Volos

We woke up in Volos this morning. After having coffee and breakfast pastries on our balcony, we went down to The Restaurant for breakfast. The atmosphere was calm and elegant. The kind where they pull the chair out and put your napkin in your lap. The wait staff was impeccable.  We enjoyed the quiet calmness of our meal. Ricky especially liked the "home made muesli."

We had some restful time in the Explorer's Lounge before heading down to Deck A for our tour. We signed up for the Traditional Greek Villages and Archeological Museum excursion.

                             Our ship

The Viking brass was lined up to greet us as we left for our tour. 

                   On our way into Volos

                  City street in downtown

Our guide gathering us up for the lecture

These cylindrical "boxes" were with graves on the museum grounds. 

Our guide assured us these rock walls were built in 500 B.C. He maintained the small complex was a foundation with fortifications walls.

                           Aegean Sea

                    Archeological Museum

                      Clay tile anthemion

  

Ancient cooking surface from Neolithic times

Incised pottery. Neolithic. I admire the precise pattern.

Neolithic clay female figurines. It seems the fuller figured the better.

Neolithic clay figure with cone shaped hat? Head? I have questions...

I love the design. I'm wondering if it had symbolic importance or just pleased the artist's eye.

These small clay animals made me think of the ceramic animals Joy and Chloe have created.

There were quite a few of these figures on display. I'm clueless.

The archeologist relocated this ancient dwelling with the amphora stacked against the walls.

Model of a chariot as a grave good. Mycenaean period, 13th century B.C. The guide pointed out that the horses look like lamas. 

                                 Ancient kiln

Amphora, found at the temple of Apollo in Athens.

                 Snake and Horsehead motif

The museum had a collection of gravestones with the paint preserved. Several had this red ribbon motif.

We saw many gravestones sculpted with this motif- the deceased with a slave girl taking something out of a small box. 

After the museum we headed for the hills overlooking Volos.

The bus driver was amazing. We were in a very large motorcoach, and he drove us up a narrow switchback road. Blind curves and small cars zipping along made it exciting. The scenery was beautiful!

We briefly stopped in the small village of Portaria for bathrooms and a leg stretch before getting back down to sea level. I was sad the shops were closed.

                            Stone roofs

                The sky was hazy that day

This interesting wooden vessel was parked at the terminal. 

Dinner at Manfredi's tonight. Ricky had spare ribs and ribeye steak. 

                 The food was delicious! 

                                  Dessert!! 

We quietly sailed on into the night, hugging the coast as we sailed north.