Our European Adventure - Day 5 - Paestum, Italy

Day 5, Paestum, Italy

Today I checked off one more place on my bucket list. I saw Paestum.

Temple to Poseidon, Paestum, Italy

For years I have loved the Greek temple to the god of the seas, Poseidon, that sits on a promontory over the Aegean an hour south of Athens. Today I saw an older temple to Poseidon in Italy, two hours south of Naples. 

The Greeks were here 2500 years ago and as a testament to their civilization left a whole city, an Agora, areas of business and commerce and homes and places of worship. Most are now just the foundations of what was, but we can see how they lived those many centuries ago. 

There are three massive temples in a remarkable state of preservation: one to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, one to Poseidon, the god of the seas, and one to the goddess, Hera, the wife of Zeus, god of gods, king of the gods. Except for the missing roofs they are intact. The trapezoid shaped perimeter of this advanced settlement has thick surrounding walls some five kilometers long, interspersed with twenty-eight watch towers. Much of the artwork has survived and is safely housed and beautifully displayed in an adjoining Museum of Archaeology. 

Those of you who have read my novel, The Memory of Roses, will know how dear archaeology is to my heart. I, who cannot be persuaded to walk two blocks to a grocery store, walked miles today. I am always deeply moved by stepping in the footsteps of ancient history.

Tonight we will return to the area to have dinner in the Restaurante Nettuno, with a view of the flood-lit ruins.


..........continued in my next 'Adventure' blog - 'Capaccio and Agropoli' 


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Following are my published novels. Go to my Goodreads page, to find more info and reviews.  

To purchase one of these books, just click on the book link below and select the vendor of your choice.

 • The Memory of Roses ~ The story of a secret and how it impacts two generations of the McQuaid family.  It unfolds on the beautiful Greek Island of Corfu and is a tale complete with beautiful and passionate women, handsome and fiery men, and an intriguing mystery.

"The Memory of Roses by Blair McDowell is simply an incredibly lovely story. It’s also a love story, and a story about finding yourself, and about closure. The theme running through the book is “all’s well that ends well.”  --  Marlene, Reading Reality

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 • Delighting In Your Company ~ Delighting In Your Company is a paranormal romance set on an exotic Caribbean island, featuring a handsome ghost and an adventurous heroine who travels back in time to solve a mystery!

"Delighting In Your Company is a unique paranormal romance that brings together island folklore, history, and mystery with an unlikely romance between the past and present that had me going through a torrent of emotions and made it impossible to put down." -- The Romance Reviews

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 • Sonata ~ Sayuri McAllister has just arrived home to Vancouver to find some shocking situations:  
~ A robbery has taken place at her family home, and it is being investigated by her old flame;
~ Alyssa James who she barely knows, is about to become her new stepmother; 
~ and Alyssa’s brother, Hugh James, is a charming Irishman who is intent on bedding and wedding the rich and beautiful Sayuri. 

It’s a confusing and difficult time for Sayuri, especially when dangerous accidents happen to her father and herself – or are they accidents?

“I found Sonata to be a charming novel that left me laughing out loud in parts and gnawing nails in others. It was a delight to read.” – Night Owl Reviews

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 • Abigail's Christmas (short story) ~ An enchanting tale of love and romance, with a magical touch of fantasy.
 
Abigail's Christmas is a holiday story about Abigail who goes looking for a tree on Christmas Eve, and ends up with the man of her dreams in a sleigh in the Rockies --- with a wedding in the offing! Is it real?  Is she dreaming?  Or is it just Christmas magic?