Not just ancient history, but REALLY Ancient history

World History is not necessarily a favorite subject growing up, especially Ancient World History.  In America, we typically focus on Greek and Roman history as they were the most advanced civilizations during those eras.  We learn about the Greek philosopher Socrates or Roman Emperors like Julius Caesar.  But what about the Minoans?  You've never heard of them?  I hadn't either until we started planning this trip.  It turns out the Minoans pre-date the great Greek and Roman periods of history -- by a lot.

We arrived in Crete in time to visit the Archaeoligcal Museum of Heraklion before it closed.  It has extensive exhibits of artifacts from the Minoan period that were found throughout Crete.  Minoan is derived from Minos, king of Knossos in Crete in Greek mythology.  The Minoan world started during the Neolithic period circa 7000 BC, continuing through the Bronze Age, and lasted until about 1100 BC.  Knossos is considered to be the oldest city in Europe, older than Athens and Rome, although now it's just a memory.  

A few of the ancient artifacts we saw are pictured here:

The Bee Pendant -- famous gold ornament from Malia on the coast of Crete (1800 - 1700 BC)

The Bull-Leaping Fresco from the Palace of Knossos (1600 - 1400 BC)

Portable ovens (4500 - 3000 BC)

Kamares Ware Pottery (1900 - 1700 BC)

Vasiliki Ware -- various wine jugs and tea pots (2400 - 2200 BC)

The ruins of the ancient Palace of Knossos are just a few minutes south of Heraklion and we will visit this site tomorrow.  Looking forward to learning more about Minoan history.

The Adventures of Wendy and Bryan -- the sequel

Last year I went to the UK for 11 days with our good friend Wendy.  We had a blast in London and then driving for a week around Wales and Cornwall.  Mona was gracious to let me take a trip without her, and because we had so much fun last year, Wendy and I decided to do another trip.....this time to Greece!

Wendy and I are beginning our Greek adventures on the island of Crete.  We've arrived after 13 hours of travel from DC with a change of planes in Zurich.

Crete is the largest island in Greece, both in size and population, and sits about 250 miles south of Athens in the Mediterranean Sea.  Like many places in this region of the world, various empires controlled the lands and seas at various points in history.  Crete is no exception, and you see the historical, archeological, and architectural evidence of the Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman empires that ruled over Crete at various times in its history.

You could easily spend a week or more exploring the island (not counting just lounging around on the beach), but we only have a couple of days, so we are focusing our time in and around the capital city of Heraklion. 

I had good intentions of blogging the entire trip last year, but for those of you who followed along, I didn't even make it out of London.  Our days were so full and we were having such a ball exploring that I simply didn't have the time.   My plan is to do better with this trip, but we'll see if I do.  This may be the first of many posts, or it may be the only one.  Either way, it's going to be a fabulous trip.

Mercado San Telmo

Before heading to the airport for our journey home, we spent our final morning in Buenos Aires exploring the Mercado San Telmo and neighborhood.  The market opened in 1897 catering to the needs of all of the European immigrants coming to Argentina.  Today, its many stalls sell everything from produce and meat to clothing, crafts, antiques, and everything in between.  There's also a variety of cafes and small restaurants.  The aromas were intoxicating.

Although the stalls have changed, the building remains much as it was architecturally when it opened over a century ago.  The neighborhood around the market is a mixture of residences and small shops intertwined with cobblestone streets.  We meandered down to nearby Plaza Dorrego filled with crafters around the entire perimeter of the square. Fortunately, we had already packed for the airplane and 

had no room for Mona to buy

additional souvenirs. 

Alas, our vacation has come to an end, and we now head to the airport for our flights home.   We have loved our time in Buenos Aires and have seen enough to know we need to come back for a longer stay. Antarctica was simply incredible.   We were able to truly be relaxed and stress-free and just be in the moment. The time went by way too fast, but it was very well-spent.

Many Murals

As we traveled through the various neighborhoods, we were struck by the number of murals we encountered.  They ranged from large public art covering the sides of buildings to local street art painted on a door or under windows.  Lionel Messi was a popular subject, especially for the street art.  Here's a sampling:

Checking out the Neighborhoods

We spent our one full day in Buenos Aires checking out some of the various neighborhoods.  Even though we were in a great central location, the city is quite sprawling and some of the neighborhoods we wanted to visit were fairly distant from each other.  Each neighborhood has its own vibe, and we easily noticed differences as we moved around.  We quickly learned that Uber works great here.  Even better -- the dollar to peso conversion made the rides very cheap, usually no more than $3.00 or $4.00.

La Boca:

Our first neighborhood was La Boca which is well south of the Microcentro.  It is a little rough around the edges and very much a working-class neighborhood.  It's also home to the Boca Juniors soccer team, the most famous in Argentina. Diego Maradona, an Argentine icon and one of the greatest footballers of all time, played for Boca.  So did Lionel Messi, who wears the same number 10 as Maradona and just led Argentina to a World Cup victory.  Murals, pictures, and advertisements of Messi were ubiquitous in every neighborhood we visited.

The highlight in La Boca was visiting Caminito.  Caminito inspired the famous tango of the same name, and it is now a bustling street museum with brightly colored buildings. There was a large crowd as tourists mingled with locals. Streets were filled numerous art stalls, restaurants, and shops along with occasional street musicians.  A very colorful neighborhood, both literally and figuratively.

