[Hilary]

ANCIENT TROEZEN / TRIZINA

The title is a bit misleading as I never found it when I went looking for it in 1967

I crossed from Poros to Galata on the mainland on one of the small passenger ferries and set out walking to find Ancient Troezen.  I was fascinated with the story of Theseus who, as you all know, was born in Troezen.
The spring scenery was glorious and the road lined with wild flowers. I passed the tower which I snapped and decided that that must be all that is left of the ancient town and returned to Galata and Poros.

Now with the help of the Internet and satellite photos I realized that I had taken the wrong road and was quite near the site of Ancient Troezen.
I also learned that the ruin I snapped is the
 TOWER OF DIATEICHISMA / DAMALAS CASTLE

By coincidence there are photos of Poros and  places nearby   taken by Tasos Lada on THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN SOCIETY Face Book site today

There is some information about Troezen/ Trizina here 
https://www.visitnafplio.com/trizina.html

[Hilary]

SPETSES
Another island which can be reached by boat or a short passenger ferry from the mainland
We have been a couple of times but only for  a short-day trip. There is plenty to see on the island but we have not seen it, another place to put on the list
The photos are from 1992, I love the snapdragon growing high up on a wall

[Hilary]

SALAMIS

Another island which we have not explored properly and the nearest one to Athens

We went on a day trip with my husband's old school friends in 2014, you can see a few photos if you follow the link 
The programme was the Archaeological Museum, the Folklore Museum, lunch,  and the Monastery of Phaneromeni. Unfortunately, we didn't go to see the monument to the warriors of Salamina

Most of my photos from this trip have disappeared. What can I say? Back up, back up, back up

Here are two from the Folklore Museum
A photo of a voting box -NAI or OXI, YES or NO
A photo of a loom showing some of the designs which were woven in Kilims, flat tapestry woven carpets

The link from my previous post
http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1734.msg12046#msg12046

[Charithea]

For the people who celebrate The Assumption of the Virgin or Ferragusto  today, have a wonderful day with the people you love. I like to thank you Hilary for your 'travelling memories '. They evoke freeer days when we were able to go and travel with little money and little fear of getting harmed. While living in London John and I had a 'garden' list to visit. We managed to do quiet a few.  Now in Cyprus we have a 'must see/travel list'. I am optimistic and I am sure that we will see/visit some of these places.  The Greek Isles are on the top.

[David Dickinson]

Thanks for you well-wishes for today Charithea. I am "celebrating" Ferragosto with a little work in the garden as there are no other distractions. The gazebo is an eyesore and will be sorted out when things have cooled down a little. I would be too ashamed to post a before and after photograph. It really is that bad!

Buon Ferragosto a tutti :-)

[Hilary]

My husband asked me where I would like to go when all THIS is over. As quick as a flash I said DODONI
So Dodoni it is . So much easier to get to than Kastelorizo. Chalki, Nisirus , Ikaria, Anafi etc etc

[John J]

For the past few years I have been a member of the MGS Excursions Committee along with Alisdair Aird and Sally Beale. Together we have organised, with invaluable assistance from local experts or others that know the areas well, trips to some amazing locations. Our last effort, to Jordan, ended rather abruptly as we had to abandon it and get everyone out of the country before they locked down the borders. Even as we were frantically rearranging flights every member present expressed the desire to return one day and finish the trip, go to the places we had not seen. Only the other day a member here in Cyprus asked me if I was planning any more trips for when things opened up again. I had said that the Jordan trip was going to be my last one for the MGS Excursions, but comments like that combined with my own itchy feet and desire to see new places makes such a decision hard to stand by.

[Hilary]

 Even planning a day bus trip is hard enough never mind an excursion to foreign parts 
I think some people must have endless patience

[Hilary]

Last week I ventured out' be-masked DOWNTOWN  armed with the camera and snapped some of the flowers on my way.
Nothing very exciting or different but cheerful.
I hadn't noticed the anti pigeon spikes until I downloaded the photos!

[Hilary]

MORE AUGUST FLOWERS IN CORINTH
Outside churches, at coffee shops and volunteering on the pavement

[Hilary]

 CRETE, CHANIA
 I started exploring Crete in the summer of 1966 at Chania,
The only photo I have of Chania from that trip was of the church of Agios Nikolaos which was built as a church, became a mosque then back to being a church. Apparently, it is the only church in Greece with both a bell tower and a minaret. I was fascinated by the painted eye which, looking at more recent photos, has been painted over
We visited Crete together with the children in 1986 and again I have only one photo to show you of Chania, the tomb of Venizelos 1864-1936. There is a good view of the town of Chania from the tomb but it looks to have been misty the day we were there 

I had prepared this post to send this evening, but after reading John J's account of the 2010 AGM in Chania , in the NOTICES thread , I decided to post it this morning
Only two photos but of different scenes

[Hilary]

THE GORGE OF SAMARIA
In 1986 one of our objects in visiting Crete was to see the Gorge of Samaria.

Guided tours take the tourists to the Omalos plateau, where they start the 16 klm. walk through the gorge to Aghia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea then catch a ferry to Chora Sfakion where the coaches are waiting to take the tourists back to their hotels

This was not an option for us but a friend suggested that we leave the car at Chora Sfakion, take the ferry to Agia Roumeli and sleep there overnight. Then, bright and early, start walking up the gorge and turn back again after passing through the narrow Portes, return to Aghia Roumeli then take the ferry to Chora Sfakion and pick up our car again.

We decided to take the second option which turned out to be quite magical as we had the gorge to ourselves for many hours. We passed the Portes and kept on walking then suddenly what felt like hordes of manic eyed tourists started coming from the opposite direction. It no longer was enjoyable so we turned round and joined the horde. They must have been desperate to pass the Portes and eventually reach the sea and the village with its tavernas

Talking about tavernas the village was not supplied with mains electricity but there was a small solar power station on the beach. This was meant for lighting and small consumption but there was a running joke that every time the lights went out someone said
’ someone has just opened a fridge’

The first photo shows the entrance to the gorge, I think, and on the left the solar power station
The last two photos are of the gorge at its narrowest point, the Portes.
I wish I had taken some photos of the vegetation but for several years it was all family snaps

[John J]

Was called out this morning to see a flower that had opened overnight, a Tithonia rotundifolia, seeds provided a couple of years ago by David In Rome I believe.

[David Dickinson]

This year my Tithonia didn't survive the first heatwave which came  a few days after they had germinated. A pity because they do provide a lot of summer/autumn colour. I have seeds ready for next year. Do they self-seed for you?

[Hilary]

HERAKLION, CRETE

Not many photos of Heraklion
The castle, the Koules , at the port and a fruit shop in 1966
I am not absolutely sure that the fruit shop was in Heraklion
And in 2008 when a cruise ship we were on stopped for a few hours

We had been to Heraklion several times in the past but had not been to the tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis 1883-1957 so that was out main objective on the cold windy day it was in October. You can see the looming clouds and wind-blown palm trees in the photo 
Kazantzakis is buried on the wall surrounding the city of Heraklion

The inscription on a stone reads 
Δεν  ελπίζω τίποτα,
Δε φοβούμαι τίποτα.
Είμαι λέφτερος

I hope for nothing,
I fear nothing,
 I am free.

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