Any region in Greece can make it a challenge trying to choose which of the numerous ancient sites to visit but Attiki flirts with countless. This time you can be my pillion as I take you to Ramnous, located at the North East end of this region.
The last part of the route is nice route with nearly zero traffic riding around cultivated fields, olive and pine trees. Rather pleasant to ride in the shade of those cypress trees:
The reason they're there though is the local cemetery but I focus on the scenic side of them. The trees I find outside the Ancient site of Ramnous provide a much appreciated and welcomed shade for my travel machine:
Instantly I can feel the super soothing vibes. If nothing else these cow dogs chilling at the entrance can agree on that:
What is not chilling at all though is the announcement from the lady at the tickets telling me that they haven't opened the whole site yet so I can only see a small part of it. I am fuming. I mean, imagine that I am a local and I have done a bit of research prior to my arrival which made me aware of the fact that in the winter season they close part of this rather large site. How could I imagine that in late May while they adapt the summer working hours they would still keep part of the site closed? And if I could stretch my imagination that far and call them beforehand as the lady proposes for my next visit, how on earth a non native visitor would imagine this? Absolutely ridiculous. I can't resist this (other than that) beautiful place, pay the fee and start walking around the antiquities of it.
(FYI, I filled a report to the ministry about this. However, in case you are around it's a pity to miss the place despite that. Since you probably won't find any info on the internet give them a call @ +302294063477 to ask them if they're full open or not)
Ramnous was one of the Ancient Greek cities. I feel so awkward as I type "was" and the reason is that the location is way too good to be true. How on Earth a place like this was neglected is beyond belief and imagination but imagine that even Athens was a mudville for a long time till it faced glorious times again as a capital of Greece (wasn't even the first capital ! This was Nafplio, stay tuned - will take you there one day).
It probably took its name from the bushes called Rhamnus (buckthorns). The first things you see in the site are circular burial precincts like the following:
Exploring the site already feels like a walk in the woods:
In a wonderful area like this it's no surprise there was life even before the Hellenistic period. Here's some ruins of houses from the Mycenaean times (16-12B.C.):
The site is full of lovely trees, I keep taking pictures of them as I continue walking North:
Then I arrive at one of the main attractions of the site: The sanctuary of Nemesis (5th B.C.):
Actually the ruins of the sanctuary to be precise. Not much could survive from the invasion of Persians and later the menace of Christians against Polytheism. Not the only pity in history neither the last. Nemesis was the Goddess of retribution. Today we have an app for everything, Ancient Greeks had a God for every important thing. Almost.
I start walking around its ruins:
Again, these huge old trees around never cease to impress me:
At this point, shame as it sounds, I reach the first limits of the area I am allowed to walk at the moment. Keep in mind that through all this time I am followed (at some distance) by an employee. The two of us being the only ones in the site makes the whole scene feel kinda like a cross between a B spy movie and a Woody Allen thing.
I try to take a distant picture so you get an idea about the rest of the site:
Here's a zoom in so you might get a better idea of the main city of Ramnous that I couldn't access:
Next time I'll provide you the real thing. For the moment it's a bummer like this:
Fortunately the trees are more generous:
As I walk back to the exit I find the biggest of all. I mean that's massive:
I step under its branches to enjoy the huge shade and its colossal beauty:
And here's a video of the last part of my ride up to the site. @ 3:59 you can see a dog taking its chances to become a roadkill by sleeping right in the middle of the road.
I leave the site behind but I feel obliged to make it up for the shame of it being half closed (actually more than half) so I decide to visit one more.
Fancy some history right by the East coast of Attiki? I think you do.
20km later I arrive at the beach of Brexiza:
Nothing beats a nice beach where you can park your bike under the shade of a palm-tree in the absence of noisy crowds. Brexiza ticked all the boxes at my arrival:
I love this canal of water coming from the land joining the sea water:
Deserves a video. Watch it here.
Thanks for the shade palm trees:
Fancy this kid sized church by the beach?
Time to see its mother church:
Let's visit some other religious stuff though. Right behind the beach of Brexiza is the local Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods. It's a complex including a Balneum (bathhouse) which was (probably) founded by Herodes Atticus (a Greco-Roman politician-sophisist) around 160 A.C. and worked like this untill the 4th century. Sweet location, free entrance, what can go wrong? Let's go in!
I walk this path through the reeds:
And soon I'm in the back of the first pair of statues:
Let's see them from close:
The rectangular shaped baths are surrounded by pairs of statues:
Click here to watch a video I shot at that spot.
View from its North East end:
Some more images never hurt anybody (hopefully😊):
Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
See you on the next one!
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