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Bourtzi fort at Nafplion |
On 5th September we
sailed past of the Venetian fort of Bourtzi into the
harbour of the lovely old town of Nafplion. The town sits at the very top of the Argolic Gulf and was
briefly the capital of Greece after the Greek war of independence. Its impressive 18th and 19th
century buildings still give it a rather grandiose feel and its become a popular spot for artists.
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Me by our 'quiet' mooring (photo by Gina) |
We had been warned that the main
quay could be rather smelly and noisy, so we were very pleased to find what
seemed to be a quiet spot moored alongside the commercial quay. We didn’t take
much notice of the giant dredging barge moored to one side of us, but it made
its presence felt the next morning when we were woken at 7am by the roar of an
industrial diesel engine and the clanging of giant chains as it began dredging
mud from the harbour.
That evening our friend Gina
arrived to stay for a few days. Our main reason for coming to Nafplion was to
visit the local archeological site of Mycenae, and it would be a bonus having
Gina with us as she studies archeology and has become a bit of an expert on
Mycenaean history.
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Cliff at the ancient citadel of Mycenae |
We decided to set off early the
next morning for Mycenae before it got too hot,
and when we arrived 8.30am we had the site to ourselves for a very
peaceful half an hour before the coachloads of tourists began to arrive.
There’s not a lot left of the original citadel, but as we wandered around the
ruins set high on a hill above the plains, we did get a sense of a
rich and sophisticated civilization had lived here in the Bronze Age.
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Gina by the tomb of Agamemnon |
The
highlight for us were the royal tombs, including what some believe is the tomb
of Agamemnon. These giant, majestic structures looked as though they belonged in
Egypt, and we couldn't help but be impressed by their size and the skill that
went into building them.
After Mycenae, at Gina’s request we
drove down to the far side of the Argolic Gulf to visit a tiny Bronze Age site
called Lerna, which features the ‘House of tiles,’ the earliest known instance
of using terracotta as roofing tiles. There wasn’t a lot for us to see, but
Gina was in her element exploring such an important site.
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A welcome break for lunch |
We had a welcome stop for lunch at the fishing village of Myli, then drove round the Gulf to Nafplion and up to the Venetian
fort of Palamidi, which sits on a rocky bluff high above the town. The fort is
an interesting complex of buildings with wonderful views down over the Gulf, but
we were all pretty tired by this time and there were rain clouds gathering, so after
a quick walk round we beat a hasty retreat back to the boat.
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The Venetian fort of Palamidi |
After Mycenae and Lerna Cliff
decided he was ‘ruined out’, but there was one more site - Tiryns - that Gina and I wanted to see, so the next
morning we left Cliff doing boat jobs while we jumped on a bus for a quick visit. At first
sight Tiryns is very impressive as many of the thick, towering walls that
surrounded the ancient citadel are still standing. Once inside we found that most
of the ruins are at ground level, but having Gina as my personal guide helped
to bring it to life, and we spent an enjoyable morning exploring the site.
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One of the gates through the massive walls at Tiryns (photo by Gina) |
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Gina on the helm |
We had just a day and half to go before Gina had to catch
the ferry back to Athens from Porto Heli, so as soon as we got back from Tiryns
we cast off and sailed back down to Vivari. We put Gina on the helm and she did a great job negotiating some of the trickier parts of the course where there are channels between the rocks. We eventually anchored in the bay in the late afternoon, just in time to
introduce Gina to a shoal of the fascinating, 'fried egg' jellyfish.
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Gina relaxing at Korakonisia |
The next morning we sailed on south and had a lunchtime
stop for a swim at a bay on the tiny island of Korakonisia, where the water is
a wonderful turquoise blue. Then it was
on to Porto Heli where we anchored out in the bay and dinghied ashore for a
final farewell meal. We ate at Ostria, a waterside restaurant which serves
Greek food with a modern twist, and it turned out to be one of the best meals
we’ve had since we’ve been in Greece.
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