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Published: April 14th 2007
Today I was like a Kid in a candy store. I got in to Nafpilo yesturday afternoon and didnt do much site seeing since i was pritty bagged form traveling and carrying my massive backpack as i staggered around the city trying to find a hotel. But i could just see those fortresses staring at me, beconing me to come and bask in the glory of their history. They were hard to miss, one was sitting in the harbour and the other was on top of a mountin and could be seen from anywhere in the city.
But today I was rested and ready for the challange. After a harty breakfast and two cups of coffee I was ready to make the climbe and see the mountin fortress that sprawled across the uneven cliffs, almost like it was a living thing, hugging the rocks themseleves. It was early afternoon by the time I started the climb up the 999 stone steps, that wide up the mountin side, but with the excitmet and caffen flowing through my veins I practiclly ran up.
Once inside the fortress I was not dissapointed. It was huge and for the most part everythig
was fair game, you could climb on anything and crawl into any hole you found, if you had the gumption. I was on the bastion of leonidous, enjoying the view of the city when i spotted a small hole, pourposly put in the stone floor wtih a spral stair case going down into the darkness. Good thing I had my mini mag ligt with me. I scamperd on down the hole to find a massive chamber below, with a hole punched throuhg the side into another chamber. this was the first of these that I found but not the last.
You could freely walk into the cells of the prison section of the fortress, that is if you wanted to brave the forest of stinging nettel around the doors, whcih I did. Thankfully years of getting stung by the stuff as a kid has stayed with me and it didnt bother me much. the walles of the cells buzzed with the sounds of the waspes that now made the place theire home. It was really intense, like being in a giaint bee hive, thakfully no stings.
So many of the chambers and holes of the place, things that
are normaly sealed off were compleatly open, and i went down and in very one i could find. I saw rubbel and under ground lakes where the water was not murky as you would expect but clear and It was very surreal. One of these passeges was about 4 feet tall by four feet wide very dark and seemed very long. so out came the maglight and in I crawled in. I was about halfway down and stoped to take a picture and then noticed two large spider webs, on either side of the passege attached to a large rock in the middle. and in these spider webs were two of the biggest wolf spiders i have seen. that was enough for me, I was out.
I spent the better part of the day scampering around thes runis and it was probally one of the best things ive done in this trip. amazing.
Back down in the city I tried to resume my exploration and found a passage that was in the city wall of the old town of Nafplio. When i went inside I realized that i wasnt the only one to find it. the place smelled
like an out house at a rock concet, one that has been sitting in the sun all day with many many people using it. It also appeaed to be the local sooting gallery, as there were multiple used needles strewn about. that was enough for me, I went back to the hotel washed my hands and had luch. all in all it was a great day.
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the 17th centuryfortrss on top of the mountin 
