Nafplio, Greece, Wednesday March 26th

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We travelled on the bus that took secondary students to Ligourio. They congregated in groups around the square, with some strolling up after the time the bus was due. They wore casual clothes. We changed buses at the school. In Greece students attend nine compulsory years of education. After primary school they have three years at gymnasium and then three years at lyceum. There are examinations at the end and some students go on to tertiary studies. University degrees take four years to complete and they have the same post graduate structure of Masters Degree and PhD.

Arriving in Nafplio, we had some breakfast and went to the post office. The system of taking a numbered ticket and waiting on chairs is a very sensible one, allowing you to read or relax while you wait for your turn.

The town of Nafplio was the first capital of Greece after independence. The capital changed to Athens after the first President, Ioannis Kapodistrias, was assassinated in 1831 by Maniot chieftans who were not happy with him. Nafplio has a very well preserved and charming Venetian sector around the port. The streets open out into several really enormous squares, with churches and important and impressive buildings flanking them. Nearly every second building has a discreet sign announcing that it is a pension or hotel or has rooms to let. Every other one is a taverna, restaurant or tourist oriented shop. That is a bit of an exaggeration but, unlike Rethymno and Hania, whose Ventian sectors are important to the day to day life and affairs of the citizens, Nafplio has a modern town sector that serves daily needs and the Venetian sector appears to serve solely the accommodation and leisure needs of tourists.

Rising above the old town is an enormous, craggy and very steep rock with the Palamidi Fortress at its summit.

It is a rock that would be at home in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘The Hobbit’. A path of beautifully made stone steps switched back on itself seemingly endlessly as it wove its way up. Our many stops enabled us to see the magnificent views over the town and the bay. A myriad of plant species clung to the rocks and flowered between the 999 steps.

The fortress is an amazing example of defensive architecture by the Venetians and includes a number of other bastions that could operate independently. There was the Agios Andreas Church, the house of the garrison leader, prisons, as well as ramparts with cleverly designed shooting slits that allowed for different angles while offering maximum protection. Built between 1711 and 1714, it is in very good repair.

Less well preserved walls and fortifications run behind the old town, with the remains of a gateway standing alone where the two sections of the town now meet.Another smaller fort sits on an island just offshore from the port, providing even more protection against invaders.

After enjoying the streetscapes of the Venetian sector and an ice-cream that was not gelati but not regular ice-cream either, we came upon the Peloponnese Folklore Foundation Museum. I was very keen to learn more but, apart from being able to look at the beautifully displayed clothing, toys, set up rooms and exhibition of metal and silverware and dishes, I came away not much the wiser. Dates were given for items but I would like details such as whether the clothes were only for best or ceremonial purposes, who owned them, what class of person and what lifestyle were the items typical of, what are the differences from region to region and era to era, what were the family patterns etc. I would like to see everyday clothes too, not just those that are not for best. Currently I know about the intricate and beautiful embroidery that adorns nearly everything for men as well as women, that some clothing has a clear eastern influence and some shows design and fabrics like English clothing of a similar era. Furniture and household items could be exquisite and ornate, or basic and simply made, depending on the household. Christos told me that there is a good museum for this topic in Salonika in Northern Greece, so maybe after Turkey we will visit it and find out more.

It was great that we had the opportunity to visit Nafplio because, apart from being a delightful little town and wishing that we had more time to explore it and visit the beautiful beaches that we could see from the fortress, the bus trip allowed us to see more of the countryside. We got on a bus to return to Athens for the night ferry to Santorini. On our way back we saw plains with acres and acres of grapes. Wind breaks of bamboo and cypress hindered taking photos but I snapped away anyway. We saw a road that seemed to rise vertically up a mountain but as we drew near it was not quite that steep but certainly would be a nightmare to drive up or down. We crossed the Corinth Canal that links the Peloponnese to the remainder of Greece at the Bay of Corinth. It was literally begun in person by Emperor Nero in 67 AD, but not finished until 1893. Only 23 metres wide, the canal has walls 90 metres high.

The suburbs of Athens seemed endless as we drove back to the bus station. We retraced our steps by local bus to Omonia Square and then took the metro to Piraeus. Out ferry had been rescheduled to midnight from 8 pm so we sat in the square and then had a meal in a café, eating very slowly so that we could eke out the warmth and shelter until 11 pm.

Settling into my cabin, I met my three young Korean cabin mates. They were studying at Oxford University in England and had taken two weeks to visit Egypt and Greece. I put my things on my allocated top bunk and went up to spend time with Keith. When I returned, the girls had rearranged things so that I could have a more convenient bottom bunk. I was really touched by their thoughtfulness and the way they had considered my age, without it being in any way detrimental to their willingness to be friendly and have fun chatting.

The theme of this ornate clock is Philhellenism - the movement in western Europe to support the Greek struggle for independence in the 1820s. The woman is depicted as passionately admiring the demeanour and intentions of the man, who is probably heading for Greece to support the cause.