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Black Tie
International Travel
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Black Tie
International Magazine - Travel- The Long Walls of
Athens |
Traveling Along… with Bob Nicolaides
The Long Wall
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The Long Walls of
Athens, constructed in the mid 5th century BC,
connected the city-state of Athens with its
port
city of Piraeus. They were begun in 461 BC under Themistocles after his victory at Salamis, possibly
by Cimon,
and completed under Pericles in 457 BC,
with the aim of making Athens an impregnable city
and preventing its being
cut off from its harbor and
from the rest of the world when beseiged by land.
This ensured that Athens would never be cut off from
supplies as long as it controlled the sea.
The two well-fortified
Long Walls were 1 "stade" (160 meters) apart, 6000
meters long and 20 meters high.
There were three
harbors at the port of Piraeus at the time, for
grain ships, merchant ships and warships,
and
ensured that Athens could receive supplies during
the Peloponnesian Wars.
The Long Walls were
destroyed by the Spartans in 404 BC after Athens was
defeated in the First Peloponnesian War and
surrendered to Sparta. Conon rebuilt them in 393 BC
during the Corinthian War, but they were destroyed
again
by the Roman general Sulla in 86 BC.The two Long Walls, 40
"stadia" (7 kilometers) in length, ran parallel to
each other, with a narrow passage between them. There are three walls
in all, with a third wall running from Athens to the
Bay of Phalerum (Neo Faliro,
today).
Initially, the western
wall connected the southwest of Athens with Piraeus,
while the eastern wall ran from the south of
Athens
to the Bay of Phalerum, while a few years (445-443
BC) later a third and middle wall, known as the
"third wall" or "southern wall", was erected near to
and parallel with the western wall. The two walls to
Piraeus
(western and southern) are known as the Long
Walls, while the eastern wall became known as the Phalerian Wall.
Substantial sections of
the southern wall have been recently uncovered at
Neo Faliro and adjacent Moschato,
during ongoing
upgrade works on the ISAP train line.
Xerxes Path in Tempi Valley
The Tempi valley in Central Greece, nestled between
the Mt Olympos and Mt Kissavos, was known to
travelers in antiquity who wanted to reach Athens
from the north via a shortcut through the Tempi pass
in order to avoid the
mountain ranges. Because of
its strategic position Tempi has been the site of
several battles. In 480 BC when the King of Persia,
Xerxes with 10,000 warriors launched the third
campaign to conquer Greece he puzzled on how to
pass
through the Olympus and Kissavos mountains more
quickly and easily in order to take the Greek army
by surprise .Xerxes ordered his warriors to create
a path in the Tempi valley. This very path was later
upgraded by the Romans and the Byzantines. Visitors
to Tempi valley may take the latter path and follow
the tracks of the ancient troops,
as the path is
preserved and stays in place as a reminder of the
history of a great era.
The Vale of Tempi was a sacred place and the ancient
Greeks worshipped Apollo there. Laurels used for the
wreaths of the winners of the Pythian Games
were collected from the laurel trees that grew in
the Valley.
Excavations have unearthed ruins of a temple of
Apollo and several pieces of armory used in ancient
battles.
An Exotic
Vacation the Family will Love
We're
diving in an area called Muri Muri, just north of
Bora Bora, and almost as soon as we get in the
water,
our dive master, Benoit Gratas, introduces us
to a hawksbill sea turtle -- like Crush, a character
in Pixar's"Finding Nemo" -- and
shows us how to feed him a piece of sea sponge by
hand 70 feet under water.
He's so big -- more than two feet in diameter -- and
all around us are yellow and silver, black and gold,
striped and
dotted puffer fish, barracuda,
triggerfish, black tip reef sharks and even a lemon
shark. I expect Nemo to come
swimming by any minute.
On the
Bathy's divers boat
we meet honeymooners from Atlanta, Georgia, as well
as Stephanie Caron, 21, and
Clayton Caron, 15, whose
dad had brought them back to a place he'd loved 30
years ago. The Carons are as excited
about the
underwater world as we are. Brazilian Carlos
Stevenson is celebrating his 10th anniversary with
his wife and
5-year-old son. Stevenson said they
decided to bring young William because they love
seeing his excitement.
"Every day is a party for
him."
