Month: January 2019

Monday, January 28

This morning we left Nafplio for a quick visit to the southern most region of Attica.  Our destination was the Temple of Poseidon near the southern tip in the town of Sounio.

We’d had a rental car for 13 days now.  Aside from the fact that it had a small engine and limited power it had served us well.  Our trip proceeded normally.  Along the main road we had to stop every 15 minutes or so and pay a toll.  Over the course of two weeks we’d spent about $50.00 on tolls.  They did accept credit cards.  It was a small consolation.

As we passed Corinth we spied Acorcorinth set high on top of a hill.  The walls extended all the around the fortress.  We waived as it faded into the distance and wondered if we’d ever see it again.  Soon we were approaching the town of Agioi Theodoroi and had to stop for another toll.  As we accelerated back to highway speed we heard a loud bang.  It felt like the front right fender would soon shake loose and detach from all of the vibrations.  We pulled to the side of the road and looked for the trouble.  The right front tire was destroyed. Wires were sticking out in several places and in two different places large chunks of rubber were missing.  Fortunately there was a small rest stop just 200 meters ahead.  We put the flashers on a crawled to the pull off.

(Houston, We Have a Problem Here)

Our first inclination was to change the tire using the provided spare.  One look at the infant sized jack and the tiny lug wrench caused us to re-evaluate.  We called the rental car company for assistance.  They told us to drive over to their location and they’d give us a new car.  When we explained that we were about an hour outside of Athens and the car was not safe to drive they suggested that we change the tire.  We suggested that they send someone out to do exactly that.

We explained to them that we had just passed the toll booths near Agioi Theodoroi and that we were on the south side of the highway at a small rest stop but they said they needed a better description of our location.  We emailed them our GPS coordinates but they didn’t seem to like that so we sent them a link to the rest stop from Google maps.  That seemed to do the trick.  They informed us that someone would be there in about an hour.

After an hour and fifteen minutes someone showed up.  He didn’t seem to speak any English.  I pointed out the damaged tire and he took a look, shook his head and proceeded to get the spare.  The entire operation took no more than ten minutes.  One hour later we were in Sounio.

The Temple of Poseidon is set high on a hilltop overlooking the water on three sides.  It was actually part of the Sanctuary of Poseidon that included a grand Propylaea, a Stoa, a Deme and a Port.  The Temple dates from about 444 BC.  The outer colonnade on the two long sides is somewhat intact but little is left of the two small ends.  The temple once had friezes depicting several battle scenes as an allegory of the Athenians victory over the Persians.  Parts of these friezes are on display in museums in Lavrio and in Athens.  Very little of the surrounding buildings are left.  Today the temple sits all by itself.  It’s a majestic site that can be seen far off along the coastal roads.

(The Temple of Poseidon)

There are paths along the side of the hill that wend their way through the ancient deme all the way down to the waterfront where there was an ancient harbor.  A section of the rock was dug out so that a ship could effectively dock while it was being loaded/unloaded.  Some of that dock is still clearly visible.

A few hundred feet away, on a smaller adjacent hill, sits the remains of a temple of Athena.  All that can be seen today is the footprint of the building.  The temple was actually dismantled in ancient times and the materials were brought to Athens for use in other construction projects.

We had lunch at a restaurant that was on the hilltop just outside of the archeological site.  It was overpriced but it had a magnificent view of the temple and the coastline.  We ordered tzatzaki, some small cheese pies and feta and honey.  The food was surprisingly good.  After leaving the site we made a quick stop at the Temple of Athena; there wasn’t much to see there but we can’t help trying to see everything possible.  Finally we were ready to try and find our residence for the night.

The drive up the coast was quite scenic.  There were pullouts every couple of miles where you could look back and see the temple.  Soon we got to Anavyssos and tried to pick up some groceries for our evening meal.  The local supermarket had very little but we managed to find some cheese pies at a neighborhood bakery.  We were staying at a private house.  We knew that finding the place would be a challenge.  It didn’t have a street address and the directions we had been given didn’t inspire confidence.

The way to the house was up a very steep hill via winding gravel roads and sharp turns.  The car’s wheel slipped frequently and filled the air with the smell of burning rubber.  Our directions said to turn right on a named street and go to the end.  The house would be the first one on the right.  That house had a gate that was padlocked and didn’t seem too inviting.  There were only two other houses nearby and both were up a very steep hill.  We figured one of them had to be what we were looking for.  As we pulled up a man came out and waved to is.  At least we’d found it.

The house was high on a cliff overlooking the water.  There was a large veranda that could accommodate a large party.  The man told us that they were planning to put in a pool as well.  The inside was huge and had a full wall of glass doors facing the veranda.  The house had two bedrooms, a nice bathroom, full kitchen and was incredibly well equipped.  It was one of the nicest apartments we’ve had since we started traveling.  It would have been a great place to spend a few days but we were only going to be there for one night.  We were surprised it was so nice because it was the least expensive place we could find.

Tuesday, January 29

The next morning we got up early and headed out.  We wanted to see some more of the area before heading back to Athens for our 3:30 pm flight to Santorini.  We decided to head into Lavrio to get some breakfast.  Along the way we stopped at several pullouts to take pictures of the temple; it’s hard to imagine getting enough of that incredible view.

(Sunrise over the Temple)

After a breakfast of coffee and pastries we visited the Lavrio archeological museum.  According to Google and its web site the museum is closed only on Mondays but from our experiences Tuesday is the day to be concerned about.  Sure enough the museum sported a sign saying that they were closed on Tuesday but it appeared that the building was open.  We tried the doors and were able to walk inside.  From the looks of things we expected them to tell us that they were closed but we were able to purchase two tickets and see the exhibits.  Cost of entry was €1.00 / $1.15 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.

The  museum is very small and is really just one large room with a couple of niches.  We learned that the Athenians were in control of Attica (the peninsula that Athens sits on) and that the silver mines in the area were an important source of wealth that funded the Athenian state during the classical period.  During the 5th and 4th Centuries BC alone over a million tons of silver and half a million tons of lead had been produced.  Many of the artifacts were related to the process of mining, mining instruments and mining contracts from that era.  The museum’s star attractions were the friezes from the Temple of Poseidon.  There were approximately a dozen blocks of stone on display but only a couple had any sort of recognizable carvings.  Our visit lasted about thirty minutes.

