Dion, Greece.

Yesterday, the weather was terrible with all-day rain and the temperature dropping to 54😱.

 

We even had to light the fireplace!

All was not lost though as we stuffed ourselves with delicious Greek food (rain or shine, they deliver,) watched movies and bonded even more.

The next day, the weather was great, so it was off to see the ruins at Dion and climb Mt. Olympus.

(Joan, my views: Magnificent Mt. Olympus (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

They are still excavating the site!

The ruins of  ancient city of Dion are located at the foot of Mount Olympus in the north of Greece, once known as Macedon.

Houses in modern Dion are close to the museum

Legend has it that Dion was the burial place of Orpheus, the famous Greek prophet and musician.

However, the site was most important under Macedonian rulers, notably Philip II and his son, Alexander the Great as both kings celebrated victories there, and it was at this sanctuary that Alexander conducted sacrifices before his campaigns into Asia.

These marble mosaics were the actual floor of their famous baths.

 It shows the affluence of the period.

Dion is now an UNESCO heritage site, as in the 5^th Century AD, it was an important Holy Place for the emerging Christian philosophy and worship.

In Greece it is the second largest site of ruins after Acropolis and even today when we were there, we saw people still excavating ruins.

Remnants of the solid city wall that once protected Dion.

The stadium is still fairly intact. They held Olympic games here. They lasted 9 days.

Another view of the stadium.

Dion was first made internationally famous through the writings of the Greek poet Homer. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 7th Century.  

Despite its importance to Greek history and mythology, serious excavation did not begin there until in the 1950’s.

The museum

The museum is only five minutes away and it has a comprehensive collection of artifacts from the period.

If you love Greek history, it's a must.

The mosaics from the baths are well preserved.

The female figures are clad and the males nude.

Busts of Greek philosophers.

A new town has sprung up around the museum. The ruins in the yard and the new homes and businesses in the area, make an interesting contrast.

I thought this was a vineyard but it's a Kiwi orchard

An aged horse gets a morning walk

new homes are right beside the ruins in the museum yard.

Athens is beautiful, warm and laid back

I had often heard that the Greek were in general nice people, but in my book, they are not only nice, but the warmest Europeans I have ever interacted with.

Anyway, according to Gabby, myj Jamaican friend who is doing her master's there, they prefer to be considered Balkans, not Europeans, despite, Greece being member of European Union.

Off to Greece we go

 So maybe that's why they are the least racist too!

As I am a cat lover, I was delighted to learn, that in most of Greece, there are no decrepit stray cats around. For the culture is, the people adopt them all and each one is provided with beds on the streets and are fed and looked after daily.

 So they love all humans too.❤️.

A 'stray' cat sleeps peacefully in his bed on the street.

Athens,  (population 4 million) is the graffiti capital of Europe and I hear they wear that badge proudly.  Moving around the city, you soon discover that very few walls around escape the graffiti artists' brushes😊!

Incidentally, as you probably know, Greece is the birthplace of the Olympics, and yesterday the Olympic torch relay that starts off the 2024 Summer Olympics, was lit  in Olympia.

 It will travel throughout Greece, arrive in Athens then sail across the Mediterranean to Marseille on May 9, to resume the trek through France.

The French leg will end  at the Opening Ceremony when the Olympic cauldron will be lit. 

As we Jamaicans dominate so much of the Olympics games, we spent a lot of time touring the marble stadium which was built in 330 BC and can accommodate 50,000 people.

We Jamaicans are at the marble stadium.

I am no Bolt but can pose like him😁

A nude athlete's rear view

Original athletes competed nude and their balls and penises are prominently displayed on the statues.

In the royal 'boxes.'

I can't run but can still pose on the gold medalist's stand.

(Incidentally, the great Lenny Kravetz will be performing there in August this year. He is being highly anticipated.)

Acropolis at night

 After leaving the ruins, it was off to the Acropolis museum which is just as enchanting.

 The museum is actually built atop other ruins and you can see them through the glass floors.

The ruins beneath our feet at the museum.

Replicas of the Greek gods inside the museum 

Thankfully, as there was a national strike of taxi drivers today so the lines in the museum were not too long!

You have to take the cable car to get to this beautiful Greek Orthodox church.

As you know, Greece is the birthplace of democracy (6th century BC). Tourists gather a outside the new  parliament building to observe the changing of the guards. This ritual takes place every hour. The old parliament building is now used as a conference cente

Incidentally, another thing I love about Athens is that it's streets are undulating like San Francisco, so you are forced to be fit😊.

 No stress. 

Also, there are no unsightly high rises. Nothing over around 20 stories, it appears 

Misc.

With Maddy from Afghanistan. ( He lives in Italy)

And Harris from Greece.

Random videos.