What can I say about Nafplion! It was probably the largest of the places we have been to yet. Our hotel was really nice and modern with new updates and the beds were actually comfortable. They were tiny though and three to a room which was just too squishy. Another girl on the trip and I decided to pay separately for our own room, and it ended up being a bit of a larger room and much more comfortable then before. I wish I had gotten a picture of the bathroom- it was so neat! The shower was just a stand up, but with a nice rain-like shower head. The tile was stripped all pretty with pink, green, blue, etc. We spent three nights in Nafplion and visited the archeological sites of Mycenae, Tiryns, and Epidaurus, as well as having a free day in which we visited the Venetian fortress up the acropolis at Nafplion.
On the way to Napflion, we stopped at a bridge that actually sank under water to let boats pass, then rose back up for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. It was pretty neat! There was a cute little restaurant that we stopped at for lunch.
After another long, winding drive, we arrived in Nafplion. It was the largest place we had been to yet and the streets were tiny and windy, as everywhere in Greece it seems, and the amount of restaurants was astounding! Just one after another after another up and down all the roads. When we arrived, I was hungry and so I left on my own to look for something to eat. I found a few places and looked at their menus, but nothing appealed to me nor my diet. I wandered some more and found myself on a patio of another restaurant called Alaloom, I decided to sit and find something. I ended up ordering the tuna special, a HUGE dish that was enough for my supper, a snack before bed, and my lunch the next day. I sneakily took a picture because it looked SO amazing! It was fresh, grilled tuna kabob-style with grilled tomatoes and peppers, hanging vertical over my plate of fresh, local steamed veggies. The veggies included a huge pile of chard, both red and green, four mini cucumbers, and a quartered beet. It was a fantastic meal! All for 12 euros.
The fortress at Nafplion at one time had a wall that included the entire city. The acropolis, which is the high point of the city, held the castle. It was a 900 stair climb to the top, and there were a few different levels once there. There was even a dungeon, which was VERY small and VERY squishy and was a little weird to be inside of. There were a bunch of young children who kept trying to budge there way, and I mean about one hundred kids all trying to get at the hole in which to enter the dungeon! We took control and eventually the kids listened and asked us before going inside. I probably climbed a total of 2000 steps just at that site alone. My legs were sure shaking at the end! I didn't get much of a picture from the bottom looking up, but along the way I found something pretty cool! In Greece, aloe vera grows EVERYWHERE. And it's HUGE!
The view up the top was pretty great, it was so obvious why the Venetians had chosen that spot for their fortress. It was right on a point, and you could see the entire bay and the ocean surrounding the point. 2000 stairs!
On our tour day, we visited the sites of Mycenae, Tiryns, and Epidaurus. For those of you who seen the movie Troy, Mycenae was ruled by King Agamemnon, who went to war against Troy. Mycenae was once a huge citadel, with another fortress at Tiryns. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed with Mycenae just because most of it was in ruins. The gate however, had been restored, and was very impressive to see.
There was also the beehive tomb of King Agamemnon. It is known now that it actually predates Agamemnon's existence, but has been nicknamed as so. It was pretty spectacular and very well preserved. The entrance was bordered by a very tall wall, made out of huge stones. The gate was far taller then I was, as can be seen in my pictures. Inside looked exactly like a beehive, hence the name. There was a small room off to the side where treasures would have been stored for the afterlife. The tomb is now empty, but my goodness, it was huge!
Next, we would visit Tiryns, a site that has been rebuilt and reused after the period of the Myceneans. There really wasn't much there either except the floor plan and the bath area with a drain. Near the bottom was an interesting hallway with some windows. It was a pretty unexciting area but was very exciting to see because it had been preserved well.
After Tiryns, we would get back onto the bus and drive to Epidaurus, the sanctuary of Esklepios, the God of healing and son of Apollo. Apparently there are a couple hundred sanctuaries like this to Esklepios. The best way to describe it would be like a spa for the Greeks. Here they would come for healing, anything from holistic to medicinal, including surgeries. There would also be entertainment provided as the Greeks (and so do I!) believed that one cannot be healthy if they aren't happy. The theatre at Epidaurus is one of the best preserved in Greece. It was originally made of wood like most theatres, but in the Roman period, was updated to be made of stone. It was large enough to seat 12 000 people! It had some great acoustics, from sitting at the top, you could actually hear someone drop a coin into a piece of stone located in the exact centre of the theatre. We were able to sit there for a bit, enjoying the scenery and eating some lunch. Some people from our group actually went to the stage and sang a small song, the clarity was amazing from so far away!
After three nights at Nafplion, we would leave and go to the island of Tinos. The last night at Nafplion, some of us from the group went to the row of cafes (bars) along the waterfront and had mojitos. They are pretty expensive here, 7-8 euros, but they make them large and with a LOT of alcohol. It was a good night!
Then, it was on to Tiryns!
On the way to Napflion, we stopped at a bridge that actually sank under water to let boats pass, then rose back up for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. It was pretty neat! There was a cute little restaurant that we stopped at for lunch.
Looking out from the restaurant towards the Mediterranean Sea:
There were so many fish in the water below the restaurant, just little tiny things. People were throwing little bits of bread and crackers into the ocean for them to eat. Hundreds of them would swarm and thrash about, trying to get the scraps. It was pretty cool to watch!
After another long, winding drive, we arrived in Nafplion. It was the largest place we had been to yet and the streets were tiny and windy, as everywhere in Greece it seems, and the amount of restaurants was astounding! Just one after another after another up and down all the roads. When we arrived, I was hungry and so I left on my own to look for something to eat. I found a few places and looked at their menus, but nothing appealed to me nor my diet. I wandered some more and found myself on a patio of another restaurant called Alaloom, I decided to sit and find something. I ended up ordering the tuna special, a HUGE dish that was enough for my supper, a snack before bed, and my lunch the next day. I sneakily took a picture because it looked SO amazing! It was fresh, grilled tuna kabob-style with grilled tomatoes and peppers, hanging vertical over my plate of fresh, local steamed veggies. The veggies included a huge pile of chard, both red and green, four mini cucumbers, and a quartered beet. It was a fantastic meal! All for 12 euros.
My sneaky picture of the tuna (after I had already ate one huge chunk off the bottom!):
Nafplion was a very enjoyable place. There were many gelato places, and I was even able to find some yummy sorbet to enjoy while everyone else had their gelato! One night, my roommate Bronwyn and I walked around the alleys and little streets and took some pictures of the beautiful flowers and trees that grew around the restaurants. It was exactly the picture you would imagine in a little mediterranean city.
One of the trees, I wish I knew the name. I was told it in Greek but I can't remember it now anyways:
This aloe vera had sprouted, and seriously, does it not look like a GIANT asparagus?! :
The view up the top was pretty great, it was so obvious why the Venetians had chosen that spot for their fortress. It was right on a point, and you could see the entire bay and the ocean surrounding the point. 2000 stairs!
A part of the fortress with a view of the bay in the background:
On our tour day, we visited the sites of Mycenae, Tiryns, and Epidaurus. For those of you who seen the movie Troy, Mycenae was ruled by King Agamemnon, who went to war against Troy. Mycenae was once a huge citadel, with another fortress at Tiryns. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed with Mycenae just because most of it was in ruins. The gate however, had been restored, and was very impressive to see.
Here I am standing in front of the "Thone Room," which is where King Agamemnon would have sat:
This was some sort of back entrance into the citadel:
In front of the lions gate:
Here is me joking around about being a tough Mycanean warrior (as they were known to be):
There was also the beehive tomb of King Agamemnon. It is known now that it actually predates Agamemnon's existence, but has been nicknamed as so. It was pretty spectacular and very well preserved. The entrance was bordered by a very tall wall, made out of huge stones. The gate was far taller then I was, as can be seen in my pictures. Inside looked exactly like a beehive, hence the name. There was a small room off to the side where treasures would have been stored for the afterlife. The tomb is now empty, but my goodness, it was huge!
The entrance to the beehive tomb. At one point, there would have been some sort of carving or decoration over where the triangle is at the top. The triangle goes straight through to the inside to allow the soul to exit:
Me standing in the entrance to the tomb, just to give a bit of scale:
Inside of the beehive tomb:
Next, we would visit Tiryns, a site that has been rebuilt and reused after the period of the Myceneans. There really wasn't much there either except the floor plan and the bath area with a drain. Near the bottom was an interesting hallway with some windows. It was a pretty unexciting area but was very exciting to see because it had been preserved well.
A view down the hallway:
Standing in front of the hallway, I am kind of in the way of the windows that allowed light in:
After Tiryns, we would get back onto the bus and drive to Epidaurus, the sanctuary of Esklepios, the God of healing and son of Apollo. Apparently there are a couple hundred sanctuaries like this to Esklepios. The best way to describe it would be like a spa for the Greeks. Here they would come for healing, anything from holistic to medicinal, including surgeries. There would also be entertainment provided as the Greeks (and so do I!) believed that one cannot be healthy if they aren't happy. The theatre at Epidaurus is one of the best preserved in Greece. It was originally made of wood like most theatres, but in the Roman period, was updated to be made of stone. It was large enough to seat 12 000 people! It had some great acoustics, from sitting at the top, you could actually hear someone drop a coin into a piece of stone located in the exact centre of the theatre. We were able to sit there for a bit, enjoying the scenery and eating some lunch. Some people from our group actually went to the stage and sang a small song, the clarity was amazing from so far away!
The view from the theatre, I am standing just behind the stage looking up:
The remains of the sanctuary, the part of the temple that you can see has mostly been rebuilt and is one of the few places I have seen that has been rebuilt with a significance of new materials:
After three nights at Nafplion, we would leave and go to the island of Tinos. The last night at Nafplion, some of us from the group went to the row of cafes (bars) along the waterfront and had mojitos. They are pretty expensive here, 7-8 euros, but they make them large and with a LOT of alcohol. It was a good night!
Me with my first Greek mojito!
A shot of our mojitos, what a bill!
Then, it was on to Tiryns!
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