Day 10: Mycanae
Free Afternoon in Nafplio
Back to the picturesque Nafplio for lunch and free afternoon. After some debate on what to get for lunch, we settled on Central Bakery Old Town. Excellent choice! The four of us got fresh, ready-made sandwiches, desserts and drinks for less than 20Euro. This left us with plenty of spending money for some souvenir shopping and a late afternoon gelato at Gelarto Nafplio.
The rest of the afternoon until dinner was spent on the hotel rooftop terrace again, taking in the incredible views and chatting with group members. We easily could've stayed here a few more days!
We met our guide Patty at the well-preserved Treasury of Atreus beehive tomb. It's incredible how ancient humans were so efficient at cutting and moving huge blocks. The monolithic lintel of the doorway weighs 120 tons and is 30ft long, 16ft wide and 3 feet tall. Inside the dome, it is nearly 50ft wide by 50ft tall, all constructed into the side of a large hill that you would miss from the road a few hundred feet away if driving by.
Adjacent to the tomb is Mycenae, the fortified city founded by Perseus a thousand years before the Parthenon was built. The city walls are remarkably well preserved with the Lion Gate doorway that was still standing in the 1800’s when the site was rediscovered. The museum had many artifacts that came directly from the site and gave a glimpse into life from 1700-1100 BCE.
Musical Performance
We walked about a mile through scenic squares, where kids were playing football, and busy streets to a charming restaurant where we were the only patrons. As with our other meals, plates of food kept appearing, one after the other until we were so stuffed we could barely move!
The courses were all delectable, with many new dishes that we hadn't tried yet on the tour, and wish we had recipes for. Wine glasses were filled and beers poured. While we ate and drank, a talented trio of musicians filled the room with traditional Greek music. They played enthusiastically for over an hour as the sun set. What a memorable treat for our last night in Nafplio!