Who says
kids and romance don't go together? Even in a place
as famous for honeymoons as Bora Bora, families
rule,
especially as
Air Tahiti Nui
continues to offer kids free deals on flights. There
are also great hotel deals. The
St. Regis Resort Bora Bora,
for example, has an expansive kids' club. And we had
an awesome family
trip sailing on a catamaran for a
week with
Tahiti Yacht Charters.
The
Four Seasons Bora Bora,
which opened a little over a year ago, deserves high
marks for seamlessly meshing the needs of
21st-century families and those seeking romantic
getaways.
In some cases, the honeymooning couples are parents too. Don McClure, a Canadian, and Nihan
Preslier, who is Turkish, got married here on the
beach with 5-year-old Antoine Preslier taking part
in the festivities. "It's been great," said the
bride. "It really works."
The Four Seasons' over-the-water thatched bungalows
-- suites with foldout couches, swimming decks
and
outdoor showers -- are as perfect for a family as
they are for couples. The kids will love watching
"fishies"
swim beneath the floor's glass panels. Another plus
to these spacious bungalows: "I don't have
to worry
about the kids making noise and bothering somebody
below us or next door," says Tammy Darnell,
here
from Los Angeles, California, with her husband,
3-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.
Let's not forget the free kids club (no $75 fees
here) where kids can do everything from learn
Tahitian dances to play
on the water playground
outside where fountains spray the kids as they jump
around.
Sure, you say, the Four Seasons can do all this
because they're so expensive (look for packages that
offer free nights
or extra amenities). I've been to
a lot of fancy resorts that say they roll out the
red carpet for families, but they don't really,
and
I've been to a lot of budget spots that do a
terrific job. This place does it right and it has
nothing to do with the thread
count on the sheets.
Those that are competing for family vacation dollars
might take a page from the Four Seasons playbook.
There's even a spanking new Teen Beach area -- a
first for Four Seasons, says marketing manager Don
Schreifels,
with lounges overlooking the lagoon, a
pool table inside and an air-conditioned recreation
room offering foosball,
computer games, Wii and
more. The only thing missing is a fridge with some
soft drinks and snacks. The resort
has just
initiated a teen spa, too. (Vanilla massage or teen
facial perhaps?)
How many places do you know that have a resident
marine biologist available to teach you and your
kids about the ocean?
The Four Seasons' Oliver
Martin has laboriously grafted underwater coral
(they look like little pots of herbs) in the
resort's
inner lagoon, which already has 100 species
of fish. He believes this Four Seasons project is
the largest in
French Polynesia -- another effort
that sets the Four Seasons apart, especially as a
family destination.
"We want children to see how we impact the
environment. The whole idea is to develop this asa
bio center where children and parents can snorkel,
learn about sea life and the environment,"
says
Martin. In the last few months there has been a
touch pool for younger children. He also plans
to
graft coral underneath the bungalows so that guests
can see more sea life when snorkeling right
from
their rooms. Coral, he explains, grows as much as 10
inches a year. "We want the children to understand
what they see." Stick around, Martin adds, and you
will see things you never realized
were there --
octopus mating, angelfish, clown fish (Nemo,
finally!) parrotfish and hermit crab.
"Every day is
different," he promises.
Of Tombs without Lara Croft
Eight
tombs dating to the Hellenist Period were partially
revealed recently in the region of Gonous,
Larissa
Prefecture, after flooding caused by heavy rainfall
swept away a rural dirt road. The Archaeological
Service subsequently conducted an excavation, which
brought to light the tombs which, according to
initial assessment,
date back to between the end of
the 4th century BC and the beginning of the 3rd
century BC.
From Zingiberis to Ginger Beer
or Ale
I n
the
beginning of the 19th century, the
Britons of Corfu
cooled their hot afternoons drinking ginger beer or
"gingibira" in Greek, a beverage, which -
despite
its name - had nothing to do with beer and alcohol.
Lemon juice and dried ginger roots are the basic
substances of this spicy, refreshing drink with
a peppery taste.
The
English word "ginger" comes from the plant’s Greek
name zingiberis, which ended up in the English
vocabulary through Latin and French influences.
Ginger
root has been discovered by many peoples. In Chinese
herbal medicine, it is believed to have
antipyretic
and digestive qualities. According to Indians the
ginger root triggers passion.
"Gingibira"
is still produced on the island of Corfu as a
beverage and it is best served chilled, ten days
after its production, to obtain a mature taste.
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Black Forest
but no Cake
The
Black Forest
of Greece is located near the village
Orma,
in Pella. Thanks to reduced
human intervention, it
is considered a particularly aged beech forest,
which has
grown up naturally, passing through all
forest aging phases. The beech trees are
so dense
and impenetrable, that sun rays barely reach the
ground, thus creating
the impression of a black
forest. Many species of protected fauna find refuge
in its distinguished wild beauty. Visitors can tour
the forest, through its vertical gradients
in water
and waterfalls. The legend has it that the
Macedonians of
Alexander the Great
used the Black Forest’s lumber to build their
famously known six meter long lances,
called sarissa. |
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Paeania
Cave, which is located in the eastern side
of
Mount Hymettus,
is a unique “tourist attraction”
in Attica. The cave, also known as
Koutouki Cave,
is 2 million years old, comprising a
precipice, sinking 38 meters into the ground
with ascending and descending corridors
extending for 350 meters. Its huge central
chamber is richly decorated with
stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars,
creating an imposing image. The cave was
accidentally discovered in 1928 and then a
tunnel was dug into the rock to allow
access. For trekkers, the cave can be
reached on foot in about two-and-a-half
hours from the
Monastery of Kaisariani
on the western side of Mt Hymettus and
certainly, it won’t let down anyone.
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Caananite
Palace Circa
Knossos
Archaeologist
from the University of Haifa,
who are conducting excavations in the city
of Tel Kabri, found Minoan style frescoes,
similar to those discovered in the Aegean
islands of Crete and Santorini dating back
to the 17th century BC. These are the first
such frescoes to be discovered in Israel.
According to scientists' estimations, the
wall paintings in the Canaanite palace in
Kabri are a conscious decision by the city's
rulers who wanted to adopt the Mediterranean
culture rather than the Syrian and
Mesopotamian art styles adopted by other
cities in Canaan. In an earlier excavation,
another fresco similar to those of Santorini
was unearthed, but the new discoveries
established the fact that the first fresco
was not a coincidence but that the ancient
city of Tel Kabri not only had developed
commercial relations with the Aegean and
Minoan world but wanted to come close to and
be associated culturally with these
civilizations…..
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The Greek Element in Central Asia |
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Afghanistan and it’s Treasures |
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Sarianidi's excavations revealed numerous monumental
structures at many different sites, including the
necropolis of
Tillya Tepe,
where 20,000 gold pieces where unearthed and the
necropolis of
Gonur,
the largest ever to be found in the East,
yielding some
3,000 tombs (3rd and 2nd millennium BC).
The archaeological complex was given a Greek name,
Bactria (now northern Afghanistan)– a civilization
related to the Cretan-Mycenean culture, some 1,500
years before Alexander the Great, according to
Sarianidi, and Margiana, which
was the Greek name for the Persian
satrapy of Margu, in today's
Turkmenistan. Dating to the Bronze Age, the
city-state of Margiana is believed to have been
Alexander the Great’s capital while in Turkmenistan.
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"The world has four centres of ancient civilization:
the Aegean, Mesopotamia, India and China. Here, we
discovered the fifth," says the archaeologist. Born
in 1929 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Victor Sarianidi is
of Pontian Greek descent.
n 1996, he moved to Greece where he currently lives.
He has received several honours in Greece and abroad
and is the author of twenty books, among which, "The
Necropolis of Gonur." |
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e asyCruise
tempts early bookers
For
summer 2010 easyCruise offers a 20% early
booking discount on cruise fares for all three and
four night trips departing from Piraeus (Athens) and
Kusadasi in Turkey. From April until October, the
cruises visit some of the most stunning islands
including Santorini, Mykonos and Crete.
Early booking prices are valid until 31 December
2009 with a three night cruise fare now from as
little as $248 per adult (reduced from $310) plus
port charges.
Travelers
planning a city break to Athens or a touring
vacation of Greece or Turkey can easily add in a
short cruise to their itinerary to combine history
and culture with magnificent sightseeing on the
Greek Islands. easyCruise offers shore
excursions in every port of call and these can be
booked and paid for before travel. Prices include
accommodation, full board (American Plan) and daily
housekeeping. To book contact your travel agent,
visit
www.easyCruise.com
or
call 1 866 335 4975
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www.easyCruise.com
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