The final countdown

 It’s our last day in Athens. It has been, as always, fantastic. Like most other places you have an idea of what to expect from a strange destination. Especially if you are familiar with it from films, tv or the interweb. Athens has been everything and more. It’s relaxed, friendly and incredibly varied. From the cosmopolitan area of Monestraki to the bizarre little town of Anofiotika clinging to the slopes of the Parthenon. From the busy vibrant arts centre of Gizza to the shaded paths and walkways of the national gardens everything is amazing. We have loved our time here in this ancient cultural city. It does not contain as much rubble as Rome but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. The Acropolis is truly breathtaking and the views from its crumbling remains are equally impressive and worth the entry price.

Today saw us seeking out the remaining historic sites that we didn’t get to see yesterday. Our favourite has to be the Roman agora. A large site near Monastraki square. It lies in the shadow of the Parthenon and is very interesting. Within it they have recreated a copy of the main  Stoa. 

(Think of a Stoa as an early Trafford centre. A market, food hall and business  centre all under one roof. It was the focus of everyday life in a Roman town or city. People would go here to chat, have a drink and conduct daily business.)

I have never seen one intact because there are none and although it’s a reproduction it is incredible. Crispy decided to wait in the shade of the stoa whilst I meandered around the many bits of rubble within the site. The museum houses many varied relics but I was impressed with a bronze Spartan shield that had been taken as war loot from Marathon. 

We have passed through Sparta on our bus journey here. We didn’t stop because there is nothing left of their civilisation to see. They were a warlike nation and mostly built from timber. We use the word Spartan to describe something minimal and this is exactly why. They left virtually no trace of their passing.

After the Agora, the temple of Hephaestus and Hadrian’s library we spent our time in Monastraki amongst the daily flea markets. Much like flea markets everywhere. Dozens of stalls filled with all kinds of junk that nobody wants or needs.  It was busy with tourists picking up and putting back shite that they had no intention of buying while the stall owner watched and prayed that somebody would buy something eventually. There were no Greeks here. They had more sense and were in IKEA just up the road. I toyed with the idea of buying a bazouki but having enough instruments at the moment refrained the impulse buying. Crispy spotted a cupboard but I reminded her that it wouldn’t fit in her hand luggage so she left it where it was.

After a shower and freshen up we headed into the Plaka for the last time to dine. We will miss Athens.

Tomorrow we take the subway to the airport and our flight home. This adventure has been incredible from start to finish. We have travelled from Kotor in Montenegro to Athens in Greece. Traversed the whole of Albania. Island hopped through the Ionian Islands and circumnavigated the Peloponnese. Everywhere has been fantastic. A journey of over 2000km by land and sea. 

As always the highlight of the trip has been dear old Crispy. She is the perfect travelling partner and my best friend. Without her by my side the journey, like all the others would have been unbearable and pointless. 

 In January we go, god willing, back to New Zealand to catch up with our expanding antipodean family. On the way back we are going to fly to Bangalore and spend a few weeks trying to make our way north to Goa. It should be amazing. Crispy can’t wait as she loves India. Leeches and all………

Hadrian’s statue showing his armour. Interesting as it shows Athina standing on the wolf of Rome.

Not a clue what this is about. I think it’s Socrates and the guy from Karate kid 2

The flea market

The recreated Stoa

Rubble

 Today was rubble day. Something dear old Crispy has been looking forward to for the past three weeks.

We are in Athina, the birth place of civilisation and democracy. The ancient cradle of learning and knowledge. Home to Aristotle, Socrates and all the other clever lads. I must admit my knowledge of Ancient Greece is very limited so this will be a learning curve for me. The good news is I had planned our rubble day around the several Roman sites here. At least I’ll have some idea of what’s going on. I can’t tell you how excited Crispy is to stroll around these ancient wonders. It’s was going to be hot today with the temperature in the city exceeding 40 degrees. I bought her a bottle of water and a bag of crisps to limit her complaints and hopefully prevent her getting too fractious.

The first stop, just across the road from our lodgings, was the tomb of the unknown soldier. Not ancient but the Greek equivalent of our own War memorial to honour the fallen in the major conflicts. It is guarded 24/7 by soldiers currently serving in the armed forces.

