The Palace of Ajax on Salamina

Did you know that the ruines ancient Palace of Ajax was discovered here, on Salamina, some years ago?

The Greek Hero, "Ajax"

Tyler Mane, the actor who portrayed Ajax in the film; "Troy"

  I had read about the discovery on MSNBC, but couldn't find any one locally who knew anything about it.  I went back to the article, and with a lot of detective work thru descriptions and photos, I guessed where it must be.  Vasili and I went off with a picnic lunch to find it.
  No one seemed to know a thing about it, till we came across two old fishermen, and one of them had rented his donkeys to the team who were doing the excavations.  We forged on.  Vasili winced as I drove "Haourla"(Little Joy", in Greek), who is our Nissan Note and was new at the time, along the deeply rutted and partially washed out dirt roads.
  After finding a place to safely park "Haroula", we continued on on foot.  We were walking up and up a tree covered mountain path, but weren't finding anything that looked like a dig.  Then I saw a small symbol on a tree which showed that we were actually on a mountain bike path.
  Sadly, we agreed to give up and turn around and go back.  When we did, we saw on the slope opposite us, the site of the Palace of Ajax!  It was a wonderful moment for both of us.
 

The ruins of the Palace of Ajax

   We scrambled down one slope and climbed back up the other, so excited.  It was amazing!  The dig was really relatively new, so it had not been fenced off yet.  Really, what need was there if no one knew where it was?                                                                                                                                    

  We spent a good amount of time exploring everything there, it was obvious that there was so much more to be uncovered.  After a while, we sat there, inside the Palace of Ajax, and ate our picnic lunch.  Nothing like having lunch with a Hero!

When you come to visit me here in Salamina, I will take you, too, for a picnic lunch, though sadly, it cannot be inside the Palace, as it is now fenced off, as more people then me and Vasili have found it.      But I can promise you a great view of the Palace and the sea, looking down towards Crete, as we sip our champagne, (oh, yes, I always bring champagne on my picnics!)