Konsultan SEO Surabaya

I always look forward to returning to Athens,Greece to see my friends and all those old familiar places that I have grown to love as my own 'adopted' city/country.  I made my first trip to Greece in 1979, arriving by bus to Thessaloniki (from London) and then by train to Athens. I fell in love with Greece immediately. It was almost as if I had lived there before and on that first trip, plus other trips since,



I have had so many deja vu experiences it really does make me think I lived there in another lifetime. In fact, my Celtic novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY is a first person narrative of a Celtic girl who gets kidnapped and ends up in Greek Macedonia. In researching it I have discovered so many connections between the Celts and the Greeks.  The whole idea of the novel (which I started writing in the '70's before I had actually visited Greece) was because my first historical novel, written when I was 17 in high school, had an Alexander the Great theme. I became fascinated with him when I was 16 and often people asked if I had lived in Greece before because I was able to write such vivid descriptions of the country and the characters.

Amphipolis is the setting in the last part of SHADOW OF THE LION: BLOOD ON THE MOON and is the setting for the last half of book two, THE FIELDS OF HADES. So I felt it was important to revisit it especially with the excitement of the tomb find. In fact, my novel was published exactly when the announcements were made about the tomb so this has created a great deal of excitement for me in Greece. I took this to be an excellent omen. And perhaps the other two were as well. They were certianly symbolic of events that happen in the novel!



We stopped at various places of interest, such as the lion and the old walls. He explained what he could and pointed out many grave-sites that are not marked.  The major grave find  had actually been 'discovered' some time before but not thoroughly excavated. Once the archaeologist started digging they were amazed and since then much speculation has gone on about whose tomb it is.  My first guess is that it could be a family tomb of the the Antipatrids' family, the largest clan in Macedon. Antipator was regent for both Alexander and Philip. And his son, Kassandros, was the despot who took over after Alexander's dynasty was destroyed.  I mentioned this to an archaeologist I met on Salamina and he agreed. But since then I am thinking it is more than likely the tomb of one of the top generals, as there were a couple who came from that area. And if the lion had been on top of the grave mound, then could it be his tomb?


You can't get close to the tomb digs. I was only able to observe it from across the valley. I was told they are digging down from the top to get to the inside of it and it is massive. You can see by the photos that it takes up almost half the hilldside which, in fact, is really a grave mount like the one at Vergina was where the Royal Tombs are located. 



We drove around a bit more trying to get as close as possible. The driver showed me various other sites along the way including parts of the old walls, likely Byzantine period, and the place where an ancient wooden bridge once spanned the river.


There is a new museum at Amphipolis that wasn't there on my last visits. But we didn't have time to stop and look inside. From the museum area you can look out over the valley toward the tomb.


The archaeologists promise that they will reveal soon who they believe occupied the grave.  I can't believe it would be Roxana or Iskander as Kassandros hated them. He hated Alexander's mother too and it is more likely she is buried in the royal tombs of Vergina. It definitely wouldn't be Alexander as he was interred in Alexandria, Egypt.  So if it isn't the Antipatrides family it is more than for a famous general. Which one though: Antigonos the One Eyed?  Lysimichos, who was King of Thrace, Nearchos, admiral of the fleet? Or is it, Laomedon, the one who they believed the lion was dedicated to?

Care to make any bets?

WATCH THESE VIDEOS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=efmPz9iBF1Y
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHNqhGflskk
www.theamphipolistomb.com/

NEXT: Back to Athens and my book promo tour.

 After my couple of days in Thessalonki I decided to spend some beach time in the north. It had been a toss-up between various locations but in the end I chose Asroprovala, a small beach town about two hours from Thessaloniki. I used to go camping there on my past trips when I was working on research for SHADOW.  This time I made the choice to go there rather than Thassos Island, which I love, or the Halkidiki penisula was because just as I was making plans for Greece, the tomb find at Amphipolis was made pubic. Asprovalta is close to Amphipolis and I decided that I'd take the chance on going to see this remarkable archaeological site. It all fit in with my wish to tour some of the novel's sites as well.


I booked myself into a nice hotel. I'd thought it was going to be right on the beach and it wasn't, but the beach wasn't far away, just a short walk. And the people at the hotel were very welcoming and helpful.