The guard changes every hour and we set off in time to watch it before moving onto the rubble. On Sundays they wear the traditional white uniform but every other day the guard wear their khaki everyday outfits. Similar but not as flamboyant.

A small crowd had gathered to watch this hourly spectacle. It seems a little strange as they strut around the memorial in a series of carefully choreographed perfectly timed movements. Slow high kicks and stomping actions. It seems the movements are designed to move and stretch the soldiers muscles after standing completely motionless for hour after hour in extreme temperatures.

It was very interesting to watch. Crispy videoed the complete thing which took exactly 22 minutes.

After the ceremony we made our way brought the national gardens to our first site of interest. The national gardens are a huge park directly behind the parliament buildings. A huge green shaded area for the people of Athens to relax and escape the heat of the city. It’s immaculately kept and a great place to sit and relax. 

The rubble we aimed for was the Lyceum of Aristotle. Also know as the parapatetic school. There’s not an awful lot left of it so Crispy sat under a tree to take in its wonders whilst I strolled around reading the interesting information boards. It seems that to the academic world this place is considered one of the most important places in the history of mankind. Here Aristotle did most of his work on metaphysics and other subjects. It was all a little lost on me as I’m better with things that involve shields, helmets and pointy things. Part of Old Aristotle’s school was a gymnasium where the young guys would perform their daily workouts, naked, so I suppose it could have involved some helmets and pointy things at some point. Who knows.

From the Lyceum we headed back through the shady gardens to our next stop. Hadrian’s gate and the Olympian temple. Again Crispy sought out the comfort of a shady tree and I wandered around the ruins.

This at one time was the largest temple in the Ancient Greek or Roman world. Sadly again not much of its former grandeur remains. It was still impressive. Good old emperor Hadrian (another of our favourites) had a hand in its completion along with other works in Athens. As thanks the people of Athens built him a triumphal arch here. It’s unusual because on the side of the arch leading into ancient Athens it reads  something like “Welcome to Athens, Ancient city of Theseus” on the side leading out of the city Hadrian added “ it’s not Theseus,s it’s Hadrian’s”. It made me chuckle. 

From here our plan was to continue on and visit a few other rubble sites before making our way up to the Acropolis around six after the sun had lost its fury. It was hot. Very hot. We decided to lunch in the Plaka and attack the other sites later. As it turned out we were both tired and feeling the heat so we retired back to the lodging and the comfort of the Air conditioning. The other rubble can wait till tomorrow.

At five thirty we again set off into the city to scale the Parthenon and visit the Acropolis. After a short stroll, it’s only 10 minutes away, we arrived at the ticket office. Other people must have had the same idea and a queue had formed. We were already in possession of our tickets so happily skipped the line and went straight in. We were showered cool and refreshed and Crispy made a point of waving her tickets and pulling self satisfied faces at the people sweating in the queue as we sauntered past them to the turnstiles.

We climbed the hill to the Acropolis and joined onto a guided party for a short time. Again the guides started spouting nonsense about gladiators and flooded theatres to the masses so we quickly detached ourselves and moved on. It was worth it. The Acropolis and temple complex are fantastic. A true wonder of the ancient world even if like me you know nothing about it. There is not much shade at the top so Crispy wandered around with me. The views of Athens and the surrounding country  are spectacular. They in themselves warrant the entry price and effort. The city spreads out below you from the mountains to the sea. A spectacular panorama. Certainly a view we will remember.

After strolling around and visiting every piece of masonry we descended back to the Plaka. We ate in a small restaurant and then made our way back home to our lodgings. Crispy wanted a nightcap so  a cheeky cocktail in the flamboyant bar on the corner of our street saw us tucked up in bed.

Tomorrow we will once again make our way into Athens to visit the remaining rubble. Crispy is a little tired and achy. The effects of the rubble tour are taking their toll on the old bird. I’ve made her promise to try and do a little more exercise when we return to Crispy HQ at the hovel. I don’t want her seizing up. We still have lots of adventuring to do

Bare and Crispy signing off, under the Acropolis, Athens Greece.

Athens

 We have loved our time in Nfplio but as in all things time marches on. We are onto our last few days of this little adventure and today we left Nfplio and moved onto Athens. The travel was easy. A simple 2 hour bus ride direct from the bus station in Nfplio to the Elonas metro station on the outskirts of Athens.

