Europe Highlights
This was my second trip to Europe, and I designed a route to visit places that are closely related in ancient history: Rome, Venice, Athens and Istanbul. The stop at Rome was planned, but thanks to a delayed flight I also spent a nice but unplanned night at Madrid. I was carrying two cameras, my old film camera and a small new digital camera. It was my first experience with digital photography, and the results can be seen in this page.
Corinth / The Gateway to the Peloponnese
Corinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. In classical times the ancient city rivaled Athens and Thebes in wealth, based on the Isthmian traffic and trade. During its long history the city was destroyed several times (by the Romans in 146 BC, by earthquakes in 375 and 551, and by the Turkish forces during the Greek War of Independence, and attacked by many armies and peoples (the Visigoths in 345-346, the Franks of the 4th Crusade in 1205-1208, and the Ottomans in 1458), but every time the city was rebuilt again.
My Photo #1 above shows the remains of the Roman temple of Apollo, with the hills of Acrocorinth in the back. Acrocorinth was continuously occupied from archaic times to the early nineteenth century. The city's archaic acropolis was further heavily fortified during the Byzantine Empire. Later it was a fortress of the Franks, the Venetians and the Ottoman Turks. Three circuit walls built in different periods can still be seen if you climb to the top (see Photo #2). (Historical data adapted from WIkipedia: Corinth and Acrocorinth)
Burano / The Forgotten Veneto Island
When travellers think about going to the Veneto Islands, the first option is always Murano, very close to Venice and famous for its crystal industry (see map from Google at the side bar). But it is a good idea (TIP #1) to allocate a full day for the islands and reach Burano. It lies near Torcello at the northern end of the Lagoon, and is known for its lacework. The island rose in importance only in the sixteenth century, when women on the island began making lace with needles. The lace was soon exported across Europe, but decline began in the eighteenth century and the industry did not revive until 1872, when a school of lace making was opened.
Lace making on the island boomed again, but few now make lace in the traditional manner as it is extremely time-consuming and therefore expensive. Burano is situated 7 kilometers from Venice, a short 40 minute trip by Venetian boats, "vaporetti." (Historical data adapted from Wikipedia)
Athens / The House of the Gods
The marble of the Parthenon columns is not white, but it has a soft and milky quality that makes it shine in the sunlight. I had seen thousands of photos, but I still could not believe how beautiful this temple was.
From Wikipedia: "The Parthenon was built for the Greek goddess Athena in the 5th century BC on the Acropolis of Athens. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy, and is one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. [...] Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a "treasury", and for a time served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque in the early 1460s. On September 28, 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, with Ottoman permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. The Greek government is committed to the return of the sculptures to Greece, so far with no success".
Istanbul / Mosques & Tiles
Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople) is Europe's most populous city and Turkey's cultural and financial center. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait, and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European and on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330-395), the Byzantine Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204-1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922).
The slender minarets of the mosques rise to the sky all around Istanbul, and 5 times a day you can heard from them the voice of the "muezzin" calling the Muslims to pray. It is a beautiful chant, related with one of the "five pillars" of Islam: the prayer.
muezzin call, recorded by me at noon
with an iPaq device in the square
between the Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi)
and the New Mosque (Yeni Cami) in Istanbul.
"Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life" (from www.islamicity.com).
One of the best kept secrets in Istanbul is the Tile Museum. Located in the Archaeological Museum Grounds, this Museum is situated in a fascinating 15th century Ottoman building, richly decorated with tiles. The Tile Mansion was built by architect Atik Ali during the reign of Mehmet the Conquer in 1472, whose personal belongings were displayed there. TIP #2: If you have only one day at Istanbul, spend it at the Sarayburnu (or Seraglio Point) area: start visiting the amazing Topkapi Palace, continue with a walk around the Gülhane Park after lunch, and close the day at the Archaeological Museum and the Tile Museum (see "One Day @ Seraglio Point" at the left).
¡Thanks for your visit!
You can go now to my Flickr site to see more photos from my 2006 Europe trip.