Tag Archives: ruins

Every square inch of Greece has a story to tell. History imbues the ancient structures and the fallen stones. Even without an education in what was called in the West “The Classics”, the names were all familiar to me from childhood, and I recognised many of the stories. At Olympia, I saw Hera’s alter, where […]

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The home of the Delphi Oracle has a mystic resonance. The air is electric, infused with the smell of mountain herbs, and full of possibility. Of course, it might have just been the heat, or the early start. Whatever it was, I felt an energy at the Sanctuary of Apollo in Ancient Delphi that I […]

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Nestled at the foot of the Hajar Mountains are some of the oldest villages in Oman.  This is a rugged, desert region with little rainfall. Settlements could only survive where ground water was available. But, where water was found, it was ingeniously managed. Using a type of irrigation system developed 5000 years ago in Persia, […]

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I fell in love with Crete. Greece’s southernmost district, Crete is the country’s largest and most populous island. Nestled between the Aegean and Libyan Seas, it is home to a magnificent coastline and beautiful beaches (eg: Preveli Beach). Populated since time immemorial, there is evidence of human settlement as early as 130,000 years ago. Buildings […]

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I always struggled with Greek mythology: there was an irrationality and impetuosity to the behaviour of the Gods that didn’t sit well with my conservative upbringing. And, having been trained to ‘be good’ and to ‘work hard’, the concept of being unable to escape one’s fate – regardless of one’s behaviour – was an anathema! […]

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