The Palace Of Nestor Poem by Deanna Samuels

A day trip to The Palace of Nestor
opened a wonderment of what would be in store.
Are we going to see an actual palace
or just a pile of old granite blocks and stones?

En route to this mysterious Greek historical site
the countryside ride was an interesting scene.
Once out of Kalamata where the Viking Star had berthed for the day,
the scene became a continuous plateau of olive trees,
even making their way half up the nearby tall hills
and overflowing to the very edge of the busy roads.

Olive oil, a main earning harvest for Greece,
grows in many grades, the best being pure olive oil.
The olive oils from Greece are marketed to every corner of the world.
When ripe and ready for harvesting, a net is laid beneath the tree,
the tree is shaken hard and the olives drop onto the waiting net
which is then emptied into bins and sent for pressing to extract the oil.

The winding journey took us through small villages and old hamlets,
even a full arched rainbow, the rain giving sparkle to the never-ending olive trees.
Over mountain roads and frightening S-bends, taking one's breath away
while learning that Greece is 80% mountainous,15% olive trees and 5% for habitation
in cities, towns, villages and small clusters of houses or farms.

Finally reaching the Mycenean Palace of Nestor site at Pylos,
a short shady walk mostly through olive trees, then a climb of a number of stone steps.
The first glimpse noticed was a huge canopy covering over a large site, as yet unseen.
Around this whole area were wooden stairs to platforms encircling this mysterious spot.
On climbing those stairs, the onlooker is brought to the over-view below, The Palace of Nestor.

The site was the whole layout of the palace with its original walls three to six feet high.
With the commentary of the guide, one needed to use a great deal of imagination,
picturing the wondrous throne room, living and bedrooms and even a bathroom!

However, the vista from the wooden platforms combined with the extra hill height
gave great panoramic views of the coastal area of The Ionian Sea
where ancient stories such as Helen of Troy, The Iliad and The Odyssey unfolded.

Therefore, the climb up to the Palace of Nestor eased the effort to see stone walls!


Written in Greece - 26th November 2025