The ancient city of Messene

On the first Sunday of every month, the ancient sites of Greece are open to the public at no charge. So we took advantage of that by going to the ancient city of Messene. 

We had been parked only a few kms away, and they open at 8:30am. We didn't figure we would need to be there that early though, so first we explored a couple of nearby sites that were not part of the old city itself.

Max sure did like his spot for the night...

In fact we liked it so much, we went back for a second night!

This wall stretched 9.5 kms (5.9 miles) around the old city. 

Some sections are still in quite good condition, while others have tumbled.

Ruth, exploring the wall.

The blocks fit together perfectly.

View from part of the wall.

If you look closely, you can see Max at the lower left.

There he is!

The Arcadian Gate.

One of the two gates of Ancient Messene, the Arcadian Gate dates to about 200 BC. The gate is still used by vehicles today as the other side of it leads to three different villages. 

Ruins around the gate.

The villages beyond the gate.

Ruth, on top of the gate with Max on the other side.

Another part of the wall.

Then we drove down to the main archeological site. The site opens at 8:30am, and we got there at about 10:45am. There were maybe four other vehicles in the parking lot, so at the start of our visit we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

The theater has only been partially excavated.

This road is more than 2,000 years old!

Water management system.

This stream has been running for a long time!

Bet you can't guess what this is! Check in tomorrow, and I'll tell you.

The assembly hall was in really good condition. 

Even the floor looks original.

A model showing what this part of the site would have looked like.

Notice the blue sky. We have had perfect weather the last few days!

Mosaic floor in a later era Roman Villa.

Ruth, at the entrance to the gymnasium. 

Constructed in the 1st century BC.

The stadium.

A mausoleum constructed in the 3rd or 4th century.

Me, standing at the base of it.

The stadium.

Wash basins.

The public toilets!

The ones in the photo above have been rebuilt to show you what it was like. There was a stream that is rerouted under the toilet "seats" that carries things away.

Some of the original toilet seats.

Another funeral crypt of some kind.

Overlooking the site.

Not bad. We spent almost two hours wandering around. By the time we left there were about 20 vehicles in the parking area, so it was certainly a little busier. Still lots of room for everybody though because it's a big site. We've seen a lot of ruins sites, and although there are some similarities with all of them, they also each have something different to offer. Glad we were able to do this one for free though.

Today, we are headed into the fairly large city of Kalamata (pop 70,000) to do laundry and groceries. 

We never did make it to do the booster registration the other day, so maybe we'll try that today as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon brand Vitamins and Supplements. 30% off.

And in Canada...

Bowflex Home Gym.