Nafplion and a revisit to Athens

We stopped in Nafplion for a few days of touring, wining and dining. 

The huge Palamidi Fortress dominates the clifftop above the city while the Bourtzi, a fortified island, adds a scenic touch to the harbor and ambiance of the city.

The narrow streets of the old town are lined with shops and restaurants with outside dining. The harbor front makes for a nice evening stroll. 

The nearby ancient site of Mycenae, second millennium BC, was one of the centers of Greek civilization and dominated much of southern Greece as well as Crete and the Cyclades. The population of the site peaked at about 30,000. The lion gate, bottom left below, is one of its most known features. 

Top L-R:  Map of trading partners and goods; view from ancient Mycenae; "Grave Circle A" - round cluster of graves of Mycean royalty. Bottom L-R: Gate with huge sculpted lions; ancient sculptures of women; fine vase.

We made a morning visit to Epidaurus, reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo's son, Asclepius the healer. It is best known for its sanctuary, the Asclepeion, with its theatre, which continues in use today. Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing centre of the Classical world. To find out the right cure for their ailments, patients spent a night in the "enkoimeteria", a 160 room sleeping hall. In their dreams, the god himself would advise them what they had to do to regain their health. 

The acoustics of the theater are renowned. A pin dropped in the center can be heard throughout the theater. At its peak, the theater could seat 40,000. Today it seats less than 15,000.

Top L-R: Medical instruments, Statue of Asklepios holding his staff with the snake entwined around it, the Theater, 4 of us with our Austrian friends (met in Monemvasia), Remains of the dormitory for patients.

There are fun shops in the old town. We gals enjoyed making shopping jaunts in our spare moments. Below Alejandra is looking at dresses. 

We enjoyed the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation with its displays of costumes of the Peloponnese. There are also lots of sewing machines, beautiful dolls, cute teddy bears and other toys. At the Archaeology museum there were the usual vases and sculptures but also some interesting glassware and some "votive shields" made of terracotta. These sacred shields featured scenes such as a "tall warrior slaying a skirted Amazon." These are thought to be some of the earliest graphics depicting mythological characters.

 At the Archaeology museum, there was an exhibit about Carnival (pre-Lent celebration) with the lovely costume shown below. When we returned to the main square we noticed a Botero copycat poster. (Botero is from Columbia and we enjoyed lots of his work in Medellín when we were there in 2019. For some reason we have a soft spot in our hearts for his work.) 

We enjoyed light snacks and wine at Mediterraneo Wine and Deli with the gang...

and an evening wine tasting at Cellar Vellini with Alejandra. Note the reflection in the mirror.

After our visit to the Palamidi Fortress we headed down into town and stopped at Pidalio for lunch. We enjoyed it so much we returned for a second meal later in our visit. The menu featured a blend of seafood and traditional Greek dishes. All excellently prepared.

On the way back to Athens we made a short stop at the Corinth Canal. It was completed in 1893, connecting the Ionian Sea with the Aegean Sea. It is too narrow (87 feet) for many modern ships and has little commercial value except as a tourist attraction today. 

After disposing of the rental car and settling into our hotel we ventured out returning to the Psyri district near our first hotel. We had a "light snack" at Little Kook, a "themed" coffee and dessert shop. The decor is hilariously over the top. The cakes and pies are scrumptious.

We continued our stroll through Psyri and stopped at Wine on Tap. It features pairing Greek wines with pizza. The following chart says it all.

One final guided tour, Streets & Eats, took us to some familiar neighborhoods from our earlier stop in Athens but this time we focused on food. We started the Eats part at Yoleni’s Greek Gastronomy Center. We enjoyed the tasting (of cheese, condiments and wine). Yoleni's offers a deli, great wine selection, a cafe, cooking classes and more. The Jasmine and Isis Elixirs were good enough that we returned later so Alejandra could get some.

We viewed the Holy Metropolitan Church (top left and center) and toured the Varvakios Central Market (top right). We stopped at Miran Deli (bottom left) and then moved on for lunch at Taverna tou Psirri (bottom right) we stopped for dessert at Baklavas (bottom center).

The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in a beautiful neoclassical-style building in the Kolonaki (near Parliament). The museum has Greek works of art from prehistoric to modern times. Despite having enjoyed lots of folk costumes at the museum in Nafpolion, Pat continued to enjoy the exhibits of the many typical outfits worn throughout Greece. 

We had our farewell dinner for Dave & Shelly at Strofi, a very fine restaurant near our hotel with a view of Acropolis.