Blogs from Pelopennese, Greece, Europe - page 15

Left Nafplio in the early morning for the hour and a half bus drive to Tripoli. We took an absolutely beautiful route: right across the rugged mountains of Arcadia. In the Greek tradition, Arcadia always appears as a type of Eden, a perfect pastoral world of happy shepherds. And from the drive this morning I can see why. We wound up a steep mountain pass with stunning views not only to the surrounding countryside, but also to the water below. Tripoli is one of the big transportation hubs in the Peloponnese. A nice looking place, but only got out at the bus station. Then headed South to Sparta and the region of Lakonia, before catching one last bus about another hour that finally took me to Gythio. This is basically a smaller version of Nafplio, and ... read more

Took a day-trip today about an hour North past Argos to Ancient Mycenae. This is another connection back to Troy in Turkey. Mycenae was supposedly the kingdom ruled by Agamemnon, the Greek leader, and his brother, Menelaus. Historically, at least, it was also the most powerful kingdom in the Greek world from about 1600-1200 BC. The ruins, too, were very impressive. Mycenae sits in a very dramatic landscape, right in between two mountains. It also was built out of these absolutely massive blocks of stone. Once Mycenae fell, people thought that only a race of giant Cyclops' could've actually built the place. It's most famous for its Lions Gate, and the famous Treasury of Atreus and the other tombs of the royal family. If you remember the photo of Agamemnon's "Death-Mask" that I posted from the ... read more

Sea Cloud II is amazing. It's bigger than we thougtht it was going to be. Extremely well appointed with various hardwood cabinetry, moudlings, overhead paneling. The deck and side rails are teak and brass fittings are polished. The crew is amazingly attentive. Our rooms on the 3rd deck are spacious with our beds fitted with douvets. We have our own attendant who makes sure we have fresh fruit, ice, bottles of water, etc everyday and turns down our beds, etc. the bathroom is 1stclass. The ship so far hasn't done much rolling. There is an internet service but it costs 10 euros for a 24 hour period, Ken has tried it but it's slow. I finally paid up and it's OK but every now and then you get kicked off so if you haven't saved something ... read more

K - Given its well-publicized economic problems some friends have asked us whether Greece is a mess - rumors of inadequate public services, garbage in the street etc. seem to abound. I am absolutely sure that the life of the average Greek is full of major concerns and uncertainties but from a tourist perspective there is little to suggest a country in crisis. The places we visited were all clean and the people welcoming. With the exception of the train service which no longer runs internationally and which has been suspended in some areas (replaced by buses) we would not have known there was a particular issue. We were not of course there during a strike period. One thing that did shock me a lot however was the level of graffiti in Athens (and to some ... read more

I really never had any intention of bungee jumping; it was a purely spontaneous opportunity that I seized after some convincing (especially since heights make me queasy…) Anyhow, my roommate decided that we were going bungee jumping on Oct. 9th because that was the second to last weekend to do it before it closed for the winter season and also because the weather was nice (when we left…) I was hesitant about going at first because A) I don’t like heights, B) I didn’t know the safety statistics of the place; granted they have been in business since 1991, and C) it was expensive—like 16E for transportation, 60E to jump, and 10E for a t-shirt saying that I did jump (because you need a souvenir after doing something like that!)…about $120 USD total. I told Megan ... read more