The Shrine of Saint Gerasimos – Kefalonia

 
  On a recent holiday to Kefalonia we decided to visit Omala – the location of the church of Saint Gerasimos, who is the patron saint of the island. I did not know much about the church, but images on the internet showed that it was richly decorated in the Byzantine style with paintings of saints and religious scenes, and so i thought it would be worth seeing.

The ‘City of Troy’ Turf Maze – Dalby

  The City of Troy is the name of a Turf maze located on the grass verge alongside Bonnygate Lane, 1 mile to the north west of Dalby – a small hamlet on the Howardian Hills, 12 miles to the north of York.

  A previous post looked at the site of the lost turf maze at Asenby near Thirsk, however the maze at Dalby still exists in good condition, and its roadside location means that it can be easily visited. At only 6 metres in diameter it is the smallest surviving turf maze in Britain, although the size is limited by the width of the grass verge where it is located.

The Dolmens of Antequera – Spain

  A recent holiday provided the opportunity to visit the fascinating Neolithic monuments at Antiquera, 20 miles to the north of Malaga in southern Spain.

  Over the last 40 years or so i have visited many prehistoric sites, including stone circles, standing stones, burial mounds, and rock art sites etc. but it has been a while since i was actually ‘gobsmacked’ by a site. The Summer solstice at Stonehenge in 1980 was one such occasion, and being alone in the Newgrange Chambered burial mound in the 1990’s was another memorable occasion, and now this visit to the Dolmens at Antequera joins that list.

Dolmen de Menga, Antequera – Spain

  The Dolmen de Menga and Dolmen de Viera burial mounds stand close together on a low hill on the northern edge of Antequera town. If the Dolmen de Viera was a rather conventional passage grave (see previous post), then the nearby Dolmen de Menga is anything but. This is one of the largest megalithic structures in Europe, with the size and unique features of this single chambered burial mound being one of the main reasons why the Antequera dolmens are listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Tholos de El Romeral, Antequera – Spain

  The Tholos de El Romeral is the third burial mound making up the UNESCO world heritage site at Antequera. After the Dolmen De Viera and Dolmen De Menga, this burial mound seems a bit like the ‘poor relation’ as it is located in a rather run down area – 1 mile to the east of the other two mounds and the new visitors centre. You have to drive down a dusty and bumpy track past some industrial buildings to find the Tholos de El Romeral, however this is another wonderful monument and well worth visiting.