20 March 2024 90 Degrees Apartment, Nafplion

Off before 9am to catch the metro to the airport. Over the past few days, the trains haven't been too crowded. Today, Tokyo-level numbers of people packed every train that came through the station while we waited for the Airport Special that runs every 30 minutes. It’s a long haul to the airport but, luckily for us, the crowds thinned out as we reached the outer suburbs, so we managed to get seats for a time.

At the airport, we picked up our Europcar vehicle for our road-trip through the Peloponnesus. The first 30 minutes driving left-hand drive cars is always the most difficult, but the proximity of the motorway we had to take made it fairly easy to get into the swing.

The Corinth Canal was our first stop. Over 2000 years have gone into the construction of this amazing piece of engineering. Construction of the canal  began with King Periander of Corinth, in the 7th century BC. Daunted by the enormity of the project, he chose to implement the Diolkos, a land trackway for transporting ships. Construction of the canal was continued under Emperor Nero in 67 AD,   However, the project ceased shortly after his death. The modern canal’s construction finally recommenced in 1881, but was hampered by geological and financial problems that bankrupted the original builders. It was completed in 1893, but, due to the canal's narrowness, navigational problems, and periodic closures to repair landslides from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic expected by its operators. Today it is home to a bungy jumping business and several tourist malls.

Ancient Corinth was our next stop. Complacency soon evaporated as, off the main roads, Google Maps was near to useless. Local signs were no help. Finally, after some valuable learning experiences on driving on narrow village roads, we found the site. Most people would remember Corinth and the Corinthians because of St. Paul's letters to them. St. Paul lived amongst the locals here for several years  and established a Christian community. When he left, he continued to support the community through letters. Mind you, we never found the post box.

You will have to be a history buff to follow our journey around the Peloponnesus , but we will do the best we can make it big picture and interesting. So, with that in mind, the big thing at our next stop in Mycenae was the famous Lion Gate. Frankly, the rest is just a pile of rocks. However, the archaeological finds here are among the most important records of life in ancient times. They aren’t stored here anymore, but in museums in Athens.

Motorway tolls in Greece are not as high as in France or Italy, but we did about 110 kilometers on tollways and racked up 17 euro. This was a justifiable expense for us on the first day driving on the other side of the road as motorway driving is much easier than on surface roads. Traffic on the motorways was not terribly heavy and Greek drivers stick strictly to the rule of overtaking only on the left and slower vehicles stay in the right lanes. These are conventions that Australian drivers could do well to emulate.

Our apartment for the next two nights is simply spectacular - two bedrooms, full kitchen, large lounge, huge balcony with a view of the fort on the edge of town and, best of all, a washing machine.

21 March 2024, Nafplion

The Theatre of Epidaurus was constructed at the end of the 4th century BC. Built for a maximum capacity of 13,000 to 14,000 spectators, the theatre hosted music, singing and drama. Surrounding the theatre are extensive ruins of a complex established for the worship of the god Asclepius. Significant work has been done to reconstruct some parts of the site, providing visitors with a reasonable feel of what this large complex would have looked like.

It was sunny and mild today and our drive through extensive olive groves and villages of brilliant white  in the bright sunlight was a little stressful because of the need that Greek drivers have to pass any vehicle in front of them, irrespective of how fast that vehicle is going, the speed limit or if it is safe to pass. In some cases, we are sure vehicles passing us waited until there was a tight corner coming up.

Up a steep, winding road on the edge of Nafplion is the Fortress of Palamidi. Visible from our balcony in the morning sunlight, it demanded a visit. Unlike other sites in the Peloponnesus, the fortress is of more recent origin. Construction began in the 18th century by the Venetians, but before completion, Greece was overrun by the Ottoman Turks and so, the final buildings have characteristics of both cultures.

After Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830, Nafplion was proposed as the new nation's capital. It was never to be, but today, the small city of 14,000 people proudly maintains some of the grand public buildings that may have initially supported its claim to predominance.

A stroll through the old Venetian waterfront district of the city was a very pleasant end to our stay here. Narrow streets, alleyways and squares, framed by buildings more commonly seen in Italy, ended our stay in this charming city.