This morning we dropped Kim and Danielle off at the light rail station. It is the train that was taking them into Athens where they will stay in an airBnB apartment for the evening and then they willdriven to the office airport for their trip home. Deiann was nervous to send them off by themselves so we waited at the train station until their train arrived and they were on their way.
After dropping off the girls Deiann and I made a trip a quick trip through Lidel grocery store to pick up a few things we would need like water and cheese and crackers for lunches. We grabbed a couple of bottles of wine and the makings for Greek salad and we were on the road.
We drove south following Athena's directions with a destination of Epidavros. We stopped along the way at a smaller ancient theater that we saw a sign for ( benefit of having your own vehicle). We had a little problem following signs through the small town so we pulled into the harbor area, got directions and walked to the site. It was much less impressive than the main site that followed.
Epidavros is the site of ancient ruins including the largest amphitheater in Greece. The amphitheater was discovered within the last hundred years or so, unearthed after having been buried for centuries. The original theater was built by the Greeks and an upper section of seats was added by the Romans during their occupation, ultimately creating seating for 15,000 people. The theater is still used for performances today and the acoustics are amazing.
After our visit to Epidavros we found our hotel in Nafplion. This hotel is fulfilling Deiann's wish to stay in a stone room. We are situated at the foot of a castle, and the walls of the room the desk, and our bed are stone. It's a great room and our splurge at $60 per person per night. Our average in general has been between $18 and $25 per person per night. The rate generally include breakfast.
After checking in to our room we jumped back in the car and went to see Mycenae. Another ancient site, the Mycenaeans lived from the 15th to the 13th century. We stopped first at the Treasury of Atreus or tomb of Agamemnon. What an amazing experience! After the first few minutes we were completely alone inside this massive beehive shaped tomb. The lintel above the entrance is massive and close to 10 times the weight of stones in the Great Pyramid in Egypt. We took pictures and the soaked in the ambiance of this ancient place. We touched the walls in amazement that people that many thousands of years ago had touched. A moment of mind blown- ness for sure!!
Next we visited the main site where we climbed to the top of the palace and took in the views of Ancient Mycenae and Argos off in the distance. We took Deiann's phone flashlight and descended into a thousands of years old cistern to explore the interior. It was 99 steps down into pure slippery staired darkness. It was so nice and cool down there, especially compared to the still blistering 7 pm heat above.
A visit to the small museum followed before we returned to our hotel for a simple dinner we prepared in our room.
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