greece, 2007
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Delphi
The ancient Greeks thought Delphi (pronounced DELL-fee) was terribly sacred. Situated on in the mountains above the Gulf of Corinth, it's a
beautiful place and only a couple hours from Athens.
The Greeks believed the site was the center of the universe and dedicated it to Apollo. It was used for pilgrimages and games, and was the home of
the famous oracle, who divined prophecies that were supposedly given to her by Apollo and were translated by an interpreter (which makes me wonder how
much the interpreter made up). The oracle's prophecies tended to be hard to decipher. Famously, Alexander the Great
asked the oracle if he would conquer the world, and her reply was typically cryptic so he dragged her off by the hair. Instead of saying "uncle!"
she admitted that he was unbeatable. Which was true.
The modern town of Delphi. You didn't think it was all ruins, did you?
We started with lunch, which was always a wonderful treat in Greece. This is a frappe, a cold coffee drink that is sweetened with milk and sugar. It's usually made from
instant coffee, but it's good stuff.
This is the view of the Gulf of Corinth from the town.
The site is on the side of Mount Parnassos, which towers over it.
They have a rather nice museum, though it doesn't tie the story together very well. Still, its artifacts are worth a glance.
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They even have bits of an old metal bull, a hollow sculpture that was once braced with wood.
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This was once the treasury of Athens. Most of the ruins date to the sixth century BC (that's the 500s BC for those of you getting out your calculators), though there were
Neolithic settlements here and the Romans tried to keep the site in good repair.
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This is the stadium at the top of the site. It could hold 6500 people.
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This was part of a water causeway. Some of the hill's drainage system is still in place.
Nafplion
Nafplion is in the Peloponnese, a region to the south of Athens on the Greek mainland. It is divided from the rest of the mainland by the Corinth Canal. Nafplion used to be the
Greek capital in the nineteenth century, after the independent Greek state was founded but before the Turks left Athens.
That wasn't why we went. We went because Nafplion is a good place from which to visit Epidavros, an ancient site that has one of the best preserved Greek theatres. But we were
glad to have seen Nafplion, because it's a good place to hang out.
The streets of the city are very atmospheric. They're narrow and winding, with an overabundance of steps in some areas. Our hotel was probably the highest in town,
so our suitcases took a lot of abuse (and they took it out on us).
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Note the Turkish fountain on the left.
Here's another one, straight from the streets of Istanbul.
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This lizard took on the color of the marble steps he was on. Pretty neat.
Plateia Syntagmatos is the main square. When we stopped by later it was teeming with kids riding bikes and playing.
If you have time to do only one thing Nafplion, visit the Fortress of Palamidi. It was built by the Venetians in a mere four years during the early eighteenth century,
while they were occupying the area. It sits on the highest hill overlooking the city and requires a climb of over 800 steps to reach it.
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The views are wonderful. This is the city, which sits on the Argolic Gulf. The island is called Bourtzi Castle, and it was also built by the Venetians.
To the left of the city is a lower hill, which also has a castle on it. That hill is the site of the original city.
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The sloping walls of the fortress hug the shape of the hill, and are layered in such a way that there are multiple bastions. Attacking this place
would have required quite an effort.
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Walls of one of the outer bastions.
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Deep in the castle I encountered this marginated tortoise.
Fortunately a couple German kids came along and held him up for me.
I carefully inspect the sheer cliff overlooking the sea.
Nice view.
Another agave stalk makes a nice point of interest in front of the sunset. Look closely on the distant hill and you can see the wind turbines.
We walked by the sea in the evening.
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Yep, I went swimming, and it was some of the saltiest sea water I've ever been in. I was able to float much more easily than elsewhere along the Mediterranean. Not sure why.
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A closer look at Bourtzi Castle from Nafplion harbor.
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A crab in the harbor.
The fortress at night.
Epidavros
So we took a bus from Nafplion to Epidavros, which as I mentioned above has one of the best preserved ancient Greek theatres. Epidavros was considered a place of healing
and people came from all over to cure various ailments. As a result there were also many public buildings.
It's the theatre that draws the crowds, including us.
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As at the Acropolis in Athens, they're restoring a few select ruins to give you an idea of what they'd have looked like. So they're chipping away at marble.
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