Sunday, October 16, 2022

Greek On

Our first stop in Greece, following our river cruise, was the small island of Naxos (40 x 30 km), where we could take it easy for 5 days. We settled into the small town of Agios Prokopios, known for it's beautiful beaches, and relaxed atmosphere. We split our lazy time doing beach walks, loungers beside the Aegean Sea, along with time at our villa pool and cabana. A 10 minute bus ride took us into the capital, Naxos City, where we strolled around the narrow alleys uphill to the castle ruins and also had an exciting sprint to the Temple of Apollo ruins. A 4 metre wide walkway, 100 metres long, had been built to access the temple which was built on a tiny island. However, on a windy day with strong waves crashing into the rocks below the pathway, it was impossible to get across without receiving a shower. We crossed as quickly as we could but even Usain Bolt might not have escaped the rogue '7th wave' which sprayed us several times. Fortunately the wind dried us off fairly quickly. Another day we took a full day bus tour around the island with 6 stops to see interesting sights along the way, including some ancient ruins, a pottery workshop, ancient olive presses and exceptional mountain top views. We were surprised to learn that Naxos was the 'greenest' island in the Cyclades, aided by the mountains in the centre of the island delivering moisture to the land below. Their farm produce, especially potatoes, accounts for most of the food consumed on the other nearby islands, including Santorini and Mykonos.

Leaving Naxos, we took the short flight back to Athens, where we were reunited with our oldest daughter who flew in from Switzerland to meet us at the airport. It was a delight to have her with us for a week, as we travelled the Pelopponese region together. The first place our rental car took us to was the seaport retreat of Nafplio (capital of Greece for a very short time). It was well situated for day trips to ancient Greek ruins, and relaxing time by the waterfront. Ruins we visited included Corinth (capital of Greece for a slightly longer time) (Apollo Temple), Acrocorinth (Acropolis of Corinth, 300 metre climb), Nemea (start of Panhellenic Games, 150 yrs after start of Olympics), Epidauros (well preserved 15K seat amphitheatre) and Mycenae (palace ruins on a hilltop). We also wandered around the lovely town of Nafplio, with it's long promenade, seaside restaurants, 3 castles (lit up at night) and pedestrian friendly streets. This hidden gem is definitely worth a visit. From Nafplio we drove west, with a short stop to see the ruins of Argos (amphitheatre), and then on to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics. The Olympia ruins and Museum became our favourite ancient site. A large site area with building ruins everywhere, excavation still underway, and tunnel remnants to the stadium, backed up by more ancient relics and historic information in the museum, made for a very interesting day. Driving back across the mainland from the west coast to the east coast, we made a short stop in Nafpaktos, along the Gulf of Corinth. A bit of rain nullified our 45 minute hike up to the Nafpaktos Castle ruins, but an easier drive got us there anyway. We took in some beautiful views of the surrounding area, followed by lunch below in the harbour. After lunch, we then continued driving to island city of Chalkida, 2 hours north of Athens. On our final day with our daughter we roamed around the city, dodging the liquid sunshine and exploring the area around the Old Bridge, promenade and dinner at the waterfront. The following morning we dropped our daughter off at the Chalkida train station for her ride back to Athens and flight home to Switzerland. It was a short goodbye, as we will get to see her 2 more times before the end of this trip.

Following a 3.5 hour drive north, we have now landed in Kalambaka, which is on the doorstep of amazing Meteora. More on that later. Yamas.


Agios Porkopios beach in Naxos. A 5 minute walk from our small apartment, and with 25C temperatures every day, it was an easy choice.

Looking back into Naxos City from the small island where the Temple of Apollo had been built. While we survived the short but wet jaunt, there were many others who decided not to tempt fate when they saw the waves crash against the rocks below.

Giannoulis restaurant in Agios Prokopios, 200 metres from our suite, where we became repeat visitors. Not only was the food good, but a half litre of wine was $8 and every meal ended with a complimentary dessert and a glass of ouzo. There was almost always a line-up to get into the small 15 table room and the young servers were bouncing up and down the stairs with endless energy.

The Temple of Apollo at the Corinth ruins. It was erected in 550 BC when Corinth was one of the major cities in Greece.

Acrocorinth, the Acropolis of Corinth, was situated a few kilometres away from the ancient city, looking down from 600 metres above. Although our car took us half way up, it was still a good workout on a warm afternoon.

At the Nemea ruins, we walked through a tunnel that the athletes would have used, to reach the stadium for their events (track, discuss, javelin and more). The spectators for the Pan Hellenic Games (up to 30,000), would sit on the grassy banks of the hillsides. The Olympia stadium looked very similar.

The impressive amphitheatre at the Epidauros ruins. Constructed in the 4th century BC, it is one of the best preserved and acoustically designed amphitheatres in Greece.

The Circle of Graves at the Mycenae ruins. It was where the Royals were buried, and when excavated, many gold artifacts and jewelry were discovered.

The Olympia ruins site housed the best Museum that we came across. Artifacts from the 4th-6th centuries BC were presented, many of them in decent shape. All of the statues had been restored with  the missing pieces being substituted.

A mosaic floor at the Olympic ruins. It is amazing what modern science can do to bring these images back to life.

The Temple of Hera at the Olympia ruins. The stones at the bottom of the picture (roped off) is where the Olympic torch was lit in advance of the Games, and it is still done that way today before moving on to the official Olympic site.

On our way from Olympia on the west coast, over to Chakida on the east coast, we made a short stop in Nafpaktos on the north side of the Gulf of Corinth. This picture was taken from the Nafpaktos Castle, looking down on the harbour where we had lunch later.




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