Wildflowers and a Mighty Wind:
Nine days in the Peloponnese and Athens.
Nine days in the Peloponnese and Athens.
March 2008
Every year, when we begin discussing options for our next family vacation,
Greece always comes up. But, we've typically had to travel in the summer
due to school schedules, and we've never been able to pull the trigger on a
summer trip to Greece.
Marisa visited Greece as the first stop on a month-long high school trip—
gulp—almost 30 years ago. While the many sights certainly made an
impression, so, too, did the heat—and she was from Arizona. We've
always been a little hesitant to return in the middle of the summer.
With an extra day added to our spring break this year, we decided, why not
Greece? We knew that it might not be the best time of year for the islands,
but that it could be quite pleasant elsewhere—and culturally and
historically rich. So, last September, we booked our flights and began
looking at mainland/Peloponnese opportunities.
After much research, we constructed a trip that included Athens and the
Peloponnese:
With only nine nights, we had to make some tough choices. Some original
points of interest that did not make the list included Olympia, Corinth,
Delphi and Meteora. We’ll just have to go back, sometime!
We decided to put Athens at the end of the trip, primarily because we’d
have to be there then anyway due to a 6am (shudder) flight at the end of the
trip.
We’re pretty experienced with driving trips, so we didn't hesitate to rent a
car out of Athens, even with our limited Greek skills (well, Chris was in a
fraternity and does remember most of the letters, and Allie learns quickly).
Highlights
In no particular order, these are the things we enjoyed most. Ironically,
several happen to start with the letter “M,” so we’ll start with those:
1. Mystras—the partially ruined hillside complex of Franco-Byzantine
monasteries and palaces.
2. Monemvasia—sometimes called the Gibraltar of Greece, this former
thriving city of 50,000 is now just ruins and a small community inside the
lower-town (“Kastro”) gates. There are no vehicles inside the Kastro, and it
was all the more enjoyable with very few people around.
3. The Mani Peninsula—a wind-swept (very literally, for the days we were
there), mountainous and relatively unpopulated area on the southwestern
part of the Peloponnese. It is noted for its independent people, dramatic
scenery, hundreds of standing stone Maniot towers (some dating to the
17th century), and chapels dating from the 12th century.
4. Mycenae—inhabited for thousands of years and birthplace of the
Mycenean culture.
5. Mythos beer, ouzo and local wines.
6. Epidaurus. Allie just finished studying Greek theater in freshman
English, so she was thrilled to explain the parts of the stage to us,
including the altar, the parados (chorus entrance), the skene (scenic and
backstage) and orchestra.
7. People-watching from cafés in the Plaka—or, actually, just about
anywhere. This is one of our favorite parts of any trip to Europe.
8. The Acropolis—although it is covered in scaffolding and construction
equipment, how could it not be a highlight? Apparently, though, we missed
the Olympic torch there on Saturday by mere hours. We even wondered
aloud at the time what they were preparing for…
9. Ancient Asine. What? It’s a little-visited ruin on a hill near Tolo and
Nafplio, with terrific views over the coastline. The acropolis of this ancient
city is mentioned by Homer in The Illiad. The best part was having it all to
ourselves.
10. The National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It’s not a huge
museum, but it is full of highlights. One of our favorites: the frescoes from
Thera.
We’ll add honorable mention to the wildflowers that were everywhere on
our trip, making the many sites and ruins even more enjoyable and
beautiful.
Our only disappointment was that we were not able to visit the Diros Caves
while in the Mani. It was closed both of the days we were there due to wind
and rough seas.
Next: The voyage to Nafplio
See all of our Greece photos
our travels
home
contact us
Every year, when we begin discussing options for our next family vacation,
Greece always comes up. But, we've typically had to travel in the summer
due to school schedules, and we've never been able to pull the trigger on a
summer trip to Greece.
Marisa visited Greece as the first stop on a month-long high school trip—
gulp—almost 30 years ago. While the many sights certainly made an
impression, so, too, did the heat—and she was from Arizona. We've
always been a little hesitant to return in the middle of the summer.
