Tiryns, Argos and Mykene
Tiryns, Argos and Mycenae
After getting up and showering, I am curious about what breakfast awaits me for 2.50 euros, so I head down to the dining room next to the lobby. The hotel owner greets me and says it will take about 10 minutes for breakfast to be ready, so I wait.
He makes me eggs with bacon and two sausages. I also get some butter, jam, and bread, coffee, and orange juice. I enjoy it, even though an English breakfast is not necessarily my thing. But for 2.50 euros, you can't complain.
My suspicion is confirmed again that I am the only guest in the hotel, as the hotel owner starts cooking just for me and no one else shows up for breakfast.
After breakfast, I wash a few clothes and hang them on the clothesline, which is conveniently strung up on my balcony.
Then today’s program includes the two ancient cities of Tiryns and Mycenae, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Since the sun is shining and it is already quite warm and according to the weather report, it is supposed to get as warm as 19 degrees, I only put on a t-shirt under my summer motorcycle jacket and leave my jacket and rain gear in the hotel room. Dressed so lightly, as I haven't been in a long time, I hop on my motorcycle and take off.
Tiryns is only 10 km away, so I am there in just a few minutes.
The ancient Tiryns was excavated by the famous German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann and is located on a limestone rock that is only 30 meters high. The site has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. From the third millennium BC, Tiryns was one of the most important centers of Bronze Age Europe. A few impressively massive walls (about 2-3 meters thick) and a staircase are still quite well preserved or restored. Unfortunately, there is little else to see, and one wonders why such an important city was built in such an inconspicuous place.
Since the site is not particularly large, I am done with the visit after about 20 minutes and hop back on my motorcycle.
A thick, dark plume of smoke that is visible from afar rising into the Mediterranean I initially thought was a fire. However, as I turn back onto the main road, I discover that it is rising from two tall factory chimneys. I am annoyed that such a thing is still possible in Europe today.
On my way to Mycenae, I notice a large fortification on a mountain nearby. Deciding on the spur of the moment, I change my plan and head straight for it. As it turns out shortly after, this is the Larissa Castle, which towers 240 meters above the city of Argos. Although its roots also date back to antiquity, the visible part today was mostly built in the 13th century. Over the millennia, the castle has been conquered or sold dozens of times, so it has been rebuilt and enlarged accordingly several times.
My GPS leads me up a rather adventurous serpentine road on the back side of the castle to a small parking lot right next to the castle. I am glad that no one comes towards me in any of the hairpin turns, as it could have been quite tight otherwise.
To my surprise, the castle has no entrance fee, and besides me, there is only a young couple with their son exploring the ruins. When they leave after a few minutes, I am completely alone up here for the rest of the time. The view is simply breathtaking. However, it is once again clouded by the thick plume of smoke. By now, it seems the wind has shifted, as it is now being blown inland, and a huge area north of the factory is enveloped in dense smoke. If I were a resident of this factory, I would protest until they either install filters in their exhaust system or close the factory.
On the northwestern side of the castle, I discover a monastery not far away with a rather imposing-looking Greek Orthodox church. I decide to stop by there briefly as well. So I hop back on my motorcycle and ride over. Unfortunately, the entire monastery is surrounded by a high wall, and the gate is closed.
My next destination is now Mycenae, which is located further north at the edge of the valley. After a few minutes, I arrive there as well. There are surprisingly many tourists here. At the ticket counter, I have to pay 4 euros for admission and learn that the entire site and the museum close at 3 PM. Since it is already 2 PM, I need to hurry a bit. With quick steps, I first walk through the very impressive Lion Gate, whose two lions are the only monumental sculptures from the Bronze Age that have been found so far. I walk further up through the large site. Once at the top, there is again a wonderful view over the entire valley and the surrounding mountains. From here, one could oversee and control the land route between southern Peloponnese and the Isthmus of Corinth. Mycenae was therefore one of the most important cities in Greece in pre-classical times, and the Mycenaean culture was named after it.
Finally, I also pay a brief visit to the museum. However, the exhibition pieces are mostly the same as those I have already seen in Athens. So I ride my motorcycle back down the mountain a bit to the "Treasury of Atreus," which I had passed on the way up. Since it is still a few minutes before 3 PM, I am even allowed to go inside.
The "Treasury of Atreus" is actually an underground, dome-shaped royal tomb (around 1250 BC). It is not certain who was actually buried here. Due to the valuable and extensive grave goods, it has been mistakenly assumed since antiquity that it was a "treasury."
Even the entrance impresses with its huge dimensions. The entrance gate has a height of 5.40 m and a width of 2.70 m! A stone lintel above the door weighs 120 tons!! The subsequent dome tomb was the largest circular dome for over 1,300 years until the reconstruction of the Pantheon in Rome!
When you consider that all this was built 1,250 years before Christ, you can't help but be amazed!
Since it is now 3 PM, I hop back on my motorcycle and ride back to my hotel.
Once there, I make myself something to eat, as I haven't had lunch yet. I enjoy the last rays of sunshine on the balcony before the sun disappears behind the nearby mountain.
After that, I sit back down at my laptop...
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