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Published: October 29th 2008
theatre at Epidavros
seats 12000. unamplified sound can reach to the top. That's Cyrena at the very center, she is singing!The ruins at Mycenae represents the stuff Greek tragedies are made of. As one version of the legend has king Agamemnon returning from the Trojan war, only to be killed in his bathtub by his wife and her lover. She was angry because he may have had their daughter sacrificed. Hows that for drama. These ruins are older than the acropolis in Athens, the original walls were built around 1300bc. If you have read the "Illiad" or "Odyssey" from the Greek poet Homer (or poets- there are interesting theories about this oldest example of western literature) this is thought to be the site he wrote about. Ancient, mysterious, rubble, and we are fascinated!
We drove up to the remains of the citadel Mycenae, from Nafplio. This is a beautiful seaport city. We enjoyed a wine tasting and window shopping. There was a little ice cream place, gelateria actually, that we frequented a few times during our short stay here. The proprietors were extremely friendly, speaking Italian and serving creamy gelato, biscotti and limoncello. Venetian architecture and gelato? but we are in Greece! Even the Palamidi fortress was completed by the Ventetians 1714, but conquered the next year by the Ottomans.
Our curious little hotel was right next to the castle, so no excuse to climb up the 900 or so stone steps with our buddies. From up there we had perfect views of the gulf and harbor. Hardly anyone was up there this day, and we wandered through the tunnels and ramparts.
We stayed in Nafplio during days ten and eleven of our vacation. And still had one more town to visit. On our way to the island of Hydra, we toured the sanctuary of Asklepios, the ancient "health spa" at Epidavros. The birth place of the son of Apollo. A place where the healing protocol would come to the patient in their dreams. The "healing center" had guest rooms for more than 100 patients, mineral springs, and surgeries may have been part of the treatment. I can't imagine having surgery back then, I guess every patient hoped they wouldn't see a vision of surgery. If you arrived terminaly ill, or very pregnant, you were not allowed inside. Treatment for these patients was done at a facility outside of the walls. The sanctuary's reputation that no one had ever died there, couldn't be compromised.
The theatre at
courtyard of our hotel
the castle in the background Epidavros is almost intact after 2500 years! "the quality of its acoustics make the Epidaurus theatre one of the great architectural achievements of the fourth century" We were treated to the natural acoustic properties of the theatre, when a talented member of our group sang. She took her place on the center stone, and in the drizzle of rain, sang so sweetly that all the other tourists paused to hear her voice as it reached even the top of the theatre. Now this was one of those moments we will remember with our group. This place is still being used as a theatre, with festivals in the summmer.
I have to mention our hosts at the hotel. From what we understand they are brothers, and they go out of their way to make you feel welcomed. They insist on helping you with your luggage upon arriving and departing. The breakfast was delicious and plentiful. When Keith went up to the office to see if there was a beer, one of the brothers insisted on bringing it to us on a tray, with glasses! The hotel is built into a rock hill, which gives it different levels and spots for
cat
stairs connecting the streets of old Nafplio courtyards and views of the city.
And I have a revision of the first entry on Greece. Our night of dancing was actually held here in Nafplio, in the taverna of the Koutelias family, Pseiras. This family has a great little restaurant not too very far from the hotel, and they put on a fantastic evening for their customers. Complete with a traditional dance troupe, and bouzouki musicians. Keith says the music is "bluegrass Greek style", very happy, upbeat. The food! Starting with the horiatiki (greek salad, that I am craving now that we are back in the land of pierogis) tzatiki (the yogurt-garlic sauce that I am also craving) kolokithokeftedes (zucchini balls, but look at the greek spelling!) dolmades ( you know this one -stuffed leaves) horta (boiled greens) and the pork in wine sauce. Makes me hungry just writing this! (there is a Greek place here in Krakow that we have been going to, looks like tonite we will be there for supper!) The family cooks and serves, Mrs. Koutelias steps out of the kitchen every now and then to check on us. She shares recipes so that we can recreate our dining experience! I want to
recreate Keith's dancing ability, so I am including the photo once more! Just in case you missed it in the first entry... come now, someone has to have a comment!...
Of course, this taverna wasn't the only one where we had a delicious meal! I still have to tell you about the ones in Hydra. Each country we have visited during our time here has left us with memories - of the people and landscapes, and especially the tastes particular to each. Maybe it is because we have recently tasted the greek food, but for now, it is our favorite!
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peter smith
non-member comment
WOW!
Another great entry, shots and description but obviously the highlight of the entire entry was Keith "dancing". He should have done that when he was performing with Single Tree! How much longer do ya'll have in Europe? Thanks for sharing your travels. Peter