Ancient Cities
Dion
Boom! The van shudders as the explosion rips through the air. Boom! More Boom! explosions Boom! World war three appears to have started and no one sent a three minute warning. High on our viewpoint on the side of the mountain we can see nothing, but can hear and feel the army on the coastal plains below us fire their artillery at (hopefully) imagined targets. When it feels like they have started aiming at us we decide it’s time to get out of dodge and continue our journey through antiquity.
The carpark of the Dion archaeological park makes a convenient home for the night, setting us up nicely to visit in the morning, I can’t imagine getting away with something like this at home, but no one seems to bat an eyelid. A pregnant cat befriends us and tries to move into the van. Along with litter, stray animals are common across Greece. We often find a dog or two guarding the van or see packs searching the refuse.
This is our first cat, not much more than a kitten herself really. We make a fuss of her but we have no food so she abandons us to go hunting.
In Dion, under the watchful gaze of Mount Olympus, we learn a little more about the Greek gods of old. Dion was a site of great religious importance. It takes its name from Dios, meaning ‘of Zeus’ and was home to a great sanctuary dedicated to the god who lived on the mountain. The archaeological site is huge and there are two distinct sides to the site, the religious and on the other side of the modern road, a vast excavation of the adjoining city. Important finds, which include an awesome looking water organ, are displayed at the museum a few minutes walk away.
Greece is chock full of ancient ruins, it is the home of ‘Ancient Greece’ after all, and it’s easy to overdo them to the point that they lose their fascination. That would be a great shame, each site has its individual nuances and histories. And as much as I love the amphitheatres apparently there are only so many times you can perform Julius Caesar to an adoring audience (poor Rosana). Perhaps I should try Taming of the Shrew?
We take a break from the past and camp on a beach. I look along the shoreline and I am not sure that I believe my eyes. Flamingos! Actual, pink flamingos! I was really not expecting to see them in Greece, but apparently they are not uncommon. We watch them wade for a while, but they get fed up with being stalked and fly off to find somewhere more private.
Vergina
Refreshed after some time with nature and we’re back on the history tour in the town of Vergina for the tombs of the Macedonian Kings. This stunning exhibition and excavation of the tomb of King Philip of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great) is well presented and atmospheric. On a hill above the town lie the extensive remains of the Royal Palace and the small amphitheatre where Philip was assassinated.
Pella
Pella has a large and interesting museum and another vast archaeological site. The sheer size of the agora is impressive in itself, and in an ancient roadway we see the ridges left by cartwheels – dimensions that will eventually determine the size of NASA’s space shuttle.
At a lakeside camp another cat befriends us. We pass the hours watching the birds, although there are no flamingos here. A fisherman returns with his catch. He shows us his hand, fingers missing due to an injury sustained working on the German north sea fishing fleet. Now he nets fresh water fish in his native country. We find a small carp he’s dropped, or maybe discarded, and feed it to the cat (forthwith to be known as the happiest cat in the word).
Philippi
Our final archaeological site of Greece is Philippi. If I thought sleeping in the car park at Dion we was a bit cheeky, Philippi takes it to a whole new level and I bet myself a cheese sandwich we’ll be evicted from this UNESCO site before the night is out. I am quite surprised when not only do we last the night, but when we open the curtains in the morning we find a large green expedition truck parked next to us, they too had chanced the night in the car park.
We’ve had a good run of weather on our wanderings around Greece’s ancient sites, but our luck has run out and it’s pouring with rain. Proper cats and dogs. We can’t delay our visit, I’ve given our insurance company the date we’ll be leaving the EU and they are too much hassle to deal with to change it. In the spirit of there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, we suit up and head out into the park.
Another impressive archaeological site, another huge amphitheater, another performance of Julius Caesar. One of the things that stands Philippi out is the story that St. Paul was imprisoned there. There is a sign, but little other evidence. We meet our Danish neighbours splashing through the puddles and chat soddenly for a while. They’re more interested in the story of St. Paul than we are.
Chat turns to future plans and we discover we plan to cross to Türkiye on the same day. In jest we say we’ll see you at the border.