Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-13
COAST OF THESSA[Y
Its Beauties Sung in Verse
From Early Times by Poets.
A GARDEN OF THE GODS
Where Hippocrates Lived and
Taught Science of Medicine.
VIEWS FROM THE STEAMER
Ossa and Pelion Visible to Passing
Vessels, as Well as the Pass
of Thermopylae.
A GARDEN OF THE GODS
VIEWS FROM THE STEAMER
BY WILLIAM f.. Curtis

BY WILLIAM f.. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SAI-ONIkI, Macedonia. MAY II, 1910
we took small Greek steamer from
Athens to Saloniki in order that we
might see the coast of Thessaly whose
eternal beauties have been celebrated in
verse since the first Greek poet learned
TO sing. The larger steamers of the
French, Austrian and German lines,
which. are the best, take the outside
course through the Aegean sea- but the
Greek boats coast along the main land
through the narrow channels made by
Eubaea and other islands They give a
closer view of Olympus, Ossa, Pelion and
other famous mountains, the Pass of
Thermopylae and continuous perform
ance OF scenery, history and mythology,
and the places described in the verses
or the ancient poets are mixed in until
the interest surpasses that attached to all
most any other land. The Greek steam
ers are not noted either for comfort or
for cleanliness, but we were comforta BILE
and had nothing to complain of and 1
shOuld ADVISE everybody to go that way.
The coast of Thessaly is much more
Deautlful than that of Dalmatia which is
on the opposite side of the peninsula
which separates the Adriatic and the
Aegean seas. although the towns and
the people of Greece are less interesting
than those of Dalmatia and less pict,1r-
esque in appearance. The east coast of
Greece. however. is a continuous garden
or serene and refined appearance a gar
den OF the gods, who used to live and
love and quarrel here very much like
no ,Irts
the coast are covered with groves and
vineyards and cultivated fields, while
Dalmatia presents to the spectator q most
unattractive front of gray, barren, DESC
late rocks.
Headed Toward Olympus.
The bow of our steamer was always
pointed toward Olympus, where Jove liv-
ed. the emperor of gods, and almost
every name upon the coast recalls some
incident in mythology or some event in
the classic days of Greece Unfortunately
Olympus, by right of conquest is a
part of Turkey, which does not seem
fair, but we all ought to be thankful that
Ossa and Pelion. those other classic
mountains, still remain in Greece and are
as beautiful today as they were when
the ancient poets expended SO many en-
thusiastic words to describe their mys-
teries and cahrms.
Olympus is perhaps the most interest
ing of all mountains, and it is always
within sight of Saloniki, on the Turkish
side of the classic Vale of Tempe. which
lies along the boundary between two
countries that hate each other with an
everlasting and irreconcilable hatred
The Vale Of Tempe has been famed for
its beauty from the earliest times. In
one of its slades once stood an altar to
Apollo, to which the priests of the oracle
at Delphi sent an embassy to make
sacrifice every eight years in expiation
for the slaughter of the dragon Python,
which the Far Darling Apollo slew five
days after his birth in the Island of
Delos.
Beauty of Mount Pelion.
Mount Pelion is only little more than
half as high as Olympus. the latter rising
9,754 feet above the level Of the sea, while
Pelior is only 5.3Os feet. but Pelon is
much more attractive because it lies di-
rectly along the bay with the waters
washing it's feet, and is cultivated almost
to the very top. 1t is long mountain
with a gradual slope, and on the side
toward the sea are tWenty-four villages
of whitewashed houses, which can be
counted from the deck Of the vessel, and
they glisten like snow in the sun. They
are scattered at various elevations, are
connected with roads which may be easily
traced and are surrounded by fields.
orchards and vineyards, which produce
abundant crops Of corn and wine and oil
The summit of Pelion and it's upper slopes
are covered with snow even at this time
of the year, which adds much to the at
tractiveness of the view. At the foot of
the mountain is the modern town OF
NoIo, the chief seaport of TheSSaly and
a very active and prosperous community
who ship much produce, including loads
of cherries and other fruits. There is a
railway to Athens which has done much
to improve the prosperity of the people
Volo looks like Honolulu from the deck
of ship, and although it is a modern
town it has inherited much mythology
and history from the villages in the
neighborhood The Macedonian kings
had their summer residences here and
kept game preserves upon the heights OF
Pelion.
Ossa is not particularly interesting. eX-
cept for its association with NEUROLOGICAL
characters and Shakespeare's famous
lines, which are so often quoted. 1t rises
6,39S feet above the sea, has dome that
is now covered with snow and is the
most prominent figure in a group OF
mountains which have been made ia
nous by song and story.
Two Famous Battles.
The modern town of Velistino, at the foot
of Ossa, occupies the site of the ancient
Pherae, the mythical seat of King Ad-
metos whose fiocks Apollo once tended,
and Larissa, the metropolis of this re-
sion, was the home of the famous
physician Hippocrates, who lived and
died there in the fifth century r. G.
In that neighborhood, about 2O years
B. c., was fought decisive battle be-
tween the Romans and the Macedonians
under the famous King Philip The lat
ter, in command of the entire forces of
his kingdom. advanced through the Vale
of Tempe to meet the enemy, VINO were
approaching them from the south Both
armies were about $4,000 strong, but the
Macedonian cavalry were demorai1zed
and dispersed by battalion of elephants
brought from Africa by the Romans,
aid nearly one-half of Philips army was
killed or captured. If you will study the
map, or, what is better, if you will come
here and see for yourse., the topography
ard conditions of the country, you Will
realize what a tremendous feat 1t was
for the Romans to bring a drove of 4ol
elephants all the way from Africa and
handle them with such skill as was dis
played in the maneuvering at the battle
of Pherae.
One hundred and fifty years later, in
the same neighborhood, at the Castle of
Pharsalos, which was the birthplace and
home of Achilles, an even more famous
and decisive battle was fought between
Caesar at the head OF eight Roman le-
eions t24,OOO mem and Pompey. who
came to Africa to steal a"ay the i'm
portant Roman colonies in this vicinity.
Pompey had 1900 infantry and 1000
cavalry. or more than twice as many
troops as Caesar. But the latter dis