We needed to get off here as it’s the only spot where the bus route coincides with the metro line. Otherwise it would involve a few other buses to get us where we needed to be and it could prove a faff.

The bus, as promised, dropped us off right outside the metro station and we descended the escalators into the underworld. It’s not like London. It’s clean, airy and very comfortable. We descended 2 levels and bought our tickets for the journey. The ticket pricing works in minutes. The basic fare is one euro twenty cents and entitles you to ninety minutes of travel. Not just on the underground but the ticket is usable on the buses and trams as well within the allotted time slot. It was busy on the underground which is not surprising when public transport Is cheap and efficient. We were no sooner on the platform when the train whooshed out of the tunnel and allowed us to board. Clean and new the trains were modern and efficient. 

Two stops later we alighted at Sygmata square. The central square in Athens and the home of the monument to the unknown soldier. The memorial is guarded 24/7 by serving troops in ceremonial uniform. They change the guard every hour and it is something we want to see whilst we are here. I will try and video it for the blob tomorrow.

Sygmata underground was very busy and it took both of us by surprise when we emerged onto the square. Other than Tirana this journey has involved quiet and sedate villages, towns and cities. This is the first time in along time that we have been in a crowded bustling environment. We both felt a little intimidated by the amount of people here. The noise the throng, all of it was a little overwhelming. 

I can always tell when Crispy is uneasy. She talks a lot while saying nothing and clings to my back pack straps with a grip of steel. I doubt even Hercules could prise her fingers from my shoulder straps. She was holding on so tight as we ascended the stairs into the sunlight that she nearly pulled me over.

Once outside I found a quiet spot to allow us to get over the shock of our new surroundings while I searched for free WiFi. We sat in the shade and I worked out where we were in relation to our lodgings. I knew we were staying close to Sygmata in a quiet street within the Plaka district. I soon worked out our bearings and we launched ourselves into the chaos that was Athens. 

Within minutes we were acclimatised and easily found the address where we were staying. It’s on a busy little street on the fourth floor af an old apartment building. When we arrived the door was locked and I had lost internet connection. We were trying to work out how to contact the host when the door opened and a young lady showed us to our new lodgings. It’s nothing fancy as accommodation in this part of the city is very expensive. It’s a small room with private bathroom and a large balcony with a fantastic view of the Parthenon. We are in striking distance of all the various rubble from here and shouldn’t need any more automated transport. There is an elevator and I’m sure it’s safe but it certainly looks dodgy. It ascends and falls at warp speed before juddering to a sudden halt. There are no safety doors and the buttons need persuading to call it into action. Crispy’s not keen and I think will prefer the stairs. I love it as it’s like a crazy funfair ride. 

Outside our room in the street below are several bars and eateries. We quickly dropped the bags and set out for a cheeky drink to celebrate finally reaching our final destination.  Suitably refreshed we walked through the Plaka and found the main ticket office for the Parthenon. There were no crowds at this time in the evening so it was no effort purchasing them. The tickets grant access to all the major rubble sites and that is our plan for tomorrow. We shall use the rubble to guide us around the city. It’s going to be fun.

Just beyond the Plaka is an old area of Athens that resembles a Greek fishing village. People still live there. It seems bizarre in the middle of a thriving city to have this surviving community. We had a quick walk around but will definitely return in the next couple of days to have a proper look. 

It’s our third week in Greece now and we’re getting a little fed up of salad and souvlaki. Don’t get us wrong we love it but felt in need for a change. Next door is a Vietnamese street food place and we ate there. Oh my god it was fantastic and easily equaled anything we ate when in Hanoi. 

Early night as tomorrow is rubble day. Crispy can’t wait.