With an extra day added to our spring break this year, we decided, why not
Greece? We knew that it might not be the best time of year for the islands,
but that it could be quite pleasant elsewhere—and culturally and
historically rich. So, last September, we booked our flights and began
looking at mainland/Peloponnese opportunities.
After much research, we constructed a trip that included Athens and the
Peloponnese:
- Nafplio, 3 nights; Pension Amfitriti
- Mani Peninsula, 2 nights; Limeni Village
- Monemvasia, 1 night; New Malvasia Hotel
- Athens, 3 nights; Electra Palace
With only nine nights, we had to make some tough choices. Some original
points of interest that did not make the list included Olympia, Corinth,
Delphi and Meteora. We’ll just have to go back, sometime!
We decided to put Athens at the end of the trip, primarily because we’d
have to be there then anyway due to a 6am (shudder) flight at the end of the
trip.
We’re pretty experienced with driving trips, so we didn't hesitate to rent a
car out of Athens, even with our limited Greek skills (well, Chris was in a
fraternity and does remember most of the letters, and Allie learns quickly).
Highlights
In no particular order, these are the things we enjoyed most. Ironically,
several happen to start with the letter “M,” so we’ll start with those:
1. Mystras—the partially ruined hillside complex of Franco-Byzantine
monasteries and palaces.
2. Monemvasia—sometimes called the Gibraltar of Greece, this former
thriving city of 50,000 is now just ruins and a small community inside the
lower-town (“Kastro”) gates. There are no vehicles inside the Kastro, and it
was all the more enjoyable with very few people around.
3. The Mani Peninsula—a wind-swept (very literally, for the days we were
there), mountainous and relatively unpopulated area on the southwestern
part of the Peloponnese. It is noted for its independent people, dramatic
scenery, hundreds of standing stone Maniot towers (some dating to the
17th century), and chapels dating from the 12th century.
4. Mycenae—inhabited for thousands of years and birthplace of the
Mycenean culture.
5. Mythos beer, ouzo and local wines.
6. Epidaurus. Allie just finished studying Greek theater in freshman
English, so she was thrilled to explain the parts of the stage to us,
including the altar, the parados (chorus entrance), the skene (scenic and
backstage) and orchestra.
7. People-watching from cafés in the Plaka—or, actually, just about
anywhere. This is one of our favorite parts of any trip to Europe.
8. The Acropolis—although it is covered in scaffolding and construction
equipment, how could it not be a highlight? Apparently, though, we missed
the Olympic torch there on Saturday by mere hours. We even wondered
aloud at the time what they were preparing for…
9. Ancient Asine. What? It’s a little-visited ruin on a hill near Tolo and
Nafplio, with terrific views over the coastline. The acropolis of this ancient
city is mentioned by Homer in The Illiad. The best part was having it all to
ourselves.
10. The National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It’s not a huge
museum, but it is full of highlights. One of our favorites: the frescoes from
Thera.
We’ll add honorable mention to the wildflowers that were everywhere on
our trip, making the many sites and ruins even more enjoyable and
beautiful.
Our only disappointment was that we were not able to visit the Diros Caves
while in the Mani. It was closed both of the days we were there due to wind
and rough seas.
Next: The voyage to Nafplio
See all of our Greece photos
our travels
home
contact us
Vathia
Epidaurus
Wildflowers at Mystras
Venetian era detail at Monemvasia
Nafplio
Spring wildflowers everywhere!
View of Nafplio from the Venetian Palamidi fortress
Greece home
The voyage to Nafplio
Mycenae: Bronze Age equinox
To the theater! Epidaurus
Madness? This is Sparti! (and Mystras)
Greek Independence Day on the Mani
Monemvasia: a one-way trip to the past
Athens is calling
A rainy day in Athens
Our big, fat Greek finale / the journey home
Hotel reviews, air, driving, and other logistics
Logistics con't, and some final thoughts
The voyage to Nafplio
Mycenae: Bronze Age equinox
To the theater! Epidaurus
Madness? This is Sparti! (and Mystras)
Greek Independence Day on the Mani
Monemvasia: a one-way trip to the past
Athens is calling
A rainy day in Athens
Our big, fat Greek finale / the journey home
Hotel reviews, air, driving, and other logistics
Logistics con't, and some final thoughts