In Part 1, we arrived in Greece despite strikes, volcanoes, and lack of legroom, and managed to see some sites in Athens, like the Ancient Agora and the Temple of Olympian Zeus (pictured), but not the Acropolis. Next day there was a transit strike; there was no way to get out of Athens except by car—but the god of good timing (Apollo? Artemis?) was smiling on us: we'd rented one.
I worried that desperate Athenians would be grabbing rental cars and fleeing town, leaving us without a vehicle, but our reservation was secure, and we picked up a nice new Toyota Auris. It had manual transmission, which meant only I could drive it. But my ability to drive stick impressed Elisa so it was OK.
And Athenians, it turned out, weren't "desperate" about anything. Strikes are a part of life there, since long before the current economic crisis, and Greeks take these things in stride. Helpful hotel staff give you the scoop on what's not running on any given day, smiling wanly at the inevitability of it all.
We left the big city behind and headed for the seaside haven of Nafplio in the Peloponnese, stopping on the way at the ruins of Mycenae—the civilization that predated Classical Greece—as well as Ancient Corinth and, looming over it, the Acrocorinth. Greece is studded with places like Corinth: a small new town adjacent to an ancient site of the same name.
View of Acrocorinth from ruins of Ancient Corinth
We arrived at Nafplio by day, and the backstreets of the old town seemed a little dingy at first. But the town's really beautiful when you explore it from inside and outside, and its charms grow on you quickly, especially when evening falls and you stroll along the row of waterfront restaurants listening to the relaxed people—including a lot of Greek tourists—shooting the breeze about politics, fishing, and...well, we were just guessing, since they were speaking Greek.
Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
I am really enjoying this series of articles, Jon. They are also making me long to return to Greece. Thanks!