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We merged the first three installments of your Trip Report.. You can post new chapters on this thread. Sounds like a great trip.
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I have an extremely important question: at which restaurant was the bacon wrapped omlette? Asking for a friend...;)
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Originally Posted by Moderator1
(Post 17505730)
We merged the first three installments of your Trip Report.. You can post new chapters on this thread. Sounds like a great trip.
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Originally Posted by Travel_Nerd
(Post 17505758)
I have an extremely important question: at which restaurant was the bacon wrapped omlette? Asking for a friend...;)
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I’ve read (and written) a lot of trip reports on Fodors and I am so glad to read yours. Just the kind of info we travelers are looking for along with excellent photos.
Greece is definitely on my go-to list and your report has the details to help plan it. Thanks for posting and welcome to Fodors, |
I doubt I’ll ever get to Greece, but I’ve enjoyed my early morning reading your fabulous report.
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Love your report and photos of Nafplio! We spent 5 nights there and loved everything we did. It's such a beautiful town. We also visited Mystras, the Byzantine ruins, which I highly recommend if you return to Greece. We visited Mycenae and Epidavros, too. They both are amazing but we were especially in awe of the Epidavros theater. Wish we had time to visit Acro Corinth. Your photos of those ruins and views are amazing!
And I can't believe you walked up the 999 steps to the Palamidi Fortress! Very impressive! We cheated; we drove up! |
Thanks KarenWoo! Yes we made it to the Byzantine sites too.
My husband and I always took the stairs even up a number of flights to our Airbnb’s! At the end of the day my legs were begging me to take the elevator! |
Originally Posted by TPAYT
(Post 17505764)
I’ve read (and written) a lot of trip reports on Fodors and I am so glad to read yours. Just the kind of info we travelers are looking for along with excellent photos.
Greece is definitely on my go-to list and your report has the details to help plan it. Thanks for posting and welcome to Fodors, |
Originally Posted by Adelaidean
(Post 17505780)
I doubt I’ll ever get to Greece, but I’ve enjoyed my early morning reading your fabulous report.
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Kalamata
We took the 1 1/2 hour drive west from Nafplio to Kalamata through some beautiful countryside. Mountains, olive groves, vineyards...We found out Airbnb and got settled in. Some of the surprises with Airbnbs can be "interesting." When we travel with our friends we always look for 2 bed/2 bath. Well this lace had "2 bathrooms" but the the one we were going to use was so small that I brushed my teeth in the kitchen sink and used the other bathroom to shower. I am not kidding! This bathroom should have just been toilet/sink. But I digress.
OK first impressions of kalamata. Not as nice as Nafplio. I would say more grungy. We originally wanted to stay in Kardamyli however, there were no Airbnbs and my friends did not want to stay in a hotel. Once we explored Kardamyli, we saw why there are no Airbnbs. The place is a beautiful tiny "town". Lesson learned. Listen to the guide book... Anyway, we got settled and went to get orientated. There is a beautiful waterfront with a lot of restaurants and shops. We noticed that all the restayrants had pizza, burgers and pasta. So we continued to walk towards the left and found a very authentic place that had the best food. The name is in Greek but I will post a photo of the name. We had a feast. After we ate we walked all the way down and an area with hotels lining the beach. We walked out to the pier and there was some rain so we headed back home to plan our next day. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...45e24a75d9.jpg Kalamata port https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...af1bb3c4d5.jpg Kalamata port https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cc5abb4789.jpg Port https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...10f8eec171.jpg port https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6a95b6f200.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e80044d36c.jpg rainbow from the patio https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8143e40240.jpg If you find yourself in Kalamata, try this place https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fe912e3a55.jpg Mezze https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...167ec02212.jpg Best port gyro ever (I said that about all of them!) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72b536e5d7.jpg Combo plate our friend had. The next day we headed out to Kardayli, about a hour or so from Kalamata on a beautiful and very twisty road through the mountains and then down to the sea. Kardamyli is vert small and you could walk thru this place in 10 minutes. However, there are wonderful little shops and restaurants and we made a day exploring. We had a late lunch at a beautiful place on Messenian Gulf called Aquarella cafe. We had a beautiful view and the vibe was very calm. Food was great too. We watched people swimming and kayaking from there. Afterward we explored the "town" and met some very nice people. Nicos owns the olive oil/ wine shop called Psaltiras. Check him out if you find yourself there. I bought one bottle of olive oil from him and after we left I was sorry I didn't get more. We also went to another place that sold everything organic, like 6 different types of honey, skin care products made with olive oil, etc. I can't remember