Just a short drive north from Nafplio and I’m in another ancient and famous Greek city, Corinth. It struck me recently that when I was young and learning about the history of this region, the true stuff and the mythology, the stories are so epic, the cities are epic, the characters are epic, but it all took place in such a teeny tiny little patch of earth. The cities are pretty small, Greece is pretty small. It’s really messing with…
It was a pretty short drive from Sparta to my next stop in Nafplio on the Argolic Gulf. So short that I had plenty of time to explore a couple of sites on the way. This region is the home of the really ancient Mycenaean culture. I had to drive up and over some mountains to get here which gave me some pretty incredible views on the way down. I first stopped to take a quick look at ancient Argos,…
In the southern part of Peleponnese is maybe one of the most legendary cities in the world. Everyone has heard of it, Sparta. Modern Sparta, however, is just an average Greek town and there’s nothing particularly appealing about it. There are a few sites within reach of it though, and that’s why I’m here. First, at the edge of town are the ruins of ancient Sparta. There’s really very little of them left. The site is free to visit and…
I’ve left the kingdom of Epirus and after a day of driving with a couple of uneventful detours to closed sites, I’m now on the very oddly shaped peninsula of Peleponnese. In addition to the much reduced winter hours, the whole country apparently closes every Tuesday, and since I was driving on Tuesday, I missed out on a couple of ancient theaters. They were small sites and last minute additions anyway. There’s really only one thing to see and do…
After my early morning ferry ride from Corfu back to the mainland, it was a fairly quick drive to my next stop in Lefkada. There was plenty of time to see some sights along the way, so that’s what I did. Roughly half way to my destination were the ruins of the Necromanteion, a former temple dedicated to Hades and Persephone, the god and goddess of the dead. The temple was built in the 3rd century BC, but was destroyed…
Leaving Ioannina my first thought was that it was nice to be driving on a straight road for a change. Ha! I left early and drove for about an hour to the ferry port in Igoumenitsa, then drove my little car that doesn’t smell like it’s burning onto a very big ferry bound for the island of Corfu out in the Ionian Sea. After about an hour and a half I was in Corfu Town. It was still early when…
I just don’t have the words to describe how beautiful the drive from Kalambaka was. To get to my next stop in Ioannina I had to drive the twisty roads all the way through those mountains most of the day, but I didn’t expect the scale of them. Every bend revealed a new eye popping view. I was really caught off guard by it all. Tzoumerka National Park Be prepared, this post is a long one… This region of Epirus…
It was a long day of driving to this next short stop. The first thing you notice arriving in the small town of Kalambaka is those crazy rocks racing for the sky. With the exception of the gas station right across the street, the view from the balcony of my hostel was pretty awesome! Those rocks loom no matter where you are in town though. The town is called Kalambaka, but the area is referred to as Meteora. As early…
After a VERY early morning ferry and some long driving I made it back to where I started, sort of, Thessaloniki, on the Thermaic Gulf and Greece’s second largest city. So far, every town I’ve visited in this country has the craziest streets. They’re steep and they twist and turn in ways that seem to make absolutely no sense. Plus alleys and staircases taking off in a million different directions. It can be very confusing and it makes for some…
After exploring the ancient Macedonian city of Aigai, I drove a couple of hours to my next stop, the beautiful coastal city of Kavala. I’ve heard this is true of Greece in general, but the first thing I notice in Kavala is that there are cats everywhere! I won’t bore you with a thousand photos of felines, but trust me, they are on every street and walkway, hiding in every fence, on every motorcycle, under every car, and circling your…