Nafplio (July 13)

We left Athens this morning around 9 AM for our second destination – Nafplio. It was a two-hour bus ride, but we made a stop at the Corinth Canal about halfway through. I didn’t think I’d get at all excited about a canal, but it was really cool! Built in 1893, the canal provided the first waterway between Italy and Athens, so that ships didn’t have to go around the entire peninsula. They dug so far down, it’s crazy to look at, and the water is a sparkling green between the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Corinth.

At that stop we got a great Nescafe Frappe and then hopped back on the bus for the second hour of the trip. The bus itself is pretty sweet! It’s really huge and high up – we all get our own row – and there is a second door that opens up at the halfway point (so cool!). There are also really big windows on all sides, as well as front and back, so we can look at the scenery.

We went straight into the town of Nafplio for lunch and a quick tour. The bus pulled up right next to the water and it was just gorgeous! We ate at an Italian place with almost the whole group and I just had potatoes with cheese – delicious, but can you say carb overload? Then Demetra, our new tour guide for the week, led us around the sites. As interested as I am in Greece, I must admit that everything she said flew in one ear and out the other. It was very hot and I was anxious to get to the pool.

Then we took the bus to a castle up on a cliff overlooking the town and ocean. The view was just indescribable. I took tons and tons of pictures, but none of them will do it justice. The water was a bright blue, with the town below and mountains in the distance. We proceeded to walk down all 1000 of the steps, which were cut out of a slippery stone, like marble, so we were very careful. My legs were shaking at the bottom, but I tried to hide it, being the only college athlete in the group.

Finally, around 4:00 PM we arrived at the Amalia hotel, three miles outside town. It is just a beautiful place, five-stars (equivalent to a nice Marriott courtyard in the states I’d say) with a pool. This is our first time expanding to three roommates, but luckily Sarah and I get to stay together – we just gain one. So we walked in to find one double bed. Hmmm… but later discovered they mixed up our room with the guide’s. Now we have three beds as we should, but got placed in a handicap room with essentially no shower. There is a shower head with just a drain in the floor and half a shower curtain, so after three showers, the bathroom was completely flooded. I’m talking water flowing out onto the carpet. Sarah and I always get the messed up bathrooms!

We all swam and laid by the pool for a little while before cleaning up for dinner. The great thing about the Amalia hotels is that they provide breakfast and dinner … buffet style. But I’m not talking cheap, gross buffet like the Dominican Republic – this was amazing! There were probably 25 different platters of food and my plate was full only halfway through the line. I had salmon, potatoes, salad, bread, pork kebabs, meatballs, veggies, pasta, and for dessert ice cream, watermelon, and a small piece of some delicious cake. And this is for the rest of the week! It’s so nice to just walk downstairs, eat, and not have to worry about spending money.

We hung out in the piano bar and then on the patio, drinking wine for a few hours. Now it’s midnight so I need to get to bed. We have a 6:45 AM wake-up call, courtesy of tour guide Demetra. Tomorrow is Mycenae and Epidaurus, then a cliff walk to the beach!