May 1, 2025 - Greece
Sparta and Nafplio

Leaving Monemvasia, we headed northwest.  Our first stop would be the famous city of Sparta, one of history’s most formidable military states, and nickname of uncountable High School and College sports teams.

Unfortunately, other than the below statue, absolutely nothing remains of ancient Sparta.  Excavation sites go down no farther than the level of Roman Sparta, which itself was sacked in 396 AD by the Visigothic king Alaric.  Afterwards Sparta and underwent a long period of decline into the medieval period, until the 13th century when the town was abandoned and when much of its population relocated to nearby Mystras.

The statue is of Leonidas who with 300 Spartans resisted a much larger Persian force at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE).
   
Ancient Sparta was a society built for war, prioritizing discipline, unity, and strength above all else.  From the age of 7, boys entered the agoge, a state-run education and training system focused on discipline, endurance, obedience, and combat. Soldiers fought as hoplites in tightly organized phalanx formations, emphasizing unity and coordination over individual glory.  Spartans lived simply, rejecting luxury and wealth. Meals were eaten communally, and citizens were expected to place the state above personal interests.
   
Around 650 BC, Sparta rose to become one of the major military powers in Greece.  Sparta’s power peaked in the 5th century BC, especially after defeating Athens in the Peloponnesian War. However, its rigid system, population decline, and military defeats—most notably by Thebes at the Battle of Leuctra (371 BCE)—led to its eventual loss of dominance.
   

Leaving Sparta, we continued north.  We stopped at the ancient city of Mycenae but it was closed for holiday.  No problem, we would come back tomorrow.  We headed southwest for a short distance to arrive at our destination for the next couple of days:  Nafplio.

Nafplio is a little port town ringed by two tall hills, each with a castle on them.  This is the hill-castle looking east.
   

Now, looking south across a huge dirt parking lot, across the old town, with the other hill-castle in the background.

There is no parking in the old town where we were staying so I dropped everybody close to our place, then came back to this parking lot, parked the car, and walked back.
   
Standing in front of our AirBnB.  Doesn't look like much but it was actually quite nice inside.  Plus it was in the old town, so everything was a short walk away.
   
Looking down from our AirBnB balcony onto our street.
   
We were quickly outside, exploring the Old Town, using Rick Steves Nafplio walk.
 
Here, Lynnette checks out Nafplio's main drag called Megalos Dromos (Big Street).
   
Nafplio's central plaza is called Constitution Square, celebrating the 1843 document that established a constitutional monarchy for Greece.  Nafplio was one of the first towns liberated from the Ottoman Turks (Muslims( in 1822 and became the new country's first capital.
   
To the right of Dave is a former domed mosque.  After the Muslims wer3e expelled, the building was renovated to house independent Greece's first parliament.  It is now used as a conference center.
   
We decided to have lunch on the square.
   
Constitution Square was a happening place.  Not pictured, but to our right a bunch of kids were playing soccer on the tiled square.
   
We criss-crossed our way through Old Town and reached the Square of the Friends of the Greeks, named for the French soldiers who died while fighting for Greek independence in 1821.  That obelisk behind me has a medallion which shows brothers in arms:  Hellas and Gallia (Greeks and French).  You can see both the Greece and France flags flying.
   
The Square of the Friends of the Greeks is along the waterfront.  Here, looking northwest, we can see the little fortress island called Bourtzi, built during the first Venetian occupation in the 15th century to protect the harbor.
   
From the Square, looking south, is Nafplio's ancient acropolis, the Akronafplia fortress.  The earliest surviving parts of this fortress date back to the third century BC, but the Venetians brought it up to then-modern standards in the 15th century.
   
There was something going on at the docks because it was crowded with many very upscale yachts.
   
Standing under the Land Gate at the base of the Palamidi Fortress.  In the past Napflio was a walled city; this was the only gate that you could enter
   
As you can see, the gate is decorated with the Venetian lion of St. Mark.
   
From the gate, looking up at the Palamidi Fortress.
   
We had dinner at this restaurant located on the street our AirBnb was on.
   
Our waiter showing the available fish.  Jenny was all in on the white fish this trip.
   
Dave hits a home run with his dinner selection.
   
I had the Goat in Lemon Sauce.  It was OK.
   
Dave celebrates his excellent dinner choice.
   
The four of us played Skyjo every night on this Greece trip.
   
The next day, after visiting Mycenae and Epidavros, Dave and I decided we were going to climb the 999 steps to the Palamidi Fortress.  Here we are at the base ready to start out.
 
Looking east at the Palamidi Fortress which towers over Nafplio.
   

Getting closer.

"In the days when Venice was the economic ruler of Europe (15th-18th centuries), the Venetians fortified Nafplio with a trio of stout fortresses.  These attempted -- but ultimately failed -- to fend off the Ottoman (Muslim) invasion.  Conquered by the Ottomans in 1715, Nafplio remained in Turkish hands until the Greeks retook the city in 1822."  ... Rick Steves

The three Venetian fortresses are the fortified island of Bourtzi, Akronafplia on Nafplio's ancient acropolis and the Palamidi Fortress, pictured here.
   
Looking west over at the Akronafplia Fortress.
   
Looking northwest at the Old Town and Bourtzi fortified island.   The arch is visib le at lower right by the buses.
 
Well, we made it maybe one third of the way, before I called it, on account of my acrophobia:  "fear of heights".
   
We didn't make it to the top, but I was able to get this nice aerial image of Nafplio and Akronafplia, taken from Palamidi by Vassiliki Feidopoulou and downloaded from Wikipedia.  The Old Town is at  right.
   
Looking northeast at the New Town on  the right and port area - big parking lot  on the left.
   
Along the docks is the Bouboulinas Promenade with one seafood restaurant after another. All have outside seating.  So, after a day visiting Mycenae and Epidavros, we had a nice seafood dinner here.
   
A friendly Greek waiter dealing with a buzzkill tourist.
   
I ordered Calamari and as you can see, it is quite a bit different from what you get in the States.  Calamari is squid, and here in Nafplio you get the squid.  The body (mantle) and tentacles.   And finally, I understood.  This little rings you get with American calamari are the squid's body sliced up.  And I always wondered what the deal was with the tenticles but now I know its the front of the squid.   That said, the Greek calamari didn't have much taste; I prefer the breaded American version.
   
By the time we were done with our seafood dinner, it was night, so we took one last look at the Bourtzi island fortress, lit up like a Christmas Tree.
   
Nafplio is a neat town and worth visiting if you are touring the Peloponnese.
   
 
   
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