At this point we still had plenty of time so we drove over to the archeological site in Thorikos which was just a short drive from Lavrio.  The area was home to a small deme but it’s main attraction was a theater that was built in the 5th Century BC.  It’s the oldest theater ever found in Greece and was in use until the 6th Century AD.

(Ancient Theater at Thorikos)

After touring the site we still had plenty of time so we drove back over to the west side of the peninsula and took the slower but much more scenic coastal road as far as we could before turning back towards the interior.  Christina had suggested that we make a stop at Lake Vouliagmeni.  We had intended to take a look but before we realized it we had passed the lake and we didn’t want to turn back and risk being late for our flight.

The flight to Santorini was an uneventful thirty minutes.  We picked up our rental car and were off to find our new residence.  This time, because we were not able to find any suitable AirBNBs, we opted for a hotel.  The confirmation from the hotel had a link to directions using Google maps and we followed them until we got on some narrow roads that dead-ended high up on a hill.  We could find no sign of the hotel anywhere.  We decided to drive towards the town of Fira where our hotel was supposed to be and see if we could get there by following our noses.  The streets in and around Fira are a disaster.  Most of them are very narrow one-way streets.  The two-way streets have cars parked all along them effectively turning them into one-way streets where it’s impossible to see traffic coming from the opposite direction.  In any event we were unable to find the hotel.  It was a good thing our hotel was supposed to have a parking lot because finding a place to park was also going to be a horror.

We tried the Google directions again and found a small street, really an alley, that we had missed the last time.  It was unbelievably narrow and could barely fit our small car.  It didn’t feel right but we continued down the alley for about 100 yards until we got to a where we had to make an incredibly tight turn to continue down an even narrower alley.  We started to go back and forth to make the turn until we realized that this was absolutely nuts.  We stopped to evaluate.

Our best option seemed to be go back the way we came but by now we couldn’t just back up; we were stuck between the two alleys.  We couldn’t go forward, we couldn’t go backward and we couldn’t back up.  It was so narrow that we couldn’t open the doors to get out and have a look around.  Deborah tried to crawl out the back hatch but it wouldn’t open from the inside so she opened her window and climbed through.  I was impressed.

She walked down the rest of the alley to see what was ahead.  It was a pedestrian walkway and, even if we wanted to, we’d never be able to get there through an even narrower passage.  We had to back up.  It was an impossible task.  The car was not in either alley now.  Deborah tried to tell me how to turn the wheel in order to back into the first alley but the passage was too narrow and we were afraid we’d seriously damage the car.  While we were trying to get our selves out a woman with two dogs came walking down the road.  Deborah told her that we were stuck but she didn’t seem to care.  We stopped just long enough to let her and her dogs pass by.

We tried the go-forward and turn the wheel hard, now backup and cut the wheel the other way routine for about fifteen minutes before giving up in disgust.  The car now had a serious scrape on the front right fender.  We were about to call the car rental company to see what they could do when the woman with the dogs returned accompanied by a man.  She said, “He can do this”.  I crawled out the window and handed him the keys.  What did we have to lose?

The man got in the car and seemly without effort got the car straightened out into the first alley and started backing up.  We started walking after him but kept a good distance just in case he needed to come forward to straighten himself out.  Secretly we hoped that he would steal the car and our troubles would be over.  When he got to the end of the block he go out and handed me the keys.  We couldn’t believe he had done it so easily nor could we  believe our good fortune.  We asked him if he knew how to get to our hotel.  He looked at the address and said something to the effect of drive into Fira, park the car and walk up the hill.  He was very nice.  I put a €10 note in his hand.  He refused to take it but I insisted.  Deborah said I should have given him €20.

Before moving we checked the hotel’s web site for directions.  There weren’t any.  We called the hotel and the person who answered spoke no English.  He put us on hold for ten minutes and when he came back we said, “Pelican Travel” and hung up.  We managed to find Pelican Travel but there was no parking there nor was there an access road to the hotel.

Back in Fira we found a small side street where saw some othercars were parked.  We parked in an empty spot and hoped that it would be ok.  They we dragged our luggage up several very steep blocks and up an even steeper staircase until we came to our hotel.  It was obvious that there was no parking lot.  It had been a very tiring and emotional experience.  We were not ready for what came next.

The man welcomed us.  He said our room was already paid for but that we had to pay €3.50 for taxes.  I handed him a credit card and he said, “cash only”.  You don’t take credit cards?  Not for room taxes.  He confirmed that we would be there for one week but then informed us that the hotel was full on the night of February 1, and that we would have to move to another hotel for one day.  I was about to blow my top when, thankfully, Deborah stepped in and defused the situation by taking over my part in the conversation.  We still don’t know if we’ll be required to move for one night.

The man gave us the keys and escorted us up another steep set of stairs to our room.  At least he carried one of the suitcases.

It was a very bad afternoon.

Distance walked: 5.2 miles

Sunday, January 27

This was our last day in Nafplio before moving on.  We decided to go out with a bang.  Our first stop was the archeological site of Ancient Tiryns in the nearby town of Argolis.  Tiryns was another Mycenaean city that thrived between 1400 BC and 1200 BC.  By the 2nd Century AD it had been completely abandoned.  Tiryns, like most of the Mycenaean cities, had a fabulous palace.  It also had Cyclopean tunnels and walls.  Homer referred to it as, “mighty walled Tiryns”.  It cost €2.00 / $2.30 per person to visit the site.  Credit cards are accepted.

Large parts of the fortress walls are still intact.  They earn their moniker, Cyclopian, because of the large size of the stones used to construct them.  Several huge stones can be seen where the main gate was.  This gate was a copy of the famous Lion’s Gate from the city of Mycenae, which we visited earlier in the week.  The buildings inside the walls are just ruins.  Many of the artifacts are now on display at the Archeological Museum of Athens; none are on display at the site.

