“A Stroller’s Delight”

Saturday, September 12, 2009

After a nice, pretty long, train ride we made it to Navplio (or Nafplion). This was the only place I didn’t really have planned out because we couldn’t book any trains before hand, so when we arrived in Athens we found the train station and figured out the time and connections and thankfully made it to Navplio.

On the train ride there we were sitting by an older woman who knew very good English. She ended up telling us all about the history of the hills that we were traveling in and was very disappointed to hear that we only had one day to spend in Navplio. She said we definitely needed to return and go see all the other cities in the Peloponnese, such as Epidaurus and Mycenae. I was already telling Sam that there was so much we would be missing out on, but we assured ourselves that we will definitely try to return.

Once we arrived in Navplio, the first thing we had to do was find a hotel. There were a few that my book suggested, but most were pensions or small hotels and only have a few units. The one I wanted had only 9 rooms and they said they were booked. Thankfully we found an internet café who were nice enough to let us use their phone (for free) so Sam was able to continue calling different hotels until he found one. It was a very nice hotel, probably the best shower we’ve had, but it was a very hard bed. That seems to be the norm here though…but maybe we just aren’t getting the right hotels.

So we dropped our stuff off in our room, changed into something a little cooler and headed out to walk the streets of Navplio. Apparently Navplio is the best city in the Peloponnese and is such a small city that you can’t get seriously lost – we basically knew our way around in less than a day…It was definitely a stroller’s delight!

We first found a nice café right by the water to grab some lunch. Sam and I split a sandwich and I got a smoothie. It was quite delicious! And very relaxing to say the least. After sitting for a little while we headed towards the beach. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting – lots of rocks to climb through to get into the water, and the water was a little cold, but it was also nice and refreshing. There was a jellyfish washed up on shore and a woman kept saying “Senorie, be careful!” Until I finally realized that it was quite close to where I was standing. I could see that it was still breathing and definitely back away quickly!

From there we just walked and walked. There were lots of little shops and boutiques. It was fun getting a feel for a “holiday” spot that the Greeks like to visit. We also went up to the top of the mountain and browsed the castle turned prison. It was a fortress called the Palamidi and took 3 years to build (doesn’t seem long enough for the massive building that we walked through…) But after 1 year of completion it was conquered the next year by the Turks. And quite a few years later it became a prison.

We were babies and took a taxi to the top, but then felt accomplished walking down the 999 steps. It was pretty crazy seeing people walking up. There was a pretty old man just climbing away. Pretty impressive! We felt tired just walking down…But I’m glad we went to see it, a beautiful view of the city from the top!

We found some yummy gelato and then went back to the hotel to rest for a while. The sun and walking wore us out! We were lucky enough to get a dinner recommendation from the older woman on the train into Navplio. She told us not to be afraid and to find the National Bank and behind that there were quite a very taverns with good food. She suggested we go to Zorbas.

Zorbas ended up being pretty close to our hotel so we walked down and sat ourselves right in the front. I decided to be adventurous and order something that didn’t have an explanation, but was called Chicken Zorbas. I figured something with the name of the tavern in it had to be good…and thankfully it was delicious!! I was so happy that my risk paid off…Sam got a pork skewer and was also very happy with his meal.

We really enjoy how dinner is much more of a “dining experience” here. It’s not going to a restaurant, waiting 20-30 minutes to sit down, order, and then in 20 more minutes your gone. We probably sit for an hour total during dinner and just try to be patient…it’s definitely something a little different to get used to, but it’s nice just enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells. All the taverns are outside under these umbrellas. We enjoy being able to see all the different people walking down the streets – especially the locals who dress up nicely for a night out on the town.

After dinner we just walked around some more…the shops were all opened and it was fun browsing and enjoying the different fashions. Sam and I were tempted by the flowing, lightweight Greek clothing, but we decided that we probably would never feel comfortable wearing them.

We had to get up early to catch a train to get to Patra for our ferry that will take us back to Italy. Today (Sunday 9/13) has basically been a travel day. We’ve been on 2 trains, 1 bus, and now our boat. It’s pretty nice, but we didn’t realize we needed to bring our own towels in order to use their showers in the dormitories…so no shower for us! Sad day…oh well, we’ll get into Venice tomorrow afternoon and make sure to freshen up at the hotel before we head to dinner.

We’ve enjoyed relaxing today, but look forward to sleeping lots tonight!