After landing back on mainland Greece, we headed from Athens toward Corinth and the Peloponnese. We didn't want to spend the night in the city, so we left Athens that same evening and went looking for a spot somewhere further south along the sea. Compared to Crete it's colder here and we even had to heat up a bit! We're simply back in the north!
We spent the night on the beach and the very next day one local dog came to domesticate us. He was really like ours! We even made him something for lunch, but he didn't come for dinner anymore and we moved on. The weekend was approaching, so we're planning to visit a few of the nearest and most famous monuments.
That evening we arrived at the Corinth Canal. I didn't expect it, but its size really impressed me. It's about 80m deep and it was a strange feeling to look at it from the observation bridge, which is somewhere in the middle of the canal. It's definitely not for those afraid of heights! But I liked it and I only regret that no ship was going by.
On Saturday morning we crossed the canal and officially found ourselves on Peloponnese soil. We decided to start exploring this peninsula from the thumb and right away through historical monuments.
Huge Theater and Also One Fortress
The first stop was the ancient city of Epidaurus. The most preserved thing there is the theater, which is still used today. I stood in the middle and recited May (to the only listener - Leo) and everything echoed brutally and came back to me. Not that I understand acoustic physics very much, but this was a great visual demonstration! It really works when you stand correctly! :D
The rest of the city were just ruins that people are trying to gradually renovate, but it's going really slowly for them. There used to be Asclepius' temple there, dedicated to the god of medicine, where people from all corners of the world used to come for healing. Already back then they probably knew that the cause of a large part of illnesses is a person's mental state, so it's no wonder that treatment by purification, autosuggestion, and sleep quite often worked!
After this visit we headed to Nafplio, a seaside town that used to be the capital of Greece. In my opinion it's quite small for a capital, but it definitely has its charm. On a rock above it towers the Palamidi fortress, built by the Venetians in the 17th century.
Besides that, there's also a nice historic center where you can get lost for a while. But we liked the Arvanitia promenade leading along the sea around the rocks surrounding this center most. It's a romantic walk, especially when you do it at sunset.
A Bit of "Rest" by the Sea
We spent the week on beaches with some work on the van and managing ordinary things we need for living. The first camping spot was near Franchthi cave. People lived in this cave thousands of years ago! I don't blame them, it was really spacious and in a good strategic location by the sea... but then the roof caved in on them. Remains of domestic animals were also found there, so they were probably quite advanced. But even that didn't prevent nature from doing its thing...
While looking for another sleeping spot, Google led us to places where the paved road ended, which in itself wouldn't be such a problem. But this road somehow led across a stream that had obviously recently washed away part of it too. It was impossible to get through! So we turned around and stayed at the nearest passable place. Work calls!
When trucks started waking us up in the morning hauling gravel to some construction site, we decided to move. And good thing we did! On the other side of the Peloponnese thumb we found a great hidden little beach with a view of the island of Hydra. There was peace, around us only a few abandoned buildings, which gave it all simply a mystical touch. If it were for sale there, we wouldn't hesitate! We really liked it there and I think others who are looking for simply peace and a nice place for looking and swimming on their vacations would appreciate it too.
A Small History Lesson
We have another weekend and for it I chose a visit to the UNESCO monument Mycenae. But from our little beach it's about 2.5 hours by car, so on the way we still stop for water and shopping and also to get a bit lost in citrus orchards. Well, it smelled nice there! (We're trying to make homemade lemon essential oil, so we'll see how it turns out.)
On Saturday evening we arrived all the way to the town of Mykines, where we spent the night and in the morning set out to explore the monuments. At first glance it's just a hill with ruins, but when you realize the historical context, it's much more interesting!
The city was supposedly founded by Perseus, son of Danae and the god Zeus. And among his descendants supposedly was also Heracles, the most famous Greek hero. The city was also ruled by King Agamemnon, known from the Trojan Wars. He was killed there by his wife and cousin when he returned from Troy after 10 years. All these figures have their stories and in many of them the city of Mycenae appears. If I talked about them more in historical context and not mythological, it's a city located near the strait leading from Corinth to the rest of the Peloponnese. As an important strategic point it was very well-known and precisely the period in their most glorious times is named the period of Mycenaean culture.
The most famous part of the city is the Lion Gate, which was visible the entire time of its existence. The rest gradually became ruins. Archaeological excavations began in the mid-19th century, when they gradually discovered the floor plan of the entire citadel and surrounding buildings and found several tombs and typical burial sites from that time.
Imagination Knows No Bounds
In light of all this, suddenly those ruins look completely different! I quite understand why everyone hires a guide there. :D We walk without one and then you just walk around stones and occasionally read what was probably there in front of you. But we have to read the stories to go with it somewhere else.
From Mycenae we're heading further south, to settle again on some beach where there will be peace at this time of year. We found one place near the town of Astros, where even the internet isn't bad, so we might stay here the whole week and then go discover something else again on this peninsula.
