Walking the Ruins

 I am walking daily now the worst heat is over so I  took my quad bike up to the Temple to Poseidon to see if there were any wild cyclamen growing up there and walk along a different stretch of road.  The cyclamen love to grow around rocks and in the pine needles where little else will grow.

I took a few photos of the area while it is still dry and brown.  Soon it will be green and grassy and the stones that remain, very few, will be covered.

The entrance way to the Temple for Poseidon.  So they say.  There is nothing left but a few stones forming the boundary

Inside the Temple area itself.  Now a small grove of pines

My ancient throne.

  My handy marble seat, maybe from a column.  I always sit here to contemplate and enjoy the silence.  Yesterday it was too hot, at 4pm, and I had to move and perch on a wall

A plinth.  The white marble base of a column.  

This is a semi circle of marble with what looks like seating but probably isn't.  Twenty years ago we would bring the grandchildren up here to play in the dirt and sit and have a picnic.  There is now rope around this place .  This doesn't stop anyone from jumping over though.

The whole Temple area is free to all visitors and the gate is never closed.  There is no guard with a whistle as there is on the Acropolis.  You don't dare to get close enough to touch anything up near the Parthenon.

The only 'large' area of stone wall that remains

Cyclamen and a forest of dry spiky sea squills.

This is their year.  There are growing everywhere in dry stoney ground.  Underneath is a huge bulb which is extremely difficult to dig up (as Cro knows).  The bulb is hung on the outside door at New Year to bring good luck

The view from the Temple.  You can see the straits leading to Poros and right across to the mainland.  At night the lights along the coast from Athens can be clearly seen