Iolkos

I have little to say about this place. Iolkos was the home of Jason according to legend. There is a Mycenaean citadel there but I actually managed to miss it. We only stopped here because it was more or less on the way. Unfortunately due to the strikes we were unable to get in. The entire site was fenced off. So I, uh, hopped the fence. I'm a little embarrassed about that but I was really fed up with governmental stupidity by this point. They just aren't capable of running these priceless sites by themselves. The popular and rich ones or the ones located by prosperous towns are the only exceptions. It makes me sympathize with the British when they roamed through these lands taking all the priceless artifacts back to display in London. We kept joking that the British members of the group were sizing up the sites to see what artifacts to take when they entire country inevitably dissolved in riots.

Thebes

Thebes (Thiva) is a decent sized town in Boeotia. This was one of the most important Mycenaean cities from Greek legend. Oedipus was king of Thebes as were Cadmus and Pentheius. The god Dionysus was born here. The city was sacked by the Seven Against Thebes just before the Trojan War which is why none of their heroes showed up. The modern city hasn't really got much to recommend it. We never got out of our car on account of it being a death trap. The traffic patter here was really dreadful and we nearly got hit twice, which is twice more than in the rest of Greece. From what we saw there wasn't much here. There's the Cadmeion which was the citadel on the the hill where palace used to be but it's really nothing but a pile of rocks at this point. There are a few other sites around the city but they're not much. The bus stops here so if you get a bus to or from Athens you can see it out your window.

Gla

 

Gla is a Mycenaean citadel in Boeotia. It's about twenty miles or so from Thebes and was where the villagers used to go when they were under attack. The citadel doesn't have a palace or any major buildings since it was intended as a temporary refuge. They think. This entire area used to be swamp which made it harder for any armies to campaign there. This is a pretty cool site since nobody knows it exists. if you're looking fro aa genuinely untouched site this is the one.

Tiryns

COMING SOON

Pylos

COMING SOON

 

Pylos is a beautiful place. The area just looks quintessentially Greek. The bay itself has a beautiful beach, the surrounding area is filled with history, and the main roads are little more than paved dirt paths. Nestor's Palace is located on one of the hills just over the umbrellas on the left.

Mycenae

If you're trying to get to Mycenae from Athens don't try to catch the bus from Nafplia. That is what the sites recommend, but it is a waste of time. There are three Nafplia-Mykines buses that leave on the hour from 10 to 2. They have a tendency to cancel them with no warning. There is no need to take them though since the bus to Nafplia goes within two miles of Mycenae. Get off the bus at the stop for Fichtio, a small town about 40 minutes from Athens. Take the road opposite the bus station east to the town of Mykines. That's the modern town built up to take advantage of the tourist trade to Mycenae. It's only about a mile and a half down the road. You can go back the same way which saves having to rely on the limited buses going to Nafplia. They have buses running until about 8 or 9 so you have more time to see what you want.