Month: October 2014

A Little Church in Tseria

Just below my parents house in Tseria is a small church, not even the biggest one in the village, and all around its outside are interesting pieces of artwork…

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Versions of this "snowflake" pattern appear in all sorts of contexts in Greece, notably in a very simple version that adorns many a metal gate.
Versions of this “snowflake” pattern appear in all sorts of contexts in Greece, notably in a very simple version that adorns many a metal gate.

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Dimitsana: The Gunpowder Mill

Like the Tannery, this has a video explaining the process of making gunpowder. Most of the gunpowder used by the Greeks in the War of Independence of 1821 was manufactured in Dimitsana, so this is of particular relevance to this museum. Once more it is a story told in pictures…

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These are the mortars - later I will be posting a video of them in action.
These are the mortars – later I will be posting a video of them in action.

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Dimitsana 2: The Tannery

The Tannery is absolutely remarkable. There is a 15 minute video which describes the process of getting from skins to usable leather. The process was painstakingly slow, occupying something in the region of a month per batch of skins. If you are ever fortunate enough to visit this site make sure you watch the video right through – it is good.

Once again, pictures will tell this story better than words…

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These skins are ready for the tanning process to start.
These skins are ready for the tanning process to start.

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Here we are part way through the process.
Here we are part way through the process.

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This leather is ready for use.
This leather is ready for use.

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Karytaina

Our final stop of the day was at Karytaina, where there is an old Frankish fort (from the time of the fourth crusade) which at present you can only see a little of, and a very fine Byzantine church, albeit with far less of the decorative use of Roman style brickwork than the others I have featured.

Enjoy some excellent pictures…

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This is a modern replica of a Byzantine church, though somewhat less ghastly than most of the genre.
This is a modern replica of a Byzantine church, though somewhat less ghastly than most of the genre.

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These little yellow flowers are called Stonebergia.
These little yellow flowers are called Stonebergia.

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A spectacular view of the old and new or high and low (ano- and kato- in Greek) bridges.
A spectacular view of the old and new or high and low (ano- and kato- in Greek) bridges.
The river from on high.
The river from on high.

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The Lousios Gorge and Ayios Andreas

The Lousios, the coldest river in Greece (although as the travel writer of the ancient world, Pausanias, is honest enough to point out, not by any means the coldest in the world), is a tributary of the Alfios, which featured in one of my earlier posts: https://aspiblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/leaving-olympia/ and it too flows all year round. The chapel of Ayios Andreas was closed, but there was a missing pane in the glass cross on the door, so I did get some internal pictures. Enjoy these…

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This is a modern monastery - the older ones are concealed from public view.
This is a modern monastery – the older ones are concealed from public view.

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One of the two internal views.
One of the two internal views.

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The Lousios in full spate.
The Lousios in full spate.

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The bridge across the Lousios
The bridge across the Lousios
This memorial is near where we dropped our second hitch-hiker of the day.
This memorial is near where we dropped our second hitch-hiker of the day.
It took a lot of effort to get a good shot of this lake.
It took a lot of effort to get a good shot of this lake.yios

The Lousios Gorge: Ancient Gortys

From Dimitsana we descended into the Lousios Gorge, where there is a Byzantine church and the remains of ancient Gortys, not be confused with Gortyn on the island of Crete.

There is not the hugest amount to see at Gortys but I did get some good pictures….

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These stones were referred to as Cyclopean and one can understand why people thought this kind of building was the work of giants.
These stones were referred to as Cyclopean and one can understand why people thought this kind of building was the work of giants.

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This is not properly a mosaic since there is no pattern, but is constructed in the same kind of way.
This is not properly a mosaic since there is no pattern, but is constructed in the same kind of way.

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Dimitsana 1: Before the Tannery

The open air museum of water power at Dimitsana is a remarkable site, worthy of several posts. This post covers the first part of the site, leading up to the tannery, and including some stuff about fulling, and some introductory stuff about water and energy.

Pictures tell this story better than words…

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The information boards at Dimitsana are some of the best I have ever encountered.
The information boards at Dimitsana are some of the best I have ever encountered.

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This is a Raki still.
This is a Raki still.

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Leaving Olympia

A final coda to my post about Olympia (https://aspiblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/ancient-olympia/), a lively and amusing version of the story of how the ancient Olympics got started is told by Tom Holt in the novel Olympia. Any book with his name on the cover will be a good read.

After an excellent stay at the Hotel Europa, we set off as intended just before 10 o’clock. For the next hour things did not go quite as planned…

First we could not find our way on to the road from Olympia to Tripoli as intended, and then having got on to a suitable route we picked up a hitchhiker which delayed things further.

However, we still arrived at our first stop of the day, Dimitsana, in good time to go round the open air museum of water power.

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The Alfios Dam - this river most emphatically does flow all year round.
The Alfios Dam – this river most emphatically does flow all year round.
Part of the station building at Olympia - sadly it served its last customer some years ago.
Part of the station building at Olympia – sadly it served its last customer some years ago.
I think this underplays the excellence of the hotel!
I think this underplays the excellence of the hotel!

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The map of Greece even marks Tseria - nearly as remarkable as Fakenham being marked on a map of Europe!
The map of Greece even marks Tseria – nearly as remarkable as Fakenham being marked on a map of Europe!

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This map shows all of Greece.
This map shows all of Greece.

me pictures from this portion of the day…

Mosaics

Between those on display at my parents holiday home, the stuff at cape Tainaros and a good mosaic at Olympia I reckon I have enough to justify providing a collection of mosaic pictures…

The first four photos are of mosaics from the Roman villa near the end of mainland Greece!
The first four photos are of mosaics from the Roman villa near the end of mainland Greece!

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These are the shots I took and kept of the mosaic on display at Olympia
These are the shots I took and kept of the mosaic on display at Olympia

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This one focusses on the central area of the mosaic.
This one focusses on the central area of the mosaic.
This mosaic is in the bathroom at Tseria
This mosaic is in the bathroom at Tseria

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Mosaic postcards on display at Tseria
Mosaic postcards on display at Tseria