The beach was about a 10 minute walk along a country road. It was a long stretch of sand and not very many people on it at that time of year. So I managed to have a couple of leisurely days just hanging out in the sun, swimming and enjoying a little rest.

In the evening I sat out in the big back yard of the hotel and wrote in my journal. There was a good restaurant at the hotel too though not many patrons enjoying the delicious food.


On my second day I asked the hotel clerk to hire a taxi for me so I could make the trip to Amphipolis. The first time I'd been I had walked up the road to from the main highway, and second time took the local bus up to where the old hill fort used to be. This time, as my time was limited and I didn't fancy the long hike, I decided on a taxi ride. And as it turned out, I was glad that I did because the cab driver was familiar with the territory and knew exactly what to show me.

NEXT:  AMPHIPOLIS:  A VIEW OF THE TOMB

Before I left for Greece I was invited by poet friend Manolis Aligizakis to attend his book launch in Thessaloniki. As I was planning to go up north anyway to revisit Macedonia since my book was published, I decided to make a point of going for this event.

I had only just arrived in Athens when I got the train up north for a few days stay in this beautiful northern city, once known as "The Paris of the North". The hotel I'd booked was conveniently located on the main street and not too distant from where Manolis' presentation would be held at the Poeta Cafe.



It was a pleasant evening and the poetry presentation was held out-doors under the trees in the plateia. There was a nice crowd to enjoy the poetry and music supplied by a talented young man who played the accordian.

The next day I set off to visit the Society of Macedonian Studies who are given credit in my novel as they were helpful with my research when I began writing SHADOW OF THE LION back in 1993.
One of the beautiful things about Thessaloniki  is the long walk along the sea-front.  To get there I walked through a long plateia with palm trees and greenery, lined with shops and cafes. 




All along the seafront are gorgeous old neo-classical buildings, many tavernas and cafes and bustling crowds of young people -- mainly students from the University of Aristotle. 
In fact, at the end of the Square, which is called Aristotle's Square, is a bronze statue of the famous philosopher who was once the teacher of Alexander the Great.




The spirit of Alexander is very evident in Thessaloniki, although it was not established til well after his death, named for his half-sister Thessaloniki, who was co-erced into marrying Kassandros, the man who brought down Alexander's dynasty.  (It's interesting to me as all these people are featured in my novel.  In fact, as I sat at a cafe in the Square I saw a table of men who  resembled what I imagined my generals would be like!)
I've strolled the sea-walk many times before during my various research trips to the city.  In the distance is the White Tower, one of Thessaloniki's famous landmarks that dates back to Byzantine and Ottoman times. Across from the Tower I spotted the impressive building that houses the Society of Macedonian Studies. At the edge of a park nearby I found a statue of Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.
I had one of my books with me and wanted to present it to the director. However, when I went there I was told I'd need an appointment, which I didn't have, nor did I have time to set one up as I had only planned for one full day in the city. So I dropped the book off in the hands of one of the secretaries and only hope it got to the right person. (I've never heard from them so I have no idea if it was delivered).

After leaving there I walked back toward the sea. Ahead of me I could see the silhouetted outline of the famous statue of Alexander on his horse Bucephalus.  This is one of my favorite sights in the city and one I have paid homage at many times. The monument has Alexander facing East toward his conquests.  Surrounding the platform are the tall sarissas, the pikes used by his phalanx, as well as their shields all marked for the various units in the army.  It's an impressive sight!





Right near there is a theatre and what a surprise to see a large poster advertising a production "Alexander, the Musical". I can't imagine what it would be like!  After paying homage at the statue, I walked back over to the wonderful Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.


On my very first trip to the city back in 1979, they had just put the finds of the royal tombs of Vergina on display. What a thrill that was to be one of the first to observe them!  Since then the finds have been returned to the tombs and I have also viewed them there, a much more impressive sight than just seeing them in the museum cases.  There are still a few Alexander-themed finds in the museum as well as other interesting artifacts.


My intention was to go on a side-trip to visit Pella, the ancient capital where Alexander grew up, and one of the settings in my novel. However, my time was hurried and instead, I decided to explore the city because Thessaloniki has a long and rich history.  So the next day, instead of taking the bus to Pella, I spent the morning visiting some of the places in Thessaloniki I had not seen before, in the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Turk parts of this amazing city.

NEXT: A Historic Walk in Thessaloniki