Municipium Stobensium-Stobi, Macedonia

The rolling fields of poppies and wildflowers alongside the "old highway" to Stobi.

 

We are on the main North-South highway (E-75) in the Balkans heading North for Skopje; we left Paralia early enough to make a stop at the Roman city of Municipium Stobensium (Stobi), hoping for a tour of the archaeological site. The weather is perfect, not too much sun (some high clouds) and the heat factor is low. I am hoping to see the "famous" mosaics of Stobi.

 

The construction ascends the hillside; the wealthier are higher up the hill.

 

We exit the highway at Negotino and travel North on the old highway which follows the flow of the countryside and affords us a much better view of the rolling farmlands and vineyards of central Macedonia. Roy is driving and dutifully pulls over every time we (Janice and me) want to take a photograph; although he does mention at this rate we will not make it until sunset!

 

The remnants of the former columns that graced Stobi in ancient times.

 



 The old highway delivers us to the back entrance of the Stobi site; the parking lot is empty, at first it appeared closed, then Janice notices a guard and an entrance into the grounds of Stobi. The guard directs us to the opposite side to purchase our tickets and to meet our guide (it's free!) We wander to the other side to get our tickets; Janice buys Roy a historical T-shirt (appropriate at his age) and we discover that Roy and yours truly get a Senior discount (go figure) of 50 Denars (roughly $1.10) and our guide will be with us shortly.

One side of the old theater is still standing.

 

Instead of waiting for the guide, we start walking from the ticket booth/gift shop over to the "old theater", that has the names of "season" ticket holders carved into the marble seats )just like the seats in the theater of Heraklea, Macedonia). The theater is partially excavated and restored; we will learn later from our guide that the theater was stripped for other construction during the Byzantine/Christian era of Stobi.

 

This is the remains of the stage of the theater of Stobi.

 

Stobi is an ancient city dating back to 7-6th century BCE occupation/settlement by the Paionians; followed by advancement into a city and absorption into the Macedonian empire; and finally conquered by the Romans in the 2nd century BCE.  Stobi was located at a strategic junction of several Roman roads; it's importance increased due to the salt trade and direct connection to Belgrade (Singidunum) and Thessaloniki. The city continued to grow in size and importance and eventually minted its own coins (1st-3rd century CE); it would in time with the arrival of Christianity become an important Episcopal seat.

 

A "grid" formed dig on the site of the Temple of Isis.

 







The guide has finally arrived and directs towards a well defined dig on the far side of the city. He explains that the work was completed last summer and as a result of the study, the Temple of Isis was unearthed, he explained that the Romans would frequently incorporate other deities into their "realm" of gods.

The pillars of the Temple of Isis are missing and so are the statues that would have been present in the temple.

 

The guide, who is quite young and speaks four languages, explains that during the Byzantine era, the Christians destroyed the temple and the statues of the temple; he said the archaeologist's are hoping to find pieces of the statues buried somewhere in the city. It was not unusual for succeeding civilizations to dismantle the "ruins" of the previous people to build their new city (in Istanbul, the Roman "hippodrome" was deconstructed to allow the Byzantines to create the Haiga Sophia).

 

Within the grid are foundation stones; walkways and clay pipes; all about 8 feet below the ground.

 

The guide is leading us away from the "main" part of the unearthed city of Stobi, closer to the river and towards a large structure that is also below ground, however,  level with the Temple of Isis. He says in the past, it has been designated as the Roman Forum; recent discussion is focusing on the archival building/library of the city due to the construction of a "curved" room on the main/ground floor.

Notice the "double" arches on the back left of the "archive building" in Stobi.

 

Beyond the archive building can be seen the remnants of the "Inner Wall" of Stobi. As he leads us towards the main residential area of Stobi, the guide informs us that at the height of Roman occupation, Stobi had 15,000 residents within the walls and at least 15,000 people (including a large number of slaves) who were not afforded protection at night behind the guarded walls; living in lesser dwellings, that were of poorer quality. The Stobi site abuts the E-75; across the highway is the Byzantine Cemetery Basilica; the Roman cemetery is just outside the western walls of the city.

 

Up close view of the arches.

 

I am still looking for the mosaics with no luck as we approach the beginning of the residential areas of Roman Stobi.

The first mosaic (mainly browns, white and black); the hole was a base for a fountain.