(Lion Gate of Tiryns)

Our next stop was the town of Epidaurus.  That site contains the remains of a temple complex dedicated to Asclepius, the son of Apollo and the god of medicine.  One of his symbols is a snake wrapped around a pole known as the Rod of Asclepius, which is the symbol for medicine (it is often referred to incorrectly as the Caduceus, which was the staff with two snakes carried by the god Hermes).  The site also containes a theater and a museum.  We started with the temple complex.

The complex covers a large area and includes a Greek bath, Roman baths, temples to Asclepius and other gods and much, much more.   The water for the baths and the healing rituals all came from a natural spring that was delivered to various locations through the use of underground pipes.

At the center of the complex was the Sanctuary of Asclepius.  Entry was through a monumental propylaea which has been partially restored.  We were able to walk through one of the Roman bath houses whose many walls are still in good condition.  We had fun identifying the various rooms, pointing out the niches where statues would have stood and even found small patches of once colorful mosaic tiles.  We could still make out some colors and shapes that had once decorated the building.

The three most important buildings were the Temple of Asclepius, which was mostly ruins, the partially restored Stoa of Abaton, where patients were cured and the partially restored Tholos.  The Stoa had an unusual design.  One section was at ground level.  It had a colonnade with solid marble panels fixed between the columns that effectively blocked the view from the outside.  This is where patients purified themselves with water from the sacred well and performed other rituals.  The second part of the building was built one floor lower by making use of the natural slope of the hill.  Here patients would lie down and sleep, waiting for a miraculous cure to come.  The Tholos was also quite impressive.  It is a round building with a double colonnade.  It is thought that sacrifices were made to Asclepius in this building.  Behind the Tholos in a deep, natural depression, was a stadium where athletic events were held in honor of Asclepius.

(L: Tholos, R: Stoa of Abaton)

A few hundred feet away is a large theater that dates from the 4th Century BC.  The stadium, which has been restored and is still in use today, could hold about 12,000 people.  The theater had, and still has, excellent acoustics that are based on the design and shape of the theater.  From the very top of the theater we could easily hear people talking on the stage.  The theater is an absolutely grand sight to behold.

(The Theater of Epidaurus)

Finally, we visited the museum.  There was a nice array of sculptures that had been found at the site.  The most interesting items on display were portions of the friezes from the Temple of Asclepius.

(Asclepius with Snake and Stick, Copy of 4th Century BC Original)

Distance walked: 4.8 miles

Saturday, January 26

Today we traveled to Ancient Mycenae.  The Mycenaean civilization occurred in the latter part of the bronze age and lasted roughly from 1600-1100 BC.  It was the first advanced civilization in mainland Greece; they were known for their opulent palaces, fine quality art and for inventing one of the first written languages in the world called Linear B.  There is a huge section in the Archeological Museum in Athens that’s dedicated to finds from this civilization.  Our ticket included the archeological site and the museum.  We toured the archeological site first, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The site is well organized with high quality signage and trails that lead to all of the finds.  One of the first things that you will see is the famous Cyclopian Wall and Lion Gate.  According to legend the city was founded by Persius, son of Zeus, who employed Cyclopes to build the walls around his city.  The gigantic stones which make up the wall are almost as high as a person.  Unlike most of the site which was destroyed and/or buried over time, the Lion Gate has stood proudly in place for almost 3,500 years.  Above the lintel is a relief of a column surrounded by a pair of lions.  It’s the oldest monumental relief in Europe.

(The Lion Gate)

The next major exhibit is a large circular pit known as Grave Circle A.  It was the royal burial ground in the 16th Century BC and is where so many of the most famous artifacts were found including the well known Mask of Agamemnon.

The story goes: Agamemnon was the King of Mycenae.  As the leader of all the Greeks he joined with his brother Menelaus, King of Sparta, to rescue fair Helen from the Trojans.  To insure their success Agamemnon was instructed by the gods to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia.  He returned from the Trojan War ten years later to find that his wife, Clytemnestra, had begun an affair with Aegisthus.  Clytemnestra, still mad that her husband had killed their daughter, conspired with Aegisthus to murder Agamemnon.  Distraught over the death of their father Electra and her brother, Orestes, killed Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.  There’s nothing like an ancient soap opera to brighten your day.  Of course, there’s no historical evidence that any of these people really existed.

At the top of the hill we found the palace.  In ancient times you would have entered through a grand propylaea.  Some of its remains can still be seen.  As for the palace itself, there is nothing much to see on the hilltop.  Whatever artifacts exist have been moved to various museums throughout the country.  Many are in Athens and a few are on display at the museum at this location.

The hilltop had a large complex of buildings.  The remains of many of them can still be seen.  The north gate is fully intact.  In later years an underground cistern supplied water to the city.  Much of it is still intact but it is off limits to the public.  Only the entrance can be seen.

There were a number of ruins on the opposite hilltop but the most interesting sites were the two tholos tombs – one named for Clytemnestra and one named for Aegisthus.  Both had long narrow entryways made out of stone that lead to a large beehive shaped chamber.  Clytemnestra’s tomb was fully intact.

After touring the site we visited the onsite museum.  The artifacts on display had all been found on site.  There was a nice collection of pottery and some beautiful frescos from the palace.  Our favorite was a gold mask with the face of a lion that had been found in Grave Circle A.  The piece on display was a copy but we don’t remember seeing the original in Athens.

(Copy of Gold Lion Mask)

Across the street there was another, related archeological site.  There was another tholos tomb that was called the Treasury of Atreas / The Tomb of Agamemnon and there were the remains of several homes from the 13th Century BC.

The Mycenaean civilization was one of the most important in the ancient world and helped spawn even more advanced civilizations one thousand years later.  It was a surreal experience to be able to relive some of their greatness.

When we got back to Nafplio we drove up to Palamidi Fortress.  One of us, we won’t tell you which, really wanted to walk the 999 steps to get to the top, but we just didn’t have that kind of time.  The fortress was built by the Venetians in the early 1700s but was conquered by the Ottomans before it was completed.  It reverted back to the Greeks in 1822.

The fortress is huge, is built in three large sections and extends part way down the hill.  We wandered around the entire site.  Most of the walls have survived but most of the buildings are now ruins.  The views are absolutely incredible.

