Upon arriving at 8:30 a.m., I think Randall and I both came to the immediate conclusion that no one working there expects anyone to show up exactly when the archaeological site opens. Certainly, the dogs which live there were grateful for some early morning affection, but the only person working at that hour was the attendant, and even then, she was surprised that we didn't already have tickets (presumably procured from the museum as these provide admission to both), and she didn't have change.
Now, Pella is a huge archaeological cite, covering some 130+ hectares between the palatial complex and the agora, and it is COMPLETELY FILLED WITH WEEDS!!! It became rather much of a joke to figure out the map when we couldn't see the walls, or to take coherent pictures, and we simply couldn't even traverse the eastern or southern side of the agora. When the guy with the weed whacker finally arrived at 9:30 a.m., we gave him (and the noise) some space, but it was just one guy, and unless he was going to burn out the motor on that weed whacker, it would continue to be a losing battle. Pella could take some advice from Abdera and use fire.
Here's what I got, cropping out as much of the verge as possible.
Right side are the administrative and judicial stalls. Foreground is the potters stalls. Note: I'm standing on a 6' hill still in 3' of weeds!
A seat of justice.
Living quarters complete with well, about 2.5 meters deep (5 seconds at 9.8m/s2).
Public baths with subterranean heating system.
House of Dionysos, after about 45 min of weed whacking (see foreground machine that the attendant politely left as he left my picture).
All the murals are fantastic! I particularly like the second to the last one with the wave border and the dramatic scene within. It's great to be living vicariously on your vacation and I am so glad to be reading your entries!
ReplyDelete