the name of the place but you can easily find it as the town is so small. We went into "old town" which is a small cluster of old homes and a church. The church was beautiful and had many out buildings for milling grain, bee hives and pressing olives. The original olive pressing stone is still there. The views from here were also very nice. We got back to kalamata early evening, before it got dark. My husband did not want to drive on the twisty road in the dark. We freshened up and went to eat. Originally we were found to a place my friend found on Google maps but as we were walking, I spotted an awing and a few tables outside and as we got closer I noticed that the clients were locals. I went in to check the menu and found that it was hand written and totally in Greek and that the only person who spoke English was the cook. She came out from the kitchen and looked at her list and crossed a few things off. Then she said she had roasted lamb with lemon and tarragon (enough for 2 servings left) and some grilled fresh fish. We had a wonderful dinner there. Her place was very small, she cooked a lot of the stews, etc the night before, and when she ran out of something, that was it. She told us the place would be closing in about an hour and there was not much left. If we returned the next day for lunch, we would be able to choose from anything on the menu. Sadly, we would not be in town to go back the next day. However we had a wonderful dinner. We had many experiences talking to locals and really feeling a connection. This enhances any trip and are memories I keep with me. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd6eef58df.jpg Where we had lunch. Look for the umbrellas https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ad7eed255b.jpg The Messenian Gulf https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...30b1fcf790.jpg Armless general in the square https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...12bd45b7ab.jpg Olive trees https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f5f95951a2.jpg Church https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fc7d5d350d.jpg Church https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32a1df25ad.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ca869c4e75.jpg Views https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...062a558a7b.jpg Original olive oil press https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e16fe83db1.jpg Lamb roasted wit lemon and tarragon Melt in the mouth good. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56e8d1adf9.jpg Our beautiful Chef https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...176e797d38.jpg She was the best! The next day we headed off to Mystras the next day (Many of the sites we visited, including this one are UN This was a 1 1/2 hour drive through very twisty roads with amazing views. Nuns still live here and they do weaving etc. The site is separated between lower and upper towns. We started in the lower, and all I can say is that the climb up is very high and it is still considered lower town! The frescos are very well preserved. There is a small museum that had carved plaques, etc but to me the most interesting were the many carved buttons, jewelry, women's clothing and shoes and even hair ( a braid!) https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...66a1e2a4d2.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5ef34e193c.jpg One of the many churches https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cb0932c29b.jpg Saint George https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...243b5bb0ea.jpg Fresco https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a138783270.jpg View https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...25d7ae9302.jpg so well built https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...76e0694121.jpg Vista https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4f17b0aa87.jpg From near the top https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4284295c30.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9c128c1cf2.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...46de021dce.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ef1015fc37.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...75fde5d938.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e6a420e92a.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...229c56ec47.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dee094bff5.jpg Back in Kalamata that night we had dinner in a local place around the corner from our place. The chef was from Albania, her husband is Greek. She had a lovely menu and told us that is there was something we wanted that wasn't on the menu to tell her. I needed a break from all the meat so I asked her if she could make some grilled veggies for me. We had a great meal but I don't have any photos! She was another one of those people who we just connected with. After dinner we went to the port just in time for the sunset. It was a nice way to spend our last night in kalamata. Next: Athens https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aa45574e42.jpg A photo of the restaurant. we were in our own private room... https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4be3afdaa3.jpg Clouds https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7aefa5e17b.jpg Sunset https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fdbfd3e1ab.jpg More sunset https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3834c5ce92.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...db21d57d87.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3fd25c6c38.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b7c6bb3633.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c118ad8a6d.jpg |
Wow! You have some beautiful sunset photos!