(Palamidi Fortress)

When we left the fortress we parked by our apartment, walked back into town and headed over to the waterfront.  We hadn’t been able to get information about the ferry to Bourtzi Castle but since it was the weekend we felt sure that it would be running.  Sure enough we found the boat and her captain waiting by the pier.  The boat was scheduled to go back to the castle in 15 minutes but the captain wouldn’t make the trip unless he had at least four passengers.  The captain informed us that the castle was closed for renovations.  He said that we would just stay for about ten minutes, enough time to take some pictures, before we would go back to shore.  We didn’t care, we really wanted to go.

We waited around and hoped that a couple of people would decide to take the plunge and, at just two minutes to the hour, two young ladies decided to join us.  Cameras in hand the four of us set sail for the little castle.  The island is quite small but due to the construction work we were only able to walk around the dock area.  We peered inside the gate, took a bunch of pictures and boarded the boat for the return trip.

Instead of heading straight back to the pier the captain gave us a tour of the waterfront.  He directed us to some seats in the back of the boat where we would get the best view.  He went all the way around the back side of Akronauplia and circled back.  It was a sunny day with calm winds and gently rolling seas.  It was great fun.

Now it was time for a meal.  Our friend Christina had not only recommended a restaurant to us she had also recommended several dishes that she said we must try: feta with honey and taramosalata.  We hadn’t noticed either of these on menus before so we were anxious to give them a try.

We headed over to O Vasilis Taverna and ordered both those dishes.  The restaurant did not have the taramosalata, a salad with fish roe, that day.  Fortunately they had the feta with honey.  When it came we saw that it was feta that had been wrapped in phyllo, was deep fried and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.  It was absolutely delicious!  For our main courses we had the chicken souvlaki and the lamb in lemon sauce.  We shared some white wine and thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

(Feta with Honey)

We had hoped that by the time dinner was over it would be dark so we could take some nighttime pictures of the castles but we ate too quickly.  We walked home and started making plans for the next day.  I didn’t want to waste the opportunity so, around 9:00 pm, I went out to take some pictures.  Palamidi is all lit up at night and I found that the best place to take photographs was the parking lot of the nearby Lidl supermarket.

(Palamidi Fortress)

After that I walked to the waterfront to take pictures of Bourtzi Castle.  I was disappointed to see that neither it, nor Akronauplia, were lit.  I took a few more pictures of Palamidi and headed home.  It had been a long day.

Distance walked: 11.6 miles and 49 flights (that has got to be a record)

Thursday, January 24

We spent some time down at the waterfront in Nafplio taking photos.  The area is incredibly picturesque.  There is a path that goes around the harbor and  we walked the entire length admiring the view and taking pictures.  High overhead is the Venetian built Palamidi Fortress.  It’s a huge complex that extends partially down the hill and completely dominates the town.  To the west, on the next hilltop, is Nafplio’s oldest castle called Acronafplia.  Of course, what self-respecting town wouldn’t have a third castle?  Bourtzi Castle is a small, fairytale-like structure that sits on a tiny island in the harbor.  It’s stunningly beautiful.  Our intent for the day was to visit Acronafplia.

(Fairytale Bourtzi Castle)

We wondered the back streets in old town looking for some way to get up to the castle.  We had read that there was a cable car that would take you to the top but couldn’t find any mention of it anywhere.  We did a Google search and found a web site that described how to walk up there but those directions were obviously not correct.  Finally we asked a shopkeeper.  He pointed down the street and said we could walk or take a taxi; there was no cable car.  We headed in the direction that he had pointed.

Along the way we found the Church of Saint Spyridon.  It was on our list of things to hunt down.  It is well known as the location that the first governor of the modern Greek State, Ioannis Kapodistrias, was assassinated on September 27, 1931.  While entering the church for Sunday services we was shot and stabbed (talk about overkill).  The church, of the Greek Orthodox denomination, is not very large but is very nicely decorated.  It sports a marble iconostasis and some lovely frescos.

(Dome of Church of Saint Spyridon)

Eventually we found a set of very steep steps that led up the hill.  We passed through a stone gate which led to a road that took us to the main part of the fortress.  It was a fairly easy climb.  There is no charge to enter the castle.

The castle originated in the Byzantine period sometime around 1,000 AD.  It was occupied by the French in the 14th Century and then the Venetians in the 15th Century.  It changed hands between the Ottomans and the Venetians several times until 1822.  In 1827 Nafplio was established as the first capital of the newly formed Greek State.  Aside from the impressive walls the buildings, except for the clock tower, are now ruins.  There are informational signs around the hill that tell of the various occupations and the once proud buildings.  Today the fortress is a popular tourist destination.  The views of the surrounding area are magnificent.

(Acronafplia)

We had a late lunch at a restaurant that we found a recommendation for called  Alaloum.  We ordered an appetizer consisting of toasted bread with olive oil, oregano and salt.  The waiter told us of several specials of the day and we ordered from that list: cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice and fried calamari made from freshly caught fish.  Neither dish was particularly good.  When we were getting ready for the check the waiter brought several tables a complimentary order of sliced apples and honey.  The apples weren’t really ripe.  We’ll be looking for better elsewhere.

Distance walked: 8.6 miles

Friday, January 25

This morning we went to The Archaeological Museum of Nafplio.  It contains relics that have been found in the area.  The artifacts were presented in chronological order.  One of the very first exhibits was an earthen hearth that was dated between 32,000-21,000 BC.  That is the correct number of zeros.  We were impressed.

As we were rounding the first aisle a man, who obviously worked there, approached us and told us about the suit of armor that we were coming to.  We already knew quite a bit about it.  It’s the only complete suit of Mycenaean armor that has ever been found.  It dates from the 15th Century BC, is made entirely of bronze and was found in a tomb in the nearby city of Dendra.  It’s the museum’s premier exhibit!

