Coronavirus situation

  • 877 Replies
  • 105231 Views
*

Charithea

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #315 on: July 26, 2020, 04:17:26 PM »
Since I posted my rough translation I found in a book called 'Trees and Shrubs in Cyprus' by the Cyprus Forest Association that under the Calycotome villosa it mentions that the Ancient Greeks knew it as  'aspalthos' . It also mentions Seferis'  poem but only translates the three lines,
Few green leaves around the rusty stones
The red colour and the Thorny Brooms
Showing ready the big spines and the yellow flowers.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

*

John J

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #316 on: July 26, 2020, 04:23:36 PM »
The trip to see the sunset at Sounion was the culmination of a tour that I took a group from Cyprus on in March 2019. The sun going down was spectacular, even the chukar looked impressed.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #317 on: July 26, 2020, 04:30:22 PM »
How thrilling that you  translated the Seferis poem
I will copy it out
Today, on the beach, I read an article about Mykines and there were several words which I need to look up.
I don't suppose they are words I will be using in daily life but I would like to understand the sentence

I am glad you like the photos of the ancient sites in Greece. I try to find scenes with some vegetation in them, this turns out to be  mostly olive trees, pine trees and cypress trees 
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #318 on: July 26, 2020, 04:35:00 PM »
What a great photo opportunity the bird provided for you by sitting near a column at Sounion  enjoying the sunset
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #319 on: July 26, 2020, 04:37:21 PM »
ANCIENT OLYMPIA

The first photos are of Ancient Olympia most probably in May 1966.

Then we have the lizard, the first I had seen in my life, I was so thrilled when it sat motionlessly until I finished taking the photo.

The next two photos with the Judas trees in blossom were taken around Easter time in 1969.

The last two photos show the entrance to the stadium and the stadium.
Many pine trees, some olive trees and Judas trees
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #320 on: July 27, 2020, 04:58:57 PM »
BASSAE, Part one

In April or May 1966, I met another English woman in Olympia exploring Greece and when I told her I was going to Bassae the next day she decided to join me. Now looking back, I can’t imagine how I travelled  alone in a country the language of which I did not know.

We set of in the local bus, you know the one with all the baggage on the roof and picking up people from the local market taking live chickens home, all very jolly.

As soon as the bus arrived in Andritseana we were met by a hotel owner and the taxi owner and were soon on our way to visit the temple of Bassae.

At some time there had been a shower of rain and I vividly remember the taxi driver holding his big black umbrella and shouting to us that it was time to go back. We were having a great time scrambling over the ruins and counting the columns.
No scrambling on the ancient ruins allowed now, the major sites can be seen behind ropes.   

From my old guide book
“The Temple of Bassae … is situated in a serene and lonely landscape (altitude 1,150m.), surrounded by fields and some old oak trees; the plateau falls away abruptly to the E (hence the ancient name Bassae), where mountain streams have carved out steep ravines.”
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #321 on: July 28, 2020, 04:35:58 PM »
BASSAE. Part 2
For several years my husband and I explored parts of Greece, which our annual summer holidays had not taken us to. These trips were usually after the family Christmas get together   and before the schools started again. In January 1996 we explored parts of the Peloponnese with the intention of staying overnight in Andritsaena and visiting Bassae the next day. Unfortunately, all the hotels were closed for the winter but we were told of a hostel in Skliros, a small village near the temple. We were lucky to be able to sleep in the empty hostel and then early the next morning were able to give the key holder and his wife a lift to Andritsaena via the temple. On the way they told us of how all the village had taken part in the excavation of the temple, in the 1970s I suppose
It had snowed in the night and when we reach the temple, which we knew was now enclosed in a tent, it seemed to be in a cloud, hence the atmospheric photos.  It was dark in the tent as the photos show.   

MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #322 on: July 29, 2020, 05:13:59 PM »

NAFPLION

I took a fleeting visit to Nafplion in 1966 and the only photos I have are of the Palamidi castle and Bourtzi.
The photo of the Venetian building, 1713, which holds the Archaeological Museum was taken in 2018. A visit to this recently re arranged museum is on my ‘What to do on Sunday mornings in the spring list ’. I had dashed inside in 2018 and decided that the new arrangement of the exhibits deserved a serious visit. 

For more photos of Nafplion go here
http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=2186.0
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #323 on: July 30, 2020, 03:35:35 PM »
TIRYNS
 I visited Tiryns one afternoon in 1966 when I joined a small bus tour with guide.

The walls don’t look so impressive when you pass Tiryns on the way to Nafplion but close up you see that the stones are huge.

Our guide told us various theories about the masonry tunnel and why the sides at a certain height are polished.

The view from the megaron is of Palamidi castle on the left and Akronafplia on the right, Bourtzi can be seen in the sea.
The tall trees are eucalyptus

Tiryns was on my ‘spring trips’ list, I had visions of, if not lying on the ground, taking photos of the walls with wild flowers in the foreground. From the first photo you can see that plenty of wild flowers grow below the walls

MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #324 on: July 31, 2020, 03:49:21 PM »
EPIDAVROS
In 1966 I joined a bus trip from Corinth to Epidavrus to see a play in the theatre.
At that time the ‘new’ road to Epidavrus was still in the making so we had to go via Nafplion and arrived, at the large archaeological site where the theatre is situated, quite early.
Recently I was asked if I remembered which play I saw, being a hoarder I knew that it was Oedipus Rex and starred Alexis Minotis and Katina Paxinou and took place  on Saturday 9th July, I have pieces of the programme in an old scrapbook.

I have been back several times, always with an organized bus trip, to see performances in the theatre and innumerable times in day time with visitors.
The last photo was taken by my father in 1969

It looks as if there are olive trees above the theatre while there are tall pine trees behind the scene opposite the seats. Even if you don’t understand a word of what is being said it is a wonderful experience to see a play here. I think the only word I caught in 1966 was spiti, home/ house


MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #325 on: August 01, 2020, 04:52:13 PM »
MYKINES

Three of the photos are from summer 1966. The oleander in the car park was still going strong when I saw it a couple of years ago.

The orchards seen in the view from the top of the citadel are of olive trees I think

The two photos of the Lion Gate were taken by my father in 1969, we must have been there at opening time to find the gate so tourist free of and so photographable, a real privilege.

Do you see the yellow flowers growing inside the gate?

For more recent photos of wild flowers growing in Mykines go here
http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=2472.0
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #326 on: August 02, 2020, 03:49:16 PM »
Some flowers snapped in Augusts past
Lantana
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

David Dickinson

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #327 on: August 02, 2020, 04:38:41 PM »
Lantana is one of my sister's favourite flowers, the pink and yellow variety. Lantanas are very popular with my Humming Bird Hawk Moths too.
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #328 on: August 02, 2020, 06:03:19 PM »
I am glad you added the yellow variety, now I hope someone will add a white one .
I too like the pink and yellow ones
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

David Dickinson

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #329 on: August 02, 2020, 06:25:37 PM »
I used to have a white one in my old flat. I don't remember why it isn't with me now. I can only think that "The Beast from the East" finished it off. Thanks for including the orange and red variety earlier. That is my favourite followed by the white. So, I think I will be out on a shopping expedition shortly with a glowing white lantana as my main objective.
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.