We visited Mystras from Nafplio, about a 1.5 hour drive. I absolutely LOVE Mystras! It's my most favorite of all the ruins we visited. I would love to return. So when you say you walked uphill, did you walk up to Upper Town? You certainly did a lot of walking. We drove to Upper Town first. We spent a lot of time exploring Upper Town including walking to the castle ruins at the top. Then we drove to Lower Town and explored there but we didn't see all of it because my husband was getting tired. I think the walk to the castle ruins at Upper Town tired him out. So I would love to return and spend more time in Lower Town. Not sure that we will. We tend not to re-visit places because there are so many countries and cities we haven't seen yet. I am enjoying reliving our trip through your report and photos! |
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17505965)
Wow! You have some beautiful sunset photos!
We visited Mystras from Nafplio, about a 1.5 hour drive. I absolutely LOVE Mystras! It's my most favorite of all the ruins we visited. I would love to return. So when you say you walked uphill, did you walk up to Upper Town? You certainly did a lot of walking. We drove to Upper Town first. We spent a lot of time exploring Upper Town including walking to the castle ruins at the top. Then we drove to Lower Town and explored there but we didn't see all of it because my husband was getting tired. I think the walk to the castle ruins at Upper Town tired him out. So I would love to return and spend more time in Lower Town. Not sure that we will. We tend not to re-visit places because there are so many countries and cities we haven't seen yet. I am enjoying reliving our trip through your report and photos! I know what you mean about returning to places that you have been to. I feel the same. There are, however, many place in Greece that I have not seen and I am still dreaming about the place! |
When tourists (cruisers?) go on & on about Santorini sunsets, I always say, you haven't seen the Sunsets in the Peloponnese.
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Originally Posted by travelerjan
(Post 17505994)
When tourists (cruisers?) go on & on about Santorini sunsets, I always say, you haven't seen the Sunsets in the Peloponnese.
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Originally Posted by travelerjan
(Post 17505994)
When tourists (cruisers?) go on & on about Santorini sunsets, I always say, you haven't seen the Sunsets in the Peloponnese.
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On to Athens.
Our next stop was Athens. We heard many people say that Athens was just a pit but I am not sure why! We loved it! There was so much to see and do. It was more crowded than the islands and the peninsula but we were expecting that. Athens is a big, noisy city and has a lot to offer. We dropped the car off at the airport and took a taxi to our place. It was located in Monastiraki on Mitropoleos, Ermu was the block behind us and Cathedral Square was one block away. Everything was an easy walk, including the National Archaeological Museum. We found our Airbnb and it was called Acropolis View and it did not disappoint. We were on the 5the floor with a large living room and a deck with a beautiful view. I loved sitting out there on the deck and letting the noise from below fade as I imagined what this place was like all those many years ago. It was a meditation I could do every day! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...291bb29e88.jpg From the deck https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a48559d909.jpg Twilight We settled in and went out into the madness that is Athens mid day! We found a place to eat and had a really great meal...no surprise. We spent the rest of the day walking around town, getting our bearings. We walked around the base of the Acropolis, found Monastiraki Square, looked at all the shops, people, etc. We visited the Acropolis first thing in the morning. It got crowded as the morning wore on but it was tolerable. The Acropolis is an amazing place, the history is mind blowing. There is constant restoration going on. I loved it all but I will say that my favorite was the Erechtheion Temple with the Porch of the Caryatids. There are 6 maidens acting as columns holding up the roof. The are beautiful, even though they are copies. The originals are in the Acropolis Museum. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...34feb261a1.jpg On the path up to the Partheon https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a01c86d7de.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9e36df1d7e.jpg Odeon of Herodes Atticus https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a03a6553da.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...80686364e6.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6c0b79ac29.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...84aa922398.jpg Partheon https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ceac53e6a.jpg my favorite! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b626675519.jpg Partheon We went to the Acropolis Museum later that day...WOW! After seeing all the ancient sites in Greece and the the Acropolis, we really had an appreciation for all that we saw in the museum. There is so much, even after all the wars and deliberate destruction. My favorite room was where I got to see the original Caryatids...They are so beautiful. They each have thick hair falling down their backs-this to help the columns be strong enough to support the roof. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...19ee8e415b.jpg My favorites https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5d886f27ee.jpg look at her hair! https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a7d8dfd98b.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...85ecb7720c.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2a68e90b12.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ff6d4d0e4.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2b98f3d666.jpg Very ancient everyday artifacts. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...272c7250e7.jpg The original. I was surprised at how small the face was... https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9e5d21934f.jpg The face was very small... These are from the National Museum... |