(Mycenaean Armor)

He must have realized that we liked this stuff so he walked us back to an artifact that we’d already passed and explained to us that it was also the only one of its kind ever found.  It was a “cooler” that was probably used to keep wine at a suitable temperature.  It dated from 2700-2200 BC, was made of clay and had been found in the nearby city of Tiryns.  We had seen it but it hadn’t made an impression on us.  Now we were absolutely fascinated.  Before leaving he wanted to make sure that we didn’t miss the two films that were available in one of the rooms upstairs.  He reassured us that one of the films was in English with Greek subtitles and the other was in Greek with English subtitles.  His enthusiasm was absolutely infectious.

(Ancient Cooler – Wine Inside and Water Outside)

The films were about the discovery and excavation of the armor.  It was interesting to see what a big deal this was in the town.  When the archeologists were about to bring the armor up from the ground the church bells were rung and the people from the town came to see what it was all about.  Just as the credits from the second film were running the man reappeared and explained that the people weren’t sure of what they’d be seeing but knew it was important so they all showed up wearing their Sunday best.  It’s little things like that we’ll remember with a smile years from now.

The museum is fairly small but had some lovely pieces.  There was a very nice collection of pottery that was in fine condition.  Some dated back as far as 2700 BC.  We particularly liked the frescos that had been salvaged from the Palace of Tiryns.  They were colorful and told nice stories even though we saw only medium sized fragments.

For lunch we went to another restaurant that we’d seen a recommendation for called Mitato Grill Restaurant.  They were said to have the best souvlaki in town.  We tried the chicken and the lamb.  Neither were particularly good.  They lacked any real seasoning or flavor.  We usually do better hunting out places to eat on our own.

Distance walked: 3.8 miles

Tuesday, January 22

Our plan was to visit the fabled Palace of Nestor.  It’s a 13th Century BC Mycenaean palace which was mentioned by Homer in both The Illiad and The Odyssey.  The drive was just a little over an hour long and when we got there we found the site was closed.  According to all of the information we could find it was supposed to be open every day except Monday.  That no longer seems to be the case.

The palace, which we have seen artifacts from in Athens, is said to be the best preserved Mycenaean palace known.  We were rather disappointed.  Trying to make lemonade from lemons we headed into the nearby town of Chora to visit their archeological museum.  We figured that it would probably have a good bit of information about the palace.  Instead of being closed on Mondays it, too, is now closed on Tuesdays, grumble, grumble.

Since it was now past noon Deborah was inclined to head back home but the thought of a completely wasted day was just too much for me.  There were a couple of castles nearby and I convinced Deborah to visit one.  We decided to see the one in the town of Methoni.

We’ve done quite a bit of driving through the Peloponnese and the scenery never disappoints.  You pass from giant olive groves to forests of orange trees.  Along the coast there are high, snow capped mountains and, of course, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.  The journey is often as interesting as the destination.

When we got to the town of Pilos we made a wrong turn and instead of continuing on the main road we were directed into town.  It turned out to be a fortunate accident.  We found a parking spot in the center of town and headed into a small restaurant that was just across the street.  We decided to share an arugula salad and a pasta amatriciana.  The salad was quite good but the pasta was so-so.

Back in the car we continued along the coast until we found Methoni.  It’s a tiny little town.  At the end of the main street we found the waterfront and parked.  The castle was just a short walk from there.

The castle was built by the Venetians in the 13th Century.  It’s a large complex surrounded by a moat and built on rocks that jut into the sea.  Entry can only be gained by crossing a narrow bridge that extends over the moat.  It’s an impressive sight and bears a large image of a winged lion – the symbol of Saint Mark, the patron saint of the Venetians.

(Methoni Castle)

Would it shock you if we told you that the castle was closed?  It was.  Still, we were able to walk around the castle and along the beachfront path.  The sun was shining, the castle was in the forefront, the waves were crashing at its base and there were large mountains in the background.  It was almost enough to get us over the disappointments of the day.

Distance walked: 2.0 miles

Wednesday, January 23

This morning we left Kalamata and headed toward our next destination: Nafplio.  Along the way we stopped to visit Sparta, one of the most famous towns from antiquity.  We planned to see the remains of the ancient city and the archeological museum.

We knew that there was very little left of the ancient city but we still had to see it for ourselves.  Most of the buildings are from the Roman or Byzantine periods and all you can see is ruins except for the theater that was built in the 1st Century AD.  It was one of the largest theaters in ancient Greece and it’s still pretty impressive today.  Entry was free of charge.

(Theater of Ancient Sparta)

Afterwards we drove over to the museum.  The narrow streets were filled with cars and when we finally got to the museum we were unable to find a parking space.  We drove the length of the town before we decided to park back by the archeological site and walk.

The museum grounds include a small park where some old statutes are on display.  There is a small colonnade of six statues leading to the front door.  All are beautiful works.  It’s surprising that they are being left to the elements.

The museum contained many artifacts that were found at the archeological site.  There was a nice collection of clay masks, quite a few bronze votive figurines and a number of lead votive figurines.  One entire room was dedicated to Roman era mosaics and the next held a number of Roman copies of famous Greek statues.  Our favorite was a statue of Eros from the 1st Century AD.  The original had been attributed to Phidias.

(Roman Copy of Phidias’ Eros)

We had lunch at a restaurant in town.  The inside of the restaurant was very smokey so, in spite of the cold, we sat outside near one of the torch heaters.  We had a chicken sandwich and a burger.  Both came with fresh fries that were seasoned with sea salt and oregano.  That may sound weird but they were absolutely delicious.  The Greeks seem to use dill or oregano on just about everything.

Next we visited the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil.  Yeah, we expected it to be a somewhat commercial operation that was more focused on selling us overpriced olive oil than informing us about olives but we decided to take a chance.  It turned out well.  The museum traces the history of olives and olive oil starting from the prehistoric period.  By the 14th Century BC olive oil was an important and valuable commodity.  By the Byzantine era olives were widely available and had become a common food.

The production of olive oil has changed little since antiquity.  The process involves crushing the olive, pressing it and separating the oil from the water and sediment.  The technology may have improved but the steps have remained largely the same.  During the 1800s olive pits began to be processed for essential oils that were used to produce perfumes and soaps.  And no, the museum does not sell olives or olive oil.  We almost wished that they did.

