Nafplio (Ναύπλιο)/ Palamidi Castle (Παλαμίδι)

Yes, this is picture overload - and trust me, I really wanted to post more.  But the fact that free Blogger accounts only give you something like 1 GB of photo space means I'm going to have to start self-censoring. 

Nafplio was the first capital of independent Greece in the early 1800's, and the town has been an important port for centuries.  This is my first adventure on the Peloponnese peninsula, and words simply cannot describe what I saw there.  The drive over on the bus was a trip in every sense of the word.  Greek drivers, and bus drivers in particular, suffer from Evel Knievel syndrome.  At least 4 times during our 2.5 hour trip from Athens to Nafplio, our bus was literally inches from the car in front of us, going around 80 km/ hr.  Stop signs and lights are mere suggestions, and double yellow lines are just dares. I consider myself a good driver who knows the limits of his vehicle, and I don't think I could keep up with just an average Greek driver.  One of their favorite games seems to be "squeeze the Renault through a space barely big enough for a motorcycle at 30km/hr and see who brakes first."  Needless to say, few cars in Athens have both side view mirrors. 

Once we got off the 'interstate' things calmed down a bit, our driver sort of took it easy and there was considerably less traffic.  This didn't stop him from breaking a rear wheel on a mountain road.  Apparently the fix for this in Greece is to kick the tire repeatedly, call it "malaka" a few times, then drive on, sticking your head out the window from time to time to make sure it's still attached. 

The country roads were stunningly beautiful.  They are mostly a mixture of olive groves, vineyards, and other various orchard type agricultural products.  Stands on the side of the road sell watermelon, oranges, fresh pressed olive oil, and even fresh wine in what look like old 1.5 liter water bottles.  There are tiny churches everywhere - in the 40 km of our route that wasn't on interstates, I probably saw 15 small churches or chapels.  The Orthodox church here still seems very vibrant and powerful.

Nafplio's old town is similar in many ways to the Athens Plaka, with fewer overtly touristy gift shops and more small hotels and restaurants.  We stopped first at the top of Palamidi Castle (Kastro Palamidi) where we got about an hour to wander.  It is also possible to reach the castle from the old town by climbing a set of 999 stairs, a trek I made with a couple of the guys on the tour.  We were rewarded with views that beat even those from the top of the castle.  Visible in the bay is another one of Nafplio's 3 castles, called Bourtzi.  On the small 'peninsula' of land sits Akronafplia fortress, now a hotel. 

We also explored the only beach in Nafplio.  Although consisting almost entirely of volcanic rock and almost no sand, it definitely ranks as my favorite beach of all time.  The water was the perfect temperature, and the weather couldn't have been better if I'd chosen it myself.  Warm with a slight breeze, cool enough to hike up a mountain but warm enough to enjoy a dip in the sea. 

Besides, where else can you go to the beach, then wander old town, wearing only boxers and a backpack, without feeling too strange? 

I have a minor sunburn, but it was definitely worth it, if only to see the strange pattern my Chakos left on my feet.  It looks like Zorro attacked with a UV lamp.