I got a little ahead of my self! We visited the National Archeological museum the next day and it is filled with many beautiful relics from 7000 BC to 500 AD. It has it all! The interesting thing is that the museum is laid out in such a way that you can explore from earliest times to more recent, seeing the art forms change through the years and centuries.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...12257f1226.jpg I just love this statue! https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c142973304.jpg Description of previous photo https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c5eca77fa1.jpg Famous Bronze of boy on a horse https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a584970ab2.jpg We saw many similar faces in town...even one of our waiters! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...94dcd7c386.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5ecf093d6c.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72486af053.jpg This is either Zeus or Poseidon... |
We walked to the top of Lykaittos hill to get a view of the land and it does not disappoint! We walked from our neighborhood through Kolonaki, which was very beautiful with lots of trees and cafes with lots of people watching. The walk up wasn't too bad as it was not too hot out yet. Worth it for the view but if you don't want to walk, there is a Funicular. We met 2 women from Northern Cyprus who now live in London but return as often as possible. They left when the Turks took over the north.
Worth exploring is the Anafiotika neighborhood, just under the Acropolis in the upper Plaka. It is called the island in Athens. The houses are small and painted white. It is said that the people who live there moved from the islands and wanted to keep their way of life. We have been meeting many interesting and kind people on our travels! A family on an evening stroll, waiters, shop keepers, etc. Just love that part of travel. We were fortunate to be in Athens on a Sunday and so got to see the changing of the guards with the band. it's a very impressive ceremony. The guards are so serious! And very handsome. It gets crowded so get there a little early. Not far from Syntagma Square is the national garden also worth a look if you have time. it's a big park where families and locals go to chill, have birthday parties, etc. or jut take a walk. There are so many great places to eat in Athens...Just follow your nose. There is an area in Monastiraki called Soulvlaki row. We enjoyed many meals in the tavernas where you can have a feast for a very reasonable price (about 50-60 euros for 4) next is Delphi and Meteora.... https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1e79ab6cc8.jpg Salad...beyond typical Greek...There are many choices https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2c57ff77d.jpg Dolmas...filled with rice or meat https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7fa56255c3.jpg Meatballs and fries https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b68175df98.jpg Gigantes roasted with tomato https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1ba0fb820f.jpg Gyro plate https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...704ec7a559.jpg Lamb baked in parchment https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...00ce4c3d24.jpg Approaching Lykavittos hill https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b4a35fb006.jpg View from Lykavittos https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0f5ba3011.jpg View from Lykavittos https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...12deb31fb6.jpg Island in Athens-Anafiotika https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bfe2852837.jpg Syntagma Square tomb of the unknown soldier https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d3e21e13a4.jpg Guards in step |
Congratulations ... you "did Greece right" !! You allocated enough time, you did your homework, you didn't rush from place to place ... you didn't lock yourself away in superluxe "international hostelries" where no one interacts with anyone but other "elite guests" ,.. instead, you encountered and enjoyed locals at each destination. You ate everything on the menu. You saw all the Major Highlights, and found and took pix of your personal favorite things there (like the hairbraids of the Caryatids). I felt the same way on my very first trip to Greece. I fell in love with Greece as a teen --- but life got in the way, and I was only able to get there at 65 ,... so I took a full month... visited many islands, the Peloponnese, Athens.. As I wrote then, when I went I was full of knowledge about the Golden Age of Greece, the myths, the history, the art and architecture ... but what I didn't know about, was -- the Greeks of today.. their flair, their ability to live in the moment, take joy in the beauty of their surroundings, appreciate good food & good company, and share all this with strangers. Philoxenia... look it up. I liked it -- so I went back 12 more times -- the last time in 2019, just before Covid shut us all down for a time. But hope springs eterrnal.. It gives me joy to hear of your good experiences.
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