Plaza de Mayo:

Casa Rosada

Plaza de Mayo is one of the main squares in the city and a center of political life.  At one end is the Casa Rosada (the Pink House) which is the official offices of the Argentine president.  At the other end is the Cabildo, a colonial town hall built in 1812 that is now a museum.  Also along the square is the Metropolitan Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Church and former home of Bishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio who we now know as Pope Francis.

Cabildo

Metropolitan Cathedral

Metropolitan Cathedral

Puerto Madero:

Puerto Madero is the old dockside area that no longer sees shipping and cargo. Instead, its old warehouses have been transformed into a lively corridor of restaurants and shops with a vibrant social scene.  This neighborhood definitely skews younger, with a lot of 20- and 30-somethings out for drinks and dinner.

Another more recent icon of Buenos Aires is here, the Puente de la Mujer (Woman's Bridge).  It was designed by famed Spanish architect and sculptor Santiago Calatrava and it has been deemed part of the the city's cultural heritage by the Buenos Aires legislature. The bridge decking is plastic "wood" made from 100,000 recycled single use plastic bottles.

Palermo

We finished our day in the Palermo neighborhood, the largest in the City.  There are actually several sub-neighborhoods within Palermo such as Palermo Chico, Palermo Soho, etc.  We visited Plaza Serrano and the streets surrounding it which is in the heart of Palermo Soho.  There were craft stalls in the square selling jewelry and other items, and the surrounding streets were filled with shops and restaurants.  Palermo is generally known for being a little more upscale with its tree-lined streets and this part was no exception.  We ate dinner at one of the local craft breweries near the square and soaked in the atmosphere with all of the young locals out and about on a Friday night.

While we barely scratched the surface, our day did give us a good feel for Buenos Aires and its neighborhoods.  We look forward to returning and exploring more in depth.

Recoleta Cemetery

Recoleta Cemetery may be the most visited site in Buenos Aires.  If not the most popular, certainly one of the most.  "So, where did you visit??  We went to the cemetery." Definitely sounds a little weird, but it is quite a sight to behold.

The site of the cemetery was once the orchard of the Basilica Nuestra Señora del Pilar which is next door.  It became the city's first public cemetery in 1822.  It was designed by the same French engineer that also designed the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires.  

Over 6,400 statues, sarcophagi, coffins, and crypts are located here.  All of the mausoleums are above ground in a variety of architectural styles including Art Deco, Art Nouveau, baroque, and Neo-gothic.  Most are marble, but there were some brick and one we saw built with stone.

Many famous Argentinians are buried here including former presidents and military heroes, but none more famous than Eva Peron --- Evita.  She is buried in the Duarte family crypt and not with her husband. While many of the mausoleums are grand in size and architecture, the Duarte crypt is much smaller on a side aisle and not in one of the more featured areas.

Eva Peron tomb

It is a beautiful resting place for the dead and a gorgeous, peaceful site for the living.  One that everyone should see when visiting Buenos Aires.

Buenos Tardes Buenos Aires

We've arrived back in Buenos Aires from Ushuaia and are looking forward to exploring the City.  On the way to our cruise we saw a bit of the city, but we didn't have time to get out and about. This time, we're here for two nights before heading home for New Year's.

Because of our late afternoon arrival, we could only visit a couple of sites, but fortunately they were close to our hotel. We're staying in the heart of the city -- Microcentro -- within easy walking distance to several areas to explore.  First up is the Obelisco de Buenos Aires (Obelisk).

The Obelisk is in the middle of the Plaza de la Republica along the main boulevard through the city -- Avenida 9 de Julio.  It was erected in 1936 to celebrate the quadricentennial of the founding of the city by Spanish explorers.  Avenida 9 de Julio is named for Argentina's July 9 Independence Day.  It is a popular spot in the city, and in some ways it resembles Time Square in New York City- especially at night.  Besides large groups of people, there are huge screens on every corner broadcasting advertisements.

Teatro Colon

On the way to the Obelisk we stopped by Teatro Colon, the grand opera house that saw its first performance in 1908. It's considered one of the great opera houses of the world, and the names of singers, musicians, and conductors who have performed here are a who's who of classical music. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to take a tour of the interior, so that will be during a future visit.

We capped our evening with dinner at Pizzeria Guerrin, founded in 1932 and one of the oldest pizzerias in the city.  Argentina is well known for beef and Malbec wine, so why we would we go eat pizza?  Over two million Italians immigrated to Argentina between 1880 and 1920, bringing with them their traditional cuisine.  And it's not just pizza, but pasta and pastries as well.   Pizzeria Guerrin has thick, airy slices and lots of cheese.  Our pizza was no exception, lightly sauced and very fresh.  The crust reminded us of focaccia.  We stuck with our traditional favorite of pepperoni, with wine for Mona and a beer for me.

The restaurant was HOPPING!  It was two levels and a small mezzanine and every table was full so people were waiting.

While I'm sure there were other tourists, it definitely had the feel of a local place where we were one of the very few people speaking English.  We left about 9:30pm, and there was a line of at least 100 people just waiting to get in, let alone the 200-300 people already inside.  Our online research indicated it was the best and most popular pizza in Buenos Aires.  The number of people there definitely confirmed it.  It's a good thing our eating at 8pm was eating early for the locals.  

Huge line waiting to get in