Nafplion (to Mycenea and Nemea)
The second day of our cruise found us in a very picturesque port town, Nafplion, at the foot of two hills. Acronauplix and Palamede are both dominated by enormous forts from the Venetian rule. Their slopes are covered by elegant neoclassical mansions, reminding us of the wealth of the town back in the 19th century A.D., as the first capital of free and independent modern Greece.
From Nafplion we started our drive, first to Mycenae and then to Nemea. To visit Mycenae is like a voyage back to the glorious time of King Agamemnon, the overall commander of Greek troops in the Trojan Expedition. The Cyclopean Walls, the Lion’s Gate, and the Grave Circle, where unbelievable treasuries and fabulous artifacts made out of gold were found, untouched by time, when the site was initially excavated. The hike to the top of the citadel where the royal palace existed was absolutely worthy. And once we thought we had seen everything, we drove down to the enormous beehive Tomb of Atreus . . . Amazing! How could men possibly create such a perfectly built colossal work in the 13th century B.C.?
After our visit to the birthplace of one of the most brilliant civilizations of the world we drove through the sweet-smelling orange grooves of Argolis and reached the site of Nemea. In the ancient times an important sanctuary of Zeus existed here; every two years a great festival called the Nemea Games were held, honoring the king of the gods. Strolling through the site we saw the remains of the baths of the athletes and the god’s temple, but for sure the best highlight was the ancient stadium.
We walked in the stadium through the ceremonial entrance as the athletes had, and to find ourselves on the original track was way more than a thrilling experience. Even for us it wasn’t difficult to imagine the athletes competing—the best among the best—animated and encouraged by the 40,000 spectators. And at the end, recognition of their victory was a wreath of wild celery.
We returned to Nafplion and later in the afternoon we drove to the highest hill, Palomede, where its fort stands entirely intact, one of the best-preserved medieval forts of Greece. We wandered around, we enjoyed spectacular views and some of us walked the fort’s 999 steps down!!!
We stayed in Nafplion until midnight and as we were sailing out, our last wonderful impression was of a beautiful, quaint and busy town that has lost neither its originality nor its authenticity!