On our way back to the car we visited the tomb of Leonidas, who was King of the Spartans when the Spartans were at war with the Persians (remember the movie, “The 300”).  The tomb was mostly ruins but it is said that the remains of a body thought to be Leonidas were found there.  There is also a nice statue of him near the archeological park.

(Statue of Leonidas)

We arrived in Nafplio in the evening.  Our apartment has two bedrooms, is rather spacious and is just a 10 minute walk to the old town district.  We can’t count how many times people have told us that we absolutely must visit Nafplio.  Well, we’ll have several days to enjoy it for ourselves.

Distance walked: 7.8 miles

Monday, January 21

Not too far from Kalamata our destination was Messene, or was it Messini or was it Messenae or was it something else similar.  Of course none of these are to be confused with Mycenae, which is also on the Peloponnese peninsula, but is somewhat further to the East.  There are two towns with similar names in this region and, while their names may be distinct in Greek, they are quite similar in English.  This is compounded by the fact that the names are often translated into different spellings.  We were pretty sure we’d chosen the right town but we weren’t going to be 100% sure until we actually got there.  It took just under an hour to get there.  Our way took us through some back roads, over some mountain passes, through narrow winding roads with constant switchbacks.  It was a lot of fun.

Our ticket, which costs €6.00 / $6.90, entitled us to entry to the archeological site and the museum.  They probably take credit cards but I took the opportunity to lighten my load and get rid of a large number of coins I’d been carrying around.  We went to the archeological site first.

At first glance the site looks to be a good size but it’s much larger than you think.  It’s built all along a hill in three sections and you can’t even see the third section until you’ve walked passed the second.  There is a perimeter road that will take you through all three sections and we walked the entire thing.

The first area you come to has some Roman era ruins of a large house that had been turned into a basilica during Byzantine times but your attention immediately goes to the Roman era theater just down the hill.  We’d explore that later as the path takes you along the ridge where you encounter the North Stoa (Marketplace).  The Stoa was very large and extended along the entire hilltop.  The most well preserved item was the Bema/Rostrum.  It had been flanked with large bronze statues of Messenian officials and was the place where public announcements of all sorts were made.

Further on we found a large complex that had contained the Temple of Asklepios and the Ekklesiasterior, a theater-like structure that was used for cult performances.  The complex held several other smaller temples.  In front there were some later additions including a grave monument and baths.  Tucked away in the back, and easily missed, was the remains of a Roman era house complete with mosaic floors.  This was all part of the second section.  The best stuff was yet to come.

(The Ekklesiasterior)

The third section was an even larger complex that held the stadium and the gymnasium.  A large part of the colonnade around the stadium was intact.  It was a very impressive sight.  The ancients would have entered through a marble road that led through a propylaea, past a statue of Theseus and past a monument to Heracles.  Next to the monument to Heracles was a large, odd-looking grave monument where eight members of an aristocratic Messenian family had been buried.  The base of the building was square and it was topped with an inverted funnel leading to a corinthian capital.

(The Stadium Surrounded by Columns)

At the end of the path the gymnasium was plain to see.  Next to it was a Palaistra (a gym for wrestling) and a bath.  The biggest attraction was the stadium.  It had been used for ancient Olympic-style athletic contests and was later used for Roman style games.  In the back of the stadium was a building that looked like a small temple.  It turned out to be a mausoleum to the Sadthidae family.

(The Stadium)

Back up the hill we returned to the second section and found a number of ruins, the most important one was the Temple of Messene.

We probably spent close to two hours at the site.  On a fine day it would make for a lovely walk among some amazing old buildings (it was drizzling and wet for much of the time we were there).  There are good quality signs in Greek and in English at most of the sites which helps to understand how things were laid out.  If you have the opportunity to see Messene it would be worth your while.

Just up the road, the way we had come, we found the archeological museum.  It’s rather small and we’d driven right passed it without noticing it on our way to the site.  Many of the signs at the site had referenced bronze sculptures.  We expected to find them at the museum but they weren’t there.  Most of what we did find were some lovely sculptures – mostly Roman copies of famous Greek statues. The museum is just a couple of small rooms but it’s definitely worth seeing.

Our next destination was the Temple of Apollo Epikourios in the town of Eira almost two hours away.  Along our drive we stopped for lunch in a small town called Valyra.  There weren’t too many choices but we noticed a large restaurant that was open.  We stopped at the end of town, parked the car and walked the length of the town to get there.  It took about 60 seconds.  The restaurant had no menu so we tried to choose from pictures of the food that were hanging above the counter.  Those were only available at dinner time.  For lunch our choices were fried pork schnitzel with peas or fried pork schnitzel with potato salad.  We decided to share one order of the fried pork schnitzel – and the potato salad.

After we were seated the woman who was preparing the food walked over to our table and began a conversation.  She asked us where we were from and things went from there.  She had lived in Rochester, NY for some years and had a son who was currently living in Chicago.  She was very sweet and probably just yearned to use her English.

The schnitzel was huge and easily enough for the both of us.  It was very tasty but the German style potato salad was wonderful.  It had a vinegar dressing and was laced with onions and dill.  With two cokes the meal came to €8.50 / $9.75.  We didn’t think they even had a credit card machine so we paid cash.  On the way out the woman gave us their card and told us that they were on Google and Facebook.  It struck us as very funny.

If you like long drives on steep narrow twisting winding mountain roads with many switchbacks where you have to drive around sleeping dogs, avoid goats jumping into the road and wait for sheep to amble by, then a drive to the Temple of Apollo Epikourios is just want the doctor ordered.  Our little underpowered car was no match for these roads; we spent a lot of time in second gear.  The temple was open until 6:30 pm so we weren’t in a hurry and we enjoyed the scenery and the distractions.  Everywhere you look in the entire peninsula there are olive trees as far as the eye can see.  These can’t be considered olive groves or even olive forests.  There are entire mountain ranges packed full of olive trees.  Some of the groves were quite old.  Olive trees have been know to live for 2,000 years.  We saw quite a few that must have come close to half that age.  It was plain to see that even the ancient trees had been planted by men in long straight rows.  Olive trees have been important in Greece for well over 2,500 years.

