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Published: August 9th 2007
Thebes to Orchomenos 7-05 Been having trouble getting wireless access last few days. Anyway here's my report on Orchomenos.
Today (7-5) I set out for Orchomenos to see what I could find there. The town didn’t disappoint.
I took the bus first to Livadia, which was an experience in and of itself, and then to Orchomenos. I didn’t have to go far from the bus stop before I happened upon the remains of the 4th century B.C. theater, and immediately behind it, the tomb of the legendary King Minyas. I was, of course, especially taken with the tomb and with the unique ceiling of its side room (pictured below) I didn’t have any luck finding the palace of Orchomenos, though admittedly most report that the remains of it are minimal at best. However, the tomb and the theater alone would have made it well worth the trip. But then I happened upon something I didn’t expect at all. High on a hill above the city was a stone fortress. I’ve since attempted to find out which fort this was, how old it was etc. The best source I found (the Dartmouth site) says that it was built during the time of Alexander. It may
not have been Mycenaean, but it was nonetheless an impressive structure. So much so that I couldn’t resist scrambling up the huge craggy, weed-begone hill to take a look.
The entire trek took me about four hours, up and down, over large boulders and tangles of low-lying brush (happily, not nearly as many as at Gla), until finally I reached the steep, rocky apex of the hill where I was confronted with a steep, crumbling staircase ascending to the fortress. I had second thoughts about attempting to scale the staircase, but then I realized that it was probably carved into the rock itself and the large cracks (and ruinous state of the lower stairs) were probably due to seismic activity. So, I set aside some my belongings, that I had, up to this point, been schlepping up the hill, and literally on hands and knees, I climbed the stairs. The stairs weren’t nearly as difficult as I’d anticipated and in about 5 or 6 minutes I reached the fortress.
The view of the surrounding countryside from there was absolutely breathtaking, and the scale and construction of the walls no less so. I could see below the fortress two walls built
of (probably) limestone boulders which encircled what must have been the main acropolis of Orchomenos. I had before seen only the north wall from the angle that I ascended the hill. It’s probably for the best that I didn’t come straight up through the main acropolis as I learned afterward from the townspeople that the acropolis is home to an uncommonly large and dense population of snakes.
There was a passage to the back of the fortress owing to a partially collapsed join in the northeast corner. I ventured through the opening and found a large pile of debris (mostly huge cut stone blocks) crowning the steep dropoff to the north of the rocky outcropping on which the fortress sits. I clambered over the pile and found that I could climb up over them to get a view from over the top of the back wall of the fortress, facing west. Then behind the fortress, on the same hill below the apex, I spied a lone pillar. There was a passage created by fallen stone blocks between top of the crest and the lower part of the hill, which would otherwise have probably been impassible from that direction. So again
I clambered over the blocks to see the pillar. It was about four feet high and made of some kind of aggregate concrete, and, rather inexplicably, a rock was perched on top of it with a piece of plastic tarp under it. Satisfied I’d everything to see in that area, I crossed the “bridge” of stone blocks once again and scaled the pile of debris to re-enter the fortress. Coming back I noticed a pit in the ground about 8 feet deep, but the area was so overgrown I couldn’t make out more than that.
I stayed in the fortress for a while just looking around at the countryside. The feeling was incredible. But I didn’t linger long as it was now about 3pm and the sun was beating down relentlessly overhead. That and my water supply was running low.
I descended the staircase, backward, feet first because I didn’t dare try walking down them as I would any other staircase. I reclaimed my belongings that I’d left at the base of the stairs and continued down the hill. I’d just begun to feel the effects of the heat and realized that the warmish water in my Camelpak wasn’t doing
me much good. It seemed like every ten feet I had to get down on my belly and slide backwards over a large boulder, but after about an hour I reached the bottom of the hill where I had started.
Here began my most endearing experiences in Orchomenos. I happened upon an elderly farmer working on his tractor as I was going back down the hill towards the city. His name was Thanasis. He was incredibly kind and he asked me where I was from, what I was doing in Greece, etc. He offered me a drink of cold water and I took it gladly. He expressed sincere admiration at my reaching the fortress on the hill. In sandals no less! He said that he would have given me a ride into town but that his son was in town with their truck. I thanked him for the water and hospitality and continued down the road.
Walking back into town, I walked past the old theater in search of a taverna. I think I must have looked a little unsteady on my feet as I walked past the park, because two men in their forties beckoned me to
come and sit next to them on a blanket they’d spread out on the ground underneath a tree. They asked me again where I was from, and why I was in Orchomenos, and I told them as best I could. I showed them the pictures of the fortress on my camera and they looked at them admiringly. After we’d talked for a while and I felt a little rested, I asked them to point me to the nearest taverna so I could get a drink and wash my feet. They pointed me down the road towards a taverna near the bus stop, apparently the only one open at that hour.
As I was walking down the road a man in his 60s approached me. Apparently he’d heard from the other two men about my trip up to the “paliokastro” as it was known. He asked me where I was going and I told him to the taverna, and he walked along with me, asking again where I was from etc. We took a seat at the lone table near the door outside the taverna which was actually closed. But the man tapped his finger on the glass and called
to someone named Charis and in short order a man appeared at the door. My companion asked Charis to bring us water and some lemonade, and the man did so. I thanked my companion and asked his name. He told me his name was Kostas. Kostas didn’t say much, to me or anyone, but it was clear that he was a serious but kindly man, who was greeted by name by every soul who walked past. I told him I was staying in Thiva and asked what time the next bus to Livadia was, and he said 6pm. With that we got up, and Charis bid Kostas goodbye, and never a cent changed hands. For all I knew, Kostas might have been the mayor.
We walked down the bus stop and pulled up a couple of chairs opposite the bus stop in the shade under the awning of what appeared to be some kind of print shop. Shortly the manager of the print shop, whose name was Aleka, and Evgenia, the proprietress of the newsstand across the street, came to join us and pulled up chairs in front of Kostas and me. Kostas told the women about my excursion to
the paliokastro and they at first expressed disbelief then sincere admiration when I showed them my pictures. Evgenia got up momentarily to cross the street to tend to a customer and came back with a portokaladi (basically an orange soda) which she gave to me. I accepted it gladly and continued telling them of my travels in Greece, my archaeology studies etc., (all of this mind you in my very limited Greek as none of them spoke or understood a word of English). Everyone was very surprised to learn that I was in the country alone. I learned from the women that Kostas was a musician who played the clarinet, which somehow made sense to me. Aleka’s daughter, who was about my age, came out of the shop and told me that she too was going to Livadia and that she would show me to the bus stop for Thiva when we got there. About this time the bus appeared and I bid the gang a fond farewell.
I guess you could say I was a real hit in Orchomenos. These were some of the most incredibly warm people I’ve ever come across. I only wish I could have understood
and spoken the language better. If I could have, I wouldn’t have minded staying for hours talking to them.
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Mom
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What a Great Day!
So happy this posting finally arrived...been looking for it for two days. Hope the wireless issue smooths out for you. The pix and commentary are super. Next time you find friendly locals, get someone to take a shot of you. I want to see if its really my daughter climbing all these crumbling staircases and treking those overgrown pathways. So now, on to Athens?