The spaniels who came in from the cold

It is 8° outside right now.  Something of a shock when we’ve been used to temperatures of 15-18° for most of the last two months. We have decided to come into a campsite where we have endless electricity to power the fan on our heating, access to as much water as we need, and somewhere to dump the loo without having to worry. Our Christmas sojourn convinced us that a few nights staying still needn’t stretch the budget, and while we have always been year round motorhomers, there’s little to be gained from trudging around the coast in the cold when the warm weather promises to return in three or four days. 

We are now at Camping Argolic Strand, just south of Nafplio on the final Peloponnese peninsula - the eastern thumb. And if they happen to have good wi-fi on every pitch on a six-nations weekend, well that’s an added bonus. A bit of cleaning, some laundry, some nice long walks on the beach, a few episodes of University Challenge, and we’ll be ready for our final few weeks in Greece. 

Random tomb

The last few days have given us the chance to see some spectacular sights. 

We left Ancient Mycenae on Monday morning, after taking the spaniels for a walk through the olive groves and stumbling on a completely unmarked Mycenaean tomb just sitting in a field by the track. It’s a not-uncommon feature of our walks, Greece simply has too many ruins to adequately enclose, present and signpost them all.  

We were heading for Lidl on the outskirts of Argos, but double white lines prohibited us from turning left, and before we knew it we were back in the warren of streets in the town. The turnings offered by Google Maps to get us back looked, at best, dicey, so we decided to forge on to Nafplio, where another Lidl was much more accessible. On the way we passed the ancient city of Tiryns, a smaller version of Mycenae, with equally impressive stone blocks. The Cyclopes were evidently kept busy around here.

Shopping complete, we drove up to the vast Palamidi fortress which looms over  Nafplio from a 216m high outcrop. It’s possible to walk from the town, but we decided that 901 steps was just a tad too far. The citadel itself kept us busy for well over an hour with a maze of at least eight individual bastions within the walls. It was built in 1711 by the Venetians, and is now mostly in ruins, but would make a fantastic place for a treasure hunt. There are also fabulous views of the area, and I was glad I’d picked up the binoculars. 

Wonderful views

At last we drove back down the hill, and parked up in the port, where the row of motorhomes along the seafront numbered up to twelve while we were there. It’s a huge car park used by cars, tour buses and lorries, and our presence there seemed to be well tolerated. We were far enough away from the unloading cargo ship and refrigerated lorries for a fairly quiet night.

Palamidi at night

The old town

 The next morning we explored the peninsula which is the site of the lovely old town. It had the winding alleys and steep steps you’d expect from a Greek town, but with the pastel shades and balconied villas that betray a Venetian influence, and with a smattering of grand Neoclassical villas and landscaped squares which befits the newly independent Greece’s first capital in 1833. Smart boutiques rub shoulders with classy tourist shops selling gifts made from olive wood and leather, and ropes of the inevitable worry beads. There is even a worry bead - Komboloi - museum. The four of us wandered around until lunchtime, when we found ourselves at a harbour front cafe where we could sit in the sun, watch the comings and goings, and admire the view of the beautiful Bourtzi fortress on an island in the bay.

Bourtzi Fortress

In the afternoon we made individual forays into the town, and I ambled up to the last of Nafplio’s three fortresses, which sits above the old town. There is little left but the walls, and the sad remains of some apartments and restaurants, but it has wonderful views of the Palamidi fortress and the bay. We spent another night in the port, this time rather less quietly as strong winds blew up and rocked Florence on her wheels. 

A massive lion

 We survived the night unscathed and discovered a lovely walk under the cliffs where the spaniels could enjoy a loose lead and we could marvel at the change in the sea, which had gone from flat, blue and serene to wild, green and crashing on the rocks. Then it was time to leave Nafplio, with just a quick stop for a closer look at an extraordinary sight I’d caught out of the corner of my eye as we’d driven up to the fortress: a massive lion carved out of the rock near a cemetery. It turned out to be a memorial commissioned by King Ludwig of Bavaria to the troops who’d accompanied his son Otto to Nafplio when Otto became King of Greece. Many of them had died from typhoid. 

From there we drove to the small port town of Epidavros for a night in the harbour car park. The next morning we took the spaniels along a well marked trail to ancient Epidavros, a collection of ruins, and a small theatre, little brother to the one we were on our way to visit. A short drive later and we were at the vast site correctly known as the Sanctuary of Asclepius, god of medicine, but usually known simply as Epidavros. Just to confuse matters still further there is a third place known as New Epidavros just up the coast. 

A centre of healing

 Epidavros is best known for its astonishing theatre, built in the 4th century BCE, but still almost intact. Its acoustics are incredible, a whisper from the centre of the stage can be heard in highest rows. It is still used to stage performances, and can seat up to 12,000 people. But it’s only a small part of the site, which includes several bathhouses and fountains, temples, hostels, and a stadium. It was a centre of healing renowned across the Classical world. We enjoyed a ramble around but were happy to get inside the small museum, which had some impressive statues, but was also lovely and warm after the chill outside. We sat in Florence nursing our mugs of miso soup, and decided to head for a campsite.