 

The residences of the Romans are decorated with fountains, mosaics and if lucky you get a glimpse of the former columns that supported the roof lines of Stobi. The guide informs us that most of the mosaics will not be uncovered until the end of May; as in Heraklea, the mosaics are covered in plastic and the several inches of sand to protect from the winter elements. The first mosaic is contains a geometric surround; animals and fish nearer the fountain; and upon close inspection the pieces that make up the mosaic are tiny! This is just an "appetizer" of what is to come.

 

We are "climbing' the stairs of Stobi.

 

An exposed covered (portico) walkway.

 

Due to the fairly recent work on Stobi and the strict controls imposed by the Macedonian government, the mosaics have not been damaged or removed by artifacts thieves (a real issue in the Balkans). The guide tell us that the most important pieces are in the National Museum in Skopje; there are no current plans for an on site museum in Stobi. However, if Macedonia ever gets the tourism trade going; all the historical sites are within one day travel from Skopje and there are so many; it is a natural tourist magnet; good roads, reasonable prices, great  food and wonderful people.

 

Theodosian's Palace, partially uncovered mosaic.

The walkway mosaic from Theodosian's Palace.

 

The guide is moving us towards the part of Stobi where most of the Byzantine construction is still visible; most of the Byzantine Church construction is above and/or on top of the Roman buildings.

 

The view of Stobi looking towards the Crna River, in the background is the archive building.

 

The tour has been an easy walk for us; well scripted; a guide who is very knowledgeable about his subject; willing to answer questions and to put up with photographers. The Byzantine area seems to focus mainly on church and supporting structures for government; I suspect that the Roman residences served the Byzantines too, during their time in Stobi. Stobi basically ceased to exist after the 6th century; it disappeared (was covered by mother nature) and not "rediscovered" until the 1860's.

 

The remaining pillars from a Semicircular Court.

 

The artifacts near the semicircular court and the area leading to the Episcopal Basilica bear the markings of the Orthodox Church; huge chunks of marble and broken columns lay on the ground; pottery shards on the ground in a corner; Latin inscriptions on countless pieces of stone; missing is any type of statue or likeness to human form; one would ask, "who were these people; what did they look like; why is there nothing here to show what they looked like?"

 

Base stones for the fallen pillars of Stobi.

 

The Basilica is in front of us, under protective cover to prevent further damage to the exposed foundation(s) of the structure. It was expanded twice from the original design; you can see the ever increasing half-circle of the base of the church; built to accommodate an increasing congregation.

 

Two of the three curved foundations for the Episcopal Basilica.



 

The real treasure of Stobi is right behind us; the Baptistery of the Episcopal Basilica is in amazing condition; it too is covered with a roof, allowing exposure of the mosaics that cover the floor.

 

The mosaic floor of the Episcopal Baptistery of Stobi; reddish browns, brown, a yellow, white and black.

 

The detail is captivating.

 

Notice the tiles that lined the wall of the Bapistery.

 

 

The largest outdoor mosaics were not uncovered on our visit to Stobi; I plan on returning the last weekend in May to photograph these beautiful 1500-2000 plus year old mosaics. There are not many photographs of the buildings in Stobi; I focused on the mosaics for the blog to highlight the importance of this ancient city; remember the archaeologist's have barely unearthed the lower part of the city of Stobi; there are more surprises to come.

 

The only human shapes I found in Stobi.

 

Men's "bath" house.

 

The outer Roman wall of Stobi; highway (E-75) in background.

 

Stobi is located about one hour's drive from Skopje. All of the drive is on a highway, which has an easy exit to Gradsko (closet city) and then Stobi. I am looking forward to sharing this adventure with my wife; and of course, followed by wine tasting at the Stobi winery located in Gradsko.

 

Roy and Janice drive me back to Skopje and we decide to treat ourselves to McDonalds; yeah, I know. However, a good plan as on May 14, 2013, McDonald's closed across Macedonia (all seven of them). Thanks to Roy and Janice for the adventure to Paralia, Greece and Stobi.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 





 

Paralia, Greece

The "hotel" beach area in Paralia.

 

We hit the road heading South to Greece for the long Orthodox Easter weekend. Roy and Janice drove down Friday night from Kosovo; we had dinner in Skopje and the up early for Paralia.

Paralia is located Southwest from Thessaloniki; just West of Katerini, directly on the Aegean Sea.

The church is on the beach!

 

It is a "typical" beach town; tourist oriented shops and restaurants; topless beach (remember this Europe); a beautiful Orthodox church dominating the small city plaza and a marina on the South end of town. There isn't much happening today; but wait until tonight; The Vigil of the Resurrection occurs tonight and my first floor room will be right above the worshipers and the priest with an amplified microphone.

 A small fishing fleet is moored along the seawall.

 

Janice will venture out tonight to participate in the ceremony; we even purchased her candles to light and carry in the procession to the front of the church from a street vendor. Roy and I will have a beer and retire to our respective rooms.

I'm thinking McDonald's forgot something when they left town!

 

Earlier in the day, Janice and I walked the town taking photographs and searching for a great restaurant for dinner. We do discover the "Fishermen's Café" looking out over the harbor; we enter the open air establishment and are met by the most gracious of hosts; who even takes us to the "fish" cooler to display what he has available for the day. We are "hooked" and make reservations for 7:30 PM that night; this is our first faux pas of the day.

I think this assembled netting and rings would be shrimp/crab traps.

 

The sun is starting to shift and seems a little lower in the sky than normal; we are moving around the marina towards the dry dock area to look at three large boats under repair and the apparent shell of a damage cabin cruiser.

Looking inside the cruiser you could see serious damage; must have sunk and been recovered.

 

Returning to our hotel; the Hotel Mistral (another story; the free parking advertised was anywhere you could find a space on the street; technically true, however, not truth in advertising!), Janice decides she needs to get "something" from a small art shop; it is at this point, standing outside the store, I look at the beach and I realize it is "topless"; no pictures here!

A really cool market with vegetables and fruit facing the sidewalk.

 

We agree to meet around 7:15 PM in the bar at the hotel; I am planning on reading;  Roy and Janice are going for a long beach walk. It is while I am working on my iPad that I see the time has moved ahead one hour; a little confused I ask the waiter what time he has and he quotes the time on my iPad; I ask if Greece is one hour ahead of Macedonia; the waiter, smiling says yes...I'm thinking we are going to be late for dinner tonight. Fortunately Roy spots me in the bar and I relate that we are one hour behind the "real" time; Roy is off to notify Janice.

Back to the marina for dinner.

 

The waiter gently waves off our tardiness and politely explains this happens with tourists from North of Greece; they either forget or do not know about the time change. We are seated in a corner table overlooking the harbor; Janice has her small lobsters from our earlier encounter; Roy has octopus and I eat chicken. In addition to our main courses, we have local favorites and the sweetest bread you can imagine; and "on the house" dessert that is a "secret", the little cakes were delightful.

Paralia on a Saturday night.

 

The city has come alive compared to the foot traffic earlier in the day. It is brightly lit and basically car free at this time of the night. All of the stores are open and the street side cafes are buzzing with chatter, laughter and kids (everywhere). Paralia is a destination for Bulgarians to visit the beach; easy for them to reach and preferable to the Black Sea.

The tape in the picture is for the church service tonight.

 

We make a short tour of the town and decide to head in for the night; we plan to meet before 8:00 AM for breakfast and then to the ancient city of Dion. One loop along the "main-drag" and we are back at the hotel; I am off to my room;  Janice and Roy go shopping!

The fountain is on the North side of the church.

 

Suffice it to say that I am not going to get to sleep very early tonight; after 11:00 PM the crowd begins to swell outside of the hotel and the street is packed with people holding unlit candles. I plop down in a chair on my balcony to watch the gathering; it will start with the peeling of the bells; candles are lit; an amplified (would have made Metallica proud) sermon is delivered; and in conclusion a large fireworks display is set off. A beautiful ceremony, attended by many (thousands?) people; when over, a peaceful walk home by those in attendance. My head hits the pillow around 12:30 AM (I think); fortunately for me I had requested a wake-up call.

 

Mt. Mytikas, the highest of "Mt. Olympus's peaks".

 

It is day two of our adventure in Greece; faux pas number two; it is Easter Sunday in Greece and to our chagrin, most everything is closed, including the museum and archaeological site for the ancient city of Dion(dedicated to Zeus). This calls for "Plan B"; a drive to the Mt. Olympus National Park for coffee and if possible a visit to the Monastery of St. Dionysios. This entails us getting lost on some forest service road; before retracing our route and following the road as directed by the service attendant; funny how that works; I mean map and directions, where's the spirit to explore?

A man, his dog and their sheep; getting rural really fast.

 

We are quickly climbing the mountain; the scrub is giving way to "long-needle" pine that appears to be severely infested with some pest; Roy notices that almost all of the pine trees have been "topped" by this infestation.

The view of the Aegean as we drive further up into the park.

