, and it actually is (the Macedonians built tombs for people and then buried them under mounds).  This is the Great Tumulus, though, where royal burials were set, possibly including the tomb of Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.  The museum is actually inside the tumulus; you can walk around and look at the artifact exhibits, and occasionally there will be a staircase leading off down to one of the four tombs inside the tumulus.  The tombs themselves are exquisite: they have facades that are covered in paintings and sculpture, with columns and friezes and pediments, despite the fact that they were to be buried.  The artifacts are insane, though (and some of these tombs were looted).  There’s silver banquetware, there’s silver ossuary jugs, there’s four golden crowns (as I went through the museum each one seemed bigger than the last), there’s golden ossuary boxes, there’s ceremonial armor (including a set that at least one scholar thought belonged to Alexander the Great), there’s ivory couches with intricate carvings – I cannot fully describe how amazing the whole site is (although I did call it ‘boss’).  You can’t take pictures inside, so I cannot share, which is why you have to go yourself (I did buy the site guide, and two people at least will be getting postcards).

We had lunch in the town at a leisurely pace, which was a rather delightful change from previous days, so a few of us ate at a little taverna.  After Vergina we went off to see Leukadia, where there are even more Macedonian burials.  These too have spectacular facades, and one has a great series of wall paintings (although they have pretty much disappeared from exposure to the elements); we couldn’t stay long, though, because the guard wanted to go home and made us leave.  From there we went to Mieza, where I was presenting.  The site is essentially a little plateau in front of a cliff wall where were found the remains of a 4^th c. stoa, which corresponds with a description of the school where Philip II sent Alexander to be tutored by Aristotle.  Sadly there’s not much of interest to look at, though everyone seemed to enjoy exploring the three caves which dot the walls (the third is huge and had bats, and for a while a few of the boys disappeared into the back).

After Mieza we returned to our hotel, arriving at 4:30, which was extremely nice.  Unfortunately the internet was still not fixed (and unfortunately we’re not in a town, so the only thing to do is go to the Aldi’s down the road).  For now I will write out my postcards and wait for dinner.  Oh – pictures from the past few days (meager as they are, as I encountered numerous places which prohibited photography) are here and here.