Nafplion.
On Saturday morning Marti & I finished packing, took a land taxi to the water taxi, which brought us to Kostas on the mainland, then hired a Mercedes taxi to bring us to the seaside town of Nafplion. We checked into our hotel, the Nafsimedon, a lovely Belle Epoque mansion. At my request -- I had given them a heads-up that we would be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary here -- we were given their most beautiful room & the flowers I ordered for Marti were delivered while we were at lunch.
We sat under shady trees for a lunch of slowwwwwwwwwww "fast food" at Mary's Corner, in the park across from the hotel.
We'd be here for the next four days, culminating with our 25th anniversary dinner Tuesday night. Marti & I had visited Nafplion a couple of times before, so it was fun to leisurely explore the attractive little harbor town without a tourism agenda.
On Saturday night we had dinner at Arapakos, our favorite seafood restaurant on the quay. In 2006 Greece was the host for the annual Eurovision Song Contest & that evening was the finale, so there were big screens in all the bars & restaurants, even outdoors. For the most part, Eurovision contestants all perform syrupy pop or inane dance tunes, but this year Lordi, a monster metal band from Finland, was the winner!
While I was at the cyber cafe on Sunday, Marti caught up on her picture-taking & shopping.
We returned to Arapakos for late lunch (Greek salad, tyropita & shrimp spaghetti). I checked out the women's fashion while Marti was attacked by a giant balloon. Marti & I window shopped afterward, then walked back to the hotel for a siesta.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a taxi rank & engaged a guy named Panayotis to drive us to Mycenae on Monday & to Athens on Wednesday. We ventured out again in the late evening for midnight supper at Noufara in Syntagma Square. Marti ordered dolmades (stuffed cabbage); I got stifado (beef stew). We strolled down to the harborside afterward for coffees at Pantheon.
Marti at Mycenae.
Panayotis picked us up in his Mercedes after breakfast on Monday & drove us to the ancient ruins of Agamemnon's palace at Mycenae, Marti's favorite place in Greece.
There's a rider in Marti's contract that stipulates a requisite visit to this historic hilltop every time we come Greece. The only time we skipped it was in November 2004, when we spent our entire five-day visit in Athens. It's really a breathtaking setting & although we've been there before, now we got to visit the fine new museum on the site.
We went to lunch back in Nafplion at Taverna Fanaria in the old quarter: seasonal salad, roasted red peppers, stuffed tomato & pepper, briam (mixed baked vegetables). Deelish. My bride & I returned to the hotel for a bit of R&R. Next up was the 7:30 screening of The DaVinci Code -- after a nap, of course!
The film, which was screened in two parts, was shown in English with Greek subtitles at the town theater across the park. I love how they just stop the projector halfway through so you can hit the rest rooms & the snack bar! The acting, with the notable exception of Alfred Molina as the cardinal, was pretty horrible: Tom Hanks was in a coma, Audrey Tatou was unintelligible & Ian McKellen chewed the scenery. Still, it was a brainless fun summer popcorn movie. Despite the fact that he lifted the research & sold a gazillion copies, Dan Brown's book had its shortcomings, too. If you want a compelling read about mystical stuff like this, pick up Umberto Eco's excellent 1989 novel Foucault's Pendulum.
Tuesday was our 25th wedding anniversary! After breakfast in the front garden of the Nafsimedon, Marti & I went shopping & walking in downtown Nafplion. I bought a Gant shirt, my bride found a new belt & gifts for friends.
That evening we went up the hill to the Nafplia Palace Hotel, near the towering Palamidi Castle, for a fabulous romantic dinner overlooking the sea at a swanky restaurant called Amymoni. To commemorate the occasion I gave Marti the diamond ring that our friends Jan & Greg had delivered a couple of weeks earlier & that I'd been carrying in jeans pockets ever since. My nifi (bride) was suitably bowled over & said she had a special present waiting for me when we return to Paris!
That was still a while off. First, we were bound for Athens in the morning.