Bare and Crispy signing off, below the Parthenon, Athens

The castle

 Today was the day. We decided to be up early before the sun got too high in the sky. We bought a large bottle of water and headed for the steps. The stone path leads directly up the sheer rock by a series of convoluted stairways, the guide books state that there are 999 steps from the road at sea level up to the castle gateway. We decided to count them and I counted 987. There were however a further 102 within the castle itself to reach the highest point.  The sun was low in the sky so we were shaded by the bulk of the hill for the majority of the climb. As we gained height the views over Nafplio and the Agoric gulf got better and better. We took our time and slowly soldiered on. In all fairness it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was going to be. Crispy loved it and led the way all the way to the top. I think we must be fitter now than when we started this journey. Every day has seen us walking, hiking, cycling or swimming. We both feel tremendous and better than we have in a long time. The climb took us just 30 minutes without rushing or getting out of breath. At the top we paid the entrance fee of 8 euros and entered the castle. It is in excellent condition and could easily be made habitable again. It’s very young as castles go being only around 300 years old. Although it has seen action it was never involved in heavy fighting so never really sustained any damage. Inside the main bastion of the castle there was a small chapel. Crispy once again performed her candle lighting ritual.  Adjacent to the chapel are prison cells as the castle was used as a prison for the last part of its working life. It was very interesting but as the day wore steadily on it was getting very hot. The castle interior afforded some shade but Crispy was soon again overheating and becoming fractious. We enjoyed the views for a considerable period of time before commencing our descent back down the stone stairway. We got changed at our lodgings into our swimwear and set off on the one mile coast path to the beach. It was becoming obvious Crispy needed cooling off.

Nowhere in the places we have visited have we had to pay for sun beds. Not that we usually do but the beaches here are mostly scrub or pebble. A thin beach towel isn’t much protection or cushioning unless your on soft sand, It works that if you buy a drink from the adjacent bar (of course at inflated prices) then you can use the sun beds as long as you like. as it was our last beach day before heading inland I allowed Crispy this small comfort. I had secreted our fluid stash in the backpack so we got to use the beds for the full afternoon for the price of a Coke Zero. Bargain!

The day run it’s course and we made our way back to the lodgings.

Tomorrow we catch the bus to Athens and we are quite excited to be going there. The ride should only be two hours and then a short subway journey should see us close to our next accommodation in the Plaka district directly beneath the Parthanon. This should be our last bus ride as Athens is the last stop of our trip.

We have three nights in the capital which affords us two full days to see the sights and get to know the city a little.

We have loved Nfplio. It is a beautiful, small city full of old charm and our host here has been amazingly friendly and helpful. I think this is definitely a place we will return to in the future.

Bare and Crispy , below the castle, Nfplio, Peloponnese, Greece.

The coastal path

 Today was an easy day. Nfplio is amazing. It’s technically a city but in real terms it’s a beautiful little town. After the Greek war of independence from the Ottoman Turkish empire Nfplio was named the first capital of a newly united and independent Greece. Not long after due to its geographical constraints the capital was changed to Athens. Nfplio is quaint, old and is watched over by the imposing palimedes castle.

The castle was the biggest and last of the castles built by the Venetians in 1714  as their empire contracted. It looks amazing sat atop a huge hill at a height of 216 meters overlooking the city. We had intended to climb the 999 (some say 1000 . We will count them tomorrow) steps up to it today but put it off in preference to a day at the beach. Although on the coast with its own picturesque harbour Nfplio doesn’t really have a beach. A small, very small, pebbled cove sits under the castle fortifications but it’s really not a beach as such. Along the coast a large semi circle of sand has become the city beach by default. It involves a 1mile walk along a wide well maintained coastal path. Level and mostly shaded by pine trees it is a great walk. It is to this beach that we went today. We only have one more day here before once more facing the dreaded Ktel on our final journey to Athens. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity and spent it on sun loungers and swimming in the perfect clear blue water.  The evening was spent amidst the little streets and alleyways of Old Nafplio.

Nfplio is special and I am so pleased that we decided to include it in our itinerary. It is everything we expected and more. It is easy to see why it is a popular weekend getaway location for the Athenians. By car it is less than 2 hours drive from the Capital.

There is not much more to add apart from it has been a very relaxed day and Crispy is revived in readiness for her ascent of the Palimedes in the morning. She is very excited at the prospect of running up all them steps. She’s charging her fit bit so she has the evidence.

The land gate of the castle

A Crispy sized glass of wine after the walk home.

Along the coastal path

Crispy looking at the “steps”. She can’t wait to get up them.

Nafplio from the coast path

The beach

Overlooking the harbour

Bare and Crispy, still in the shadow of the castle, Nfplio, Peloponnese, Greece