 

Roy has commented several times how flat and calm the Aegean Sea appears to be when compared to his normal haunts of the Pacific Ocean (and the mouth of Nehalem Bay). We have high cloud cover today; coupled with the sea mist affect, photography is a challenge; I am looking forward to getting further into the park.

This tortoise was on the road; we stopped and he turned back into the woods; he had an "attitude" though; although he was as big as a dinner plate.

Back in the "hood" safe and no tourists to deal with.

 

 

The road twists and turns; the air is getting cooler and we have seen little or no traffic on the road. The forest has slowly changed to larger trees; still pine trees, although larger in girth; we can hear rushing water and are able to see many small tumbling waterfalls.

I am beginning to think of Oregon the further we climb.

 

 

We are searching for the café located at the end of this road; apparently the road does not extend beyond that point. The park is pleasantly clean; there is no trash on the side of the road and with strategically placed dumpsters, the park is basically litter free.

When you first glance at this formation, it appears to be a man made structure.

 

The rock formations that jut out of the forest suggest something they are not; man made (God made?); I can see where superstitious people thinking the "gods" resided on Mt. Olympus could imagine something on the slopes of the mountains that was not "nature made". The scenery is dramatic; the trees are struggling to survive on the slopes of the giant mountain.

This pine tree emerges from between the rocks on this outcropping.

 

We have run into traffic heading the opposite direction; we are close to the café, as parked cars come into view. There is a small river passing us; headed for the Aegean, it is crystal clear and I suspect cold from the runoff.

Destination, Aegean Sea.

 

We have "found" the café and it is busy; there are families and day packers with their sticks; and a couple of intrepid bicyclists who must be very tired after the climb. It is coffee and water time for us; the waiter stops to speak with us and upon determining we are from the USA, he invites us to the source of our drinking water. The café water is piped directly from the mountain spring; very cold and sparkling; and it is flowing freely from a large  spigot that is used only to fill pitchers of water for guests.

The café at the end of the road.

 

The plan is to return a short distance and take the turn to the Monastery of St. Dionysios, founded in the 16th century. The monastery has suffered under the impact of WWII and also through the toll of time.

The "new" monastery; and remnants of the old monastery.

 

We are reminded of dress and decorum upon entering the grounds of the monastery; a posted sign describes proper attire and requests all respect the dress code.

A mosaic of St. Dionysios.

 

The signs of the rebuilding of the monastery are everywhere; scaffolding; forms; new mortar and stone; although, when you look real close you can see square nails(four sided nails) and old frescos clinging to the walls of the monastery.

You can see the plaster and paint over the wall.

 

There is a priest in the far inner corner of the old church ; he is talking with a young couple; behind him is an icon/painting of St. Dionysios. The room  which has no outer wall on one side has a lot of exposed rafter/beam wood, which is not planed as wood would be today. It is so quiet here deep in the forest of Mt. Olympus; Dionysios fled here to escape the "outside" world; to seek solitude and closeness to God.

The monastery of St. Dionysios.

 

The newer monastery cupolas.

 

The day is till young and we have one more stop before we head back to Paralia for the night. Our next destination is the Castle of Platamon, situated overlooking the city of Platamon and the Aegean Sea. The current city of Platamon is located near the ancient city of Herakleion. The fortress was built on the main road between Thessaly and Macedonia by the Byzantines during the 12th century.

The Castle of Platamon.

 

Did I happen to mention that it was Easter Sunday; well, we had a nice perimeter walk around the castle. A beautiful view of the Aegean and surrounding countryside.

A view of the Aegean from the fortress.

 

There is an amazing amount of vegetation growing out of the walls of the old fortress; there are trees, flowers and weeds adoring the ancient walls.



Not a bad "arrangement" of poppies.

 



It appears that some restoration work has been done to maintain the integrity of the walls; obvious repairs display bright mortar and stone. The fortress is built upon a very steep hill; strategic in times of peace; and difficult to access in times of war.

The front gate to the fortress.

 

We discuss a plan to return in the morning, before leaving for Macedonia, as the fortress is only 20 minutes from Paralia on the very nice Greek highway.

Boats at anchor in  the moorage of Platamon.

 

These purple flowers/weeds covered the fields leading to the fortress.

The outer wall of the Castle of Platamon.

 

We are off to Paralia to find a restaurant; Janice is craving lamb; remembering all of the lamb on a spit last night, I don't think we will have any trouble finding a place to eat.

 

In the morning we are off to Macedonia; back to Skopje for me; and on to Pristina for Roy and Janice. TO BE CONTINUED.