"N"-Nafplio Greece

If you have been following the blog, you may have realized, Sunshine and I have recently returned from an adventure in Greece.  It was a 7 day trip and we were concentrated out of Athens.  On the weekend, our hosts took us on a little road trip, about 2 hours from Athens, to the Port City of Nafplio.  It is an old city in the Peloponnese area.

Most of the old town is a peninsula jutting into the Argolic Gulf.  This particular city seems to be a place where a lot of greeks go to take a relaxing get away.  I think because of its easy access and inexpensive hotel rooms.  We were able to get a room with a view of the inlet for 60 euros.   The inlet has a fort/castle names the Bourtzi.  This little island has a restaurant, however, it was closed while we were visiting.  The area also has a castle on top of the hill called Palamidi.  That fort/castle whatever was used as a prison as recently as 1800s.  Because of its natural fortifications, and the location, it was a stronghold of the Ottoman Empire.

The view from Palamidi of the old town is breathtaking. There are squares and shops to walk around and tour.  Many Cafes for a stop of coffee and a bite to eat.  Seafood is abundant in these eateries.

Another great place stop if you ever find yourself in Greece, and a great get away from Athens.

"H" Hydra,

Okay folks, I was going to write about Hershey Park.  A great family destination in Pennsylvania.  But I wanted to share another adventure from my recent trip to Greece.  From Athens, there are many destination available.

One of the methods for getting to one of the destinations is by boat.  Sunshine and I took a one day cruise.  We were required to be at the docks at 7 am.  So when we arrived on the dock, a I saw the boat above, I was not sure if we made the right decision.  It turns out this was not our ship.  The one day cruise was scheduled for three port of calls.  The rough weather and choppy seas forced us to skip the first port of call.  But then we arrived at Hydra.

The island is small island with a port city.  There are no vehicles, except rubbish trucks, allowed on the Island. The island was instrumental during the Greek Independence.  Well its fleet and sailor population was instrumental.  Causing problems for the Ottomans through out the Aegean sea.  During its high time, there were some 16,000 residents.  Now there are about 6,000.  

The port shows this monument, the Greek Admiral Andreas Miaoulis, he guards the port now.  During the War, he led the fire ships which inflected heavy damages on the Ottoman fleet.

Now the island is supported by the tourist, mostly from the Athenians, and some Americans who visited Greece this year.

Keep Exploring.

"A" The Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis is one of the best sites in all of Athens Greece.  My wife and I had the pleasure of recently visiting some friends who live in Athens, and they took us on a tour of the Acropolis.

We started our tour at the Acropolis Museum, located at the base of the Acropolis hill.  The big temple/ruins you see in the photo are from the Parthenon.  The greeks are currently working to restore the temple and the East end is under significant construction.

I would suggest you stop by the museum before you head up to the ruins.

The structure was constructed around 430- 440 B.C.  On clear days it makes a wonderful picture. Our day had some overcast.

The museum can be sen from the Acropolis.  It has been open since 2009.  Many of the artifacts that are found at the Acropolis are placed inside the walls of the museum and are restored.

They use the latest lazer technology while working on the samples.  There have demonstration for the public, along with a gift shop and cafe.  The prices are reasonable.  We had a turkey and cheese sandwich.

You can see that the ruins are in excellant shape.  The times have been had on the Acropolis.  There has been looting and even a bombing or two in its history.

Most of Athens has graffiti all over the place.  But the Acropolis is pretty clean of graffiti.

A must see if you are ever in Athens.