"Today we head up into the heart of the Peloponnese Peninsula, stopping at the haunting 14th century Byzantine ruins of Mystras." For some reason I woke early on day 9, and found all but one of the coffee places on the waterfront closed. I watched the ferry leaving for Crete, my first stop after the tour, and learned that it only ran once a week so early in the season.
I had high expectations for this day - both the Byzantine churches at Mystras, and the Venetian buildings at Nafplio, sounded great. As in much of Europe, recognized sites in Greece require registered local guides for groups. However much David might know about Mystras, and it must have been plenty, he couldn't guide us round the site. The guide he usually used wasn't available, and it didn't take long for us to realize that the substitute didn't meet Rick Steves' usual standards. I suppose we couldn't complain too much, as all the other guides were great, but she ruined Mystras for me.
Partly this was because she walked too fast. I'm not as young as would like, nor as fit as I would like, but I do exercise regularly, and the next week I would manage the 16 kilometers down the Samaria Gorge in Crete without disaster, but I had trouble keeping up. And keeping up meant little opportunity for photos - and less for appreciating the site. Then, she gave us little information. We kept sweeping past interesting-looking items - a fleur de lys here, a two-headed eagle there - with no explanation. And when she did stop to show us some frescoes they were in worse shape than I had expected.
"Then we drive north, via legendary Sparta..." Recovering over lunch in modern Sparta (dips, horta, lamb and potatoes), I realized that I would have to put Mystras back on the must-see list if (when) I return to Greece. This visit didn't count.
David slipped in an unscheduled sight on the way to Nafplio - a Greek folly called Agia Foteini. Apparently, the designer (I hesitate to call him an architect) had tried to include as many architectural styles as possible in one building - a kind of grown-up Lego. Crazy but cute.
"... to the fortress-topped harbor town of Nafplio." Our Nafplio hotel, the Pension Marianna, also disappointed me - I was just having an off day (of course, an off day on a tour of Greece is still a good day, just not a great one). From the pictures I had seen I had expected a view and a balcony, but the room I shared with Kathy Mac had neither. Too, the bedroom had a double bed: an anteroom held a single. I lost the toss and took the single. Still, I didn't plan to spend much time there, and I could enjoy the view from the breakfast room. I don't pay much attention to breakfast, as I don't eat it at home, but I do care about good coffee and juice, and enjoyed plenty of both here.
David collected us for an orientation walk round Nafplio, and I noted the reappearance of some of the marble pavements I had previously negotiated in Croatia - pretty but perilous, although the kids liked to slide around on them. The town, the first capital of modern Greece, has three castles, one with walls dating all the way back to the Bronze Age, and one, looking more picturesque than formidable, on a small island in the harbor.
We followed the walk with another wine tasting, this time at the shop of Dimitris Koronis, with Dimitris doing the honors. A spread of cheese, salami and olives accompanied the wine, and an opportunity to try ouzo followed. Again, I found the wines pleasant but light, although my barely legible notes suggest that something called the St. George grape might be worth investigating. I had been interested to find that St. George, the dragon-slaying patron saint of England, was a well-regarded member of the Orthodox list of saints - both Russian and Greek.
It's just possible I tasted too much wine - or too much ouzo - as after dinner (Greek salad and chicken souvlaki) I headed back to the hotel and fell instantly asleep.
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