We finally arrived at the Temple of Apollo Epikourios at 3:00 pm.  The sign on the gate said that the site closed at 3:15 pm.  In panic we ran up the hill to the ticket booth where we learned that the site was actually closing at 4:00 pm.  We only had an hour to explore but we would make do.  The cost of entry was €3.00 / $3.45 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.  For a country that thrives on tourism you’d think they would do better at keeping their websites updated.

When doing our research we’d found that the temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was protected by a large tent to help with the restoration efforts.  The latest restoration project began in 1975.  It was halted in 2015 due to lack of funding.

Apollo Epikourios is one of the best persevered temples from the classical period.  It’s a typical marble structure with doric columns.  The walls of the cella are virtually intact.  We were able to peer into the chamber and see many smaller columns.  Restoration efforts have been nearly completed on one end and have not yet been started on the other.  We suspect it will be many years before restoration work has been completed and the tent removed.  When completed it will be a magnificent sight.

(The Temple of Apollo Epikourios)

We hurried our visit with the temple and went to see what else there was.  The site seemed rather large.  There were some signs telling of buildings that used to be there but everywhere you looked there were spare parts that had been organized and categorized.  These parts were all for the temple and will be used as part of the restoration efforts.  There was little else too see so, after walking around the entire site, we went back to the tent for a closer examination.

Distance walked: 5.4 miles

Saturday, January 19

After breakfast at our hotel in Olympia we packed up the car and drove to Kalamata.  The weather was terrible.  It rained the entire time.  The drive took just under two hours.  Our host in Kalamata had asked us to come as early as possible because he had to drive into Athens at 1:00 pm.  We told him we planned to show up around 11:00 am and he said that would work perfectly for him.  About fifteen minutes before we arrived we messaged him that we would be arriving soon.  He responded that he was busy, expected to be available around noon and would message us twenty minutes before he was available.  We were pretty annoyed.

Fortunately, as we entered town, we saw that the twice-weekly market was in full swing so we parked on the street nearby and went to explore.  Outside there were three long rows of vendors selling all sorts of produce.  We bought some tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, red peppers, oranges, lemons and apples.  These were the first nice looking apples we’d seen in months.

Inside we found the fish market.  Everything looked wonderful.  We were sorely tempted to buy something but still had no idea of what was in our new kitchen so we passed on the fish.  Further on there were all sorts of other shops selling meats, cheeses, dried fruits, olive oil, eggs, etc.  The one thing that we didn’t see were olives – isn’t that the thing that Kalamata is most famous for?  We walked away with some feta cheese, another emmentaler-like cheese, a dozen fresh eggs and fresh figs that were seasoned with oregano.

We hurried through the market and went in search of our apartment.  Our host had given us the address: 8 Politi.  We found 4 Politi and 6 Politi but no 8.  I waited in the car while Deborah searched the neighborhood.  8 Politi was nowhere to be found.  We messaged our host and told him we couldn’t find the address and that we’d meet him at number 6.  Soon after he texted that he would meet us in about 20 minutes at that address.  When our host finally arrived he escorted us to house number 3 on a street perpendicular to Politi with no posted name.  Enough said.  Our new apartment is very nice.  It’s a large one bedroom on the second floor.

The historic district is just a stone’s throw from our apartment.  There we found a bunch of nice cafes, bakeries and all sorts of specialty food stores.  We  had hamburgers at a lovely little cafe.  The burgers were fresh and juicy and piled high with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, bacon, ketchup, mustard and mayo.  We got one with fries and one without.  There was way too much dressing on the burgers to suit Deborah’s taste but I liked it very much.  Deborah also ordered a double cappuccino. They served a brand of Italian espresso that we’d never heard of before called Moza.  The coffee had a deep rich flavor that reminded us of the coffee we’d had in Sofia.  It seems that many places here in Kalamata serve it.  A burger and fries cost just €4.50 and one without fries cost just €3.50.  It was quite a bargain.

Just outside the cafe we found an interesting bakery.  We indulged in a piece of nut cake covered in butter cream frosting.  It was very tasty but not nearly as sweet as we were expecting.  There was another fabulous looking dessert that the waitress called chocolate pie.  We planned to come back and try that on another day.

(Nut Cake with Buttercream Frosting)

Our plan for the day was to visit the archeological museum.  According to their website the museum was open until 8:00 pm on Saturdays.  We decided to walk around town and explore.  If we still wanted to visit the museum there would be plenty of time.

We explored the entire historic district and found that it led to a wide boulevard containing high end clothing stores and restaurants.  We looked into a number of shops and continued on and found Kalamata Municipal Railway Park.  It’s a long park in the middle of a divided street that has a number of old railway cars situated on abandoned tracks.  The cars are empty but we understand that people can walk through them.

By now the rain was coming down pretty hard but we continued down the street until we got to the waterfront where we figured we could wait out the downpour in a coffee shop.  The waterfront district turned out to be somewhat commercial.  The beaches must be in a different area.  We hid under an awning for about ten minutes and when the rain subsided we walked back home, stopping along the way at another bakery for some cookies.

For dinner Deborah made baked feta with the honey/pepper jam we’d purchased in Athens and for dessert we had apples and honey.

Distance walked: 5.6 miles

Sunday, January 20

This morning we went to the Archaeological Museum of Messinia.  It’s just a few blocks from our apartment in the historic district.  The museum has a few representative artifacts from various cities throughout the Peloponnese.  The artifacts ranged from 2,000 BC through the Byzantine era and, instead of being arranged by time period, were arranged by city.  We would have preferred the more traditional organization.  Everything was well labeled in Greek and in English.  Cost of entry was €2.00 / $2.30 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.

(Offering to Poseidon from Akovitika, 5th-1st Century BC)

It was a nice museum but there wasn’t anything there that we haven’t seen before.  They had a nice display on ancient music and even referenced the tablet we’d seen in Delphi.

After leaving the museum we headed over to the Church of Ypapantis, the Metropolitan Church of Kalamata.  It’s a  Greek Orthodox church in the Byzantine style.  Built in 1839 it houses a famous icon of the Virgin Mary from 672 AD.

