Greek Christmas - Part II

Dear Family and Friends,

After what turned out to be a very full first day in Nafplio, we decided to slow down a bit and slept in the next day. Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel were also able to go outside and play in the grounds of the Klymeni Guesthouse in the morning. Ironically, having a little time to play at the hotel is sometimes what the kids enjoy most about our vacations.

Our first destination of the day was the ruins of Epidaurus and its famous theater. Along the way, we happened to see a turn-off for the Mycenaean Bridge. However, after driving a kilometer up a one-lane road and then following a muddy foot path through an olive grove for another kilometer, we were unable to locate the bridge. Finally, after turning around and driving back to the main road, Julie spotted the unassuming bronze-age bridge near the original turn-off. Our guidebook indicated the Arkadiko Bridge is the oldest in existence in Europe and was built for chariots of "cyclopean" stones around 1300 BC.


Arkadiko Bridge

By the time we arrived at Epidaurus, it had started to rain. The parking lot, which had obviously been built to accommodate large crowds and tour buses, was almost completely empty and we were worried with all of the strikes going on in Greece that it was closed. However, we finally found a ticket office (and a bathroom) and were able to begin our tour of the museum, theater, and ruins.

The Epidaurus theater was constructed in the forth century BC in a lushly forested area. It is exceptionally large and seated up to 15,000 people. It's also one of the best preserved theaters we've visited; only the backstage that was made of a more porous rock has eroded over time. The theater is best known, however, for is its acoustics, which according to our guidebook were designed to allow unamplified voices to be heard from anywhere in the stadium. We decided to put this theory to the test and had each of the kids say something from the center stage while Joe recorded them from the very top seat.

Although we were almost alone at the theater, we did encounter a French family with whom we spoke briefly. Elyse also met a cat that she named "Sunny" (for Elyse, the stray cats and dogs were at least as important as the sites themselves), who followed her up and down the theater steps. The cat eventually figured out that Elyse didn't have any food and started following the French lady instead. This frustrated Elyse, who then started following the cat to try and entice it back to her coattails. As a result, when the French man asked the women if she wanted a picture, she quietly replied that she was being pursued!

Epidaurus (Επίδαυρος) Theater

We next visited the ruins, including the ancient stadium, baths, and other buildings. As we wondered through the ruins, we found examples of the different orders of classical architectural. Doric, which is the oldest style, is typified by plain column capitals (middle left) and was used on buildings like the Parthenon in Athens. The next order, called Ionic (middle center), had scrolls at the top of the columns. The Corinthian order (middle right) was the last order developed by the Romans in later centuries. It is also the most elaborate and is decorated with leaves and scrolls.

Epidaurus (Επίδαυρος) Ruins

By the time we finished touring Epidaurus, it was too late in the day to visit any other sites. Instead, we decided to take a drive through the countryside before heading back to Nafplio. We stopped briefly to explore the port of Epidavros and had a lunch of cookies and Doritos (Julie was not too happy with this, but it was all we could find in the deserted town). We also took a drive to the top of the hills overlooking Nafplio and the Argolic Gulf.



Epidavros (Επίδαυρος) Port and Hill

 For our evening meal, we bought gyros in town and then ate them on the porch of our apart-hotel. Julie also read to the kids from "The Fugitive from Corinth" before bedtime. By now, the kids were quite engrossed in the book and were very upset when she stopped.

Gyros (γύρος) on the Porch

Our final breakfast in Nafplio consisted of the usual meat and cheese, toast, juice, and a large flan. We then did some final Christmas shopping before heading to Athens for the next phase of our vacation.

In spite of a little rain on our last day, we were very sorry to leave the Nafplio area!

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel