Nafplion, Greece
Everyone had a restful night while Panorama was alongside at the pier in Nafplion. We awoke to a calm morning in the harbor as most of the sailboats departed their moorings and headed for their next destination. Shortly after breakfast we boarded our coaches and set out to explore this region further inland.
Our first destination was the treasury of Atreus or as it’s more commonly known, “Agamemnon’s Tomb.” The entryway is impressive as well as the “beehive” structure of the interior of the tomb. Sophia and Eleni, our Greek guides, told us about this site and explained how it was constructed. This type of tomb was built as a “tholos” which means that successive rows of stones were stacked on top of one another in smaller and smaller circles until they reached the top. Earth was built up on the exterior of these stones eventually forming a hill. The tomb dates from the 14th century B.C. and although it was known as Agamemnon’s tomb (King Agamemnon led the Trojan wars) it pre-dates Agamemnon’s time by more than 100 years.
We continued up the road just a short way to enter the ancient palace of Mycenae. Mycenae was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1874. This site dates to Mycenaean times or more specifically 1700-1100 B.C. which puts it during the late Bronze Age. Eleni led the younger guests on a mock assault of the Lions Gate and she and Sophia guided us through this impressive complex. When we were done wandering through Mycenae we boarded our coaches and made our way to the ancient stadium in Nemea. The adult guests made their way through the entry tunnel and prepared to greet the young competitors on the other side. The Athenians and the Spartans came through the tunnel to a rousing welcome. Eleni and Sophia explained how ancient races were run, the teams were organized at the starting line and the race was on. After the finish all participants were rewarded with a traditional olive wreath for their heads. The teams then paraded back out of the stadium through the entry tunnel to return to Panorama for lunch.
During the afternoon there was some free time for a siesta or a short walk to the public beach, and the Panoramics teams learned about some Greek legends and began creating their own odysseys. Late in the afternoon we boarded our coach to explore the Palamidhi fortress that sits on a ridge high above Nafplion. This fort was constructed by the Venetians using Greek labor between 1711 and 1714. Not long after the construction was completed the fort was lost to the Ottomans. Eleni and Sophia introduced us to the castle, led us through the main gate and into the “keep” of this impressive fort. After this we were free to explore on our own. Many went onward to the outer battlements that sat high above the Argolic Gulf but everyone got some great views of the surrounding countryside. At the end of our visit everyone had to make the decision whether to take the coach back to the ship or descend the 900+ steps back to the port. There were a handful of the guests that attempted to count the steps with varied results but all of the numbers came in above 900. Everyone made it back to Panorama in time for the Greek BBQ dinner. After this fine meal there was just enough time to go into Nafplion for one more taste of local gelato. Unfortunately all had to choose between the Greek or Italian gelato shops. I don’t believe that anyone was disappointed. As soon as we were all safely back aboard, Panorama set sail for the Cyclades and the island of Milos.