(Icon of the Virgin, Church of Ypapantis)

The church is in excellent condition and has beautiful frescos everywhere.  Instead of the usual iconostasis made of dark wood with gold trim and many small icons there is a large white panel with four large silver figures.  It has a Western look to it.  We liked it a lot.

(Iconostasis, Church of Ypapantis)

On our way back home we stopped at the bakery where we had purchased the nut cake and took home one piece each of the chocolate pie, baklava and orange cake.  The credit card machine asked whether we wanted to be charged in USD or EUR.  I told the owner three times to put it through as EUR but he put it through as USD anyway (no it wasn’t an accident).  This cost us an extra 4%.  We’re never going back there again.  We had some of the pastries after lunch and some after dinner.  They were nothing special.

Distance walked: 1.5 miles

Friday, January 18

Instead of having breakfast at the hotel we decided to check out some of the cafes in town.  We settled for one of the few places that were open that served food rather than just pastries.  The menu was rather limited.  They served waffles topped with all sorts of things and little else.  We ordered a waffle with wild berry sauce and one with bananas topped with a hazelnut and chocolate cream.

While we were waiting for our waffles one of the waiters came by with a box of pastries and offered them to us.  They looked really good and we each took one.  The pastries were small tarts with a flaky pie crust, filled with a hazelnut and chocolate cream and topped with chocolate.  They were so very good.  When the waffles came they were not very interesting.  They were somewhat heavy, had no vanilla and didn’t have much flavor.  When the bill came we noticed that we hadn’t been charged for the two pastries.  More free food!

Our main activity for the day was a trip to the Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games.  All of the artifacts in the museum had some relation to the Olympic Games.  The museum was divided into sections.  They each had a wonderful description in four languages, were very interesting and informative.  The perimeter of the museum was arranged in chronological order.  It described the history of the games and how they spread to various other city/states.  In the center hall the displays were all about the various competitions that were held.

The games in Olympia started in the 8th Century BC and were intimately connected with the sanctuary and the worshipping of the gods.  The first organized games were in 776 BC and continued uninterrupted for 1,169 years until 393 AD when Emperor Theodosius I banned all Pagan rituals including the Olympic Games.

The first games lasted only one day and there was only one event: The Stadium Sprint which was equivalent to today’s 200 meter dash; the distance was determined by Herakles (Hercules) himself.  Athletes were required to come to Olympia one month before the start and train in the gymnasium.  During this time they were observed by the officials and were evaluated as to skill, ethics and character.  Only those who were adjudicated worthy were able to compete in the games.

(Bronze Discus, 6th Century BC)

By 720 BC two more foot races had been added.  Pentathlon and Wrestling were introduced in 708 BC, Boxing in 688 BC and by 648 BC the Four Horse Chariot Race and other equestrian events had been introduced.  Events for boys began in 632 BC.  The additional events made it necessary to extend the Olympiad over several days.  In ancient times 4,237 champions had been declared over the course of 293 Olympiads and all of their names have been recorded.  When a champion returned home they were honored the same as a victorious general.  They received many privileges including exemption from taxes and seats of honor at festivals and games.  The games were so popular that many cities emulated Olympia and began games of their own.

(Stone Weight, Used by Long Jumpers, 5th Century BC)

Fun Fact: Olympia is in the Peloponnesian Peninsula, which traces its name back to the hero Pelops, who is one of the mythical founders of the games.  Upon reaching adulthood Pelops wanted to marry the daughter of King Oenomaus named Hippodamia.  Oenomaus was fearful of a prophecy that claimed he would be killed by his son-in-law and so devised a test for his daughter’s suitors.  In order to marry Hippodamia they would have to win a chariot race and if they lost they would be put to death.  18 Men tried and failed before Pelops convinced the god of the sea, Poseidon, to provide him with horses.  Pelops won the race, married Hippodamia and the rest, as they say, is history.

(Olympic Events)

At some point women began competing.  Their games, held in the Heraia, honored the Goddess Hera.  These games were held every four years when the Olympic Games were not held.  The one event, a foot race over a distance of 500 feet, was held for young girls, adolescents and young women.  Only unmarried women were eligible to compete.

Our next stop was the Archimedes Museum.  This is a small museum in the heart of town that has reproductions of inventions by Archimedes and other scientists from Greek antiquity.  This museum, and several others around Greece, are the brainchild of Konstantinos Kotsanas, a Greek engineer who is dedicated to sharing the accomplishments of ancient Greece.  The museum is free of charge but donations are requested.  No photography was permitted.

Approximately 350 functional models of ancient Greek inventions are displayed in the museums and their aim is to reveal an unknown aspect of ancient Greek civilization and to prove that the technology of the ancient Greeks, just before the end of the ancient Greek world, was extremely similar to the beginning of our modern technology.

Some of Archimedes most famous inventions created movement based on differences in the pressure between water and air.  The Archimedes Screw, perhaps his most famous invention, was said to have been used in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) in order to keep a perpetual water supply to the plants.  The museum had a model of an Archimedes Screw, complete with a water source, that guests are permitted to use.

For us some of the most interesting devices were the model of the crane that was used to hoist stones to build the Parthenon and the parabolic mirror that  concentrated the rays of the sun to burn enemy ships.

It was a lot of fun to tour the museum.  It involved a lot of reading.  We would suggest that it would make for a better experience if more of the devices were interactive.

On the way home we tracked down the bakery where the free pastries had come from.  We bought a few to take home.

(The “Free” Pastries)

For dinner we went back to our favorite restaurant but this time we waited until just after 7:00 pm to arrive.  Normally we try to visit different restaurants but the food there was so good that we were happy to make an exception.  Our favorite waiter was not there to seat us but he arrived soon after to take our order.  We shared a Greek Salad and an order of calamari.  To wash it down we ordered some wine (this time only half a liter).  The waiter said that the wine would be on the house.

For dessert we decided to order the fruit plate.  It was not on the menu but we’d had it before and had really enjoyed it.  When the bill came there was no charge for the wine or the fruit plate.  Three free things in one day!  That’s a record for us.

Distance walked: 2.1 miles