Exploring the Argolis Peninsula: Nafplio & Spetses
Our adventures in the Argolis continued with two amazing places.
NAFPLIO
Nafplio is the capitol of the Argolis region, one of the most famous towns of the Peloponnese, and a favorite of tourists. It's a little bit like the Chania of the Peloponnese. It's super charismatic with a pedestrian center, a harbor lined with coffee shops and restaurants, and Byzantine and Venetian buildings.
Again, notice there is virtually no one but locals here. It's almost creepy! The streets and squares are quiet and empty except in the evening when the children and families come out and the restaurants (those that are open) fill up. There were a few tour buses coming through during the day, mainly dropping people at the waterfront for a trip to the Bourtzi (see below) and it's the only place we've seen other Americans but it was super quiet. We were very curious what it would be like in winter as there are reputedly a lot of "expats" that live in Nafplio but we saw scant evidence of them. So glad we picked Thessaloniki! Of course, there's a bit more activity in the new town with locals going about their lives but what we love about Thessaloniki is it blends the old with the new.
It is decorated splendidly for the holidays though, second only to Thessaloniki so far, and the sunsets on the water are beautiful.
We spent five nights in Nafplio mainly just relaxing, walking and shopping (I bought a handmade silk scarf!), and eating amazing food. They have some very accomplished restaurants and we were lucky to get recommendations to two of them from a shop proprietor. We also had the best calamari we may have ever had on the waterfront one day. And we discovered Pakomelo, warm Tsipouro with honey. Delicious!
We did also have an epic fail. After talking to our good friend from Mexico, we got inspired to try tacos at a Greek restaurant. 
Look okay at first, right. Old El Paso hard taco shells, ok. Inside however, was a mix of cold chicken salad made with whipped avocado cream and dill. As a chicken salad, it was actually really good. As a taco, not so much. Lesson learned. If we want Mexican we'll stick to the TGIF in Thessaloniki! Haha!
THE BOURTZI
There are two castles that we visited in Nafplio. The smaller one is on an island in the harbor and was used to close the harbor with chains back to the mainland. Built by the Venetians, it has served as a fort, a hotel after Greek independence, and now one of the more popular tourist attractions. It has been heavily restored. I can't imagine what it would be like at the height of the season as it is very small and contained but we enjoyed the private boat ride out on an empty shuttle boat and a pretty serene tour.
Not sure if you noticed the snow in the first picture but that's a ski resort! It may be 60 degrees down her but the mountains do get snow.
One strange thing about Nafplio is it seems to be the parking lot for mega yachts. There were five huge boats in port easily seen from the Bourtzi. When I say huge, they are in the 500+ foot class!
PALAMIDI CASTLE
The second castle, Palamidi, is the gem of Nafplio in our opinion. It's the most stunning castle we've been to so far. It's the newest one, built between 1686–1715 by the Venetians and then immediately captured by the Ottomans. It's wonderfully intact and it's HUGE! But the best thing about it is that you can hike way beyond the main tourist areas to the furthest bastions where the views are just stunning. In all, there are eight huge bastions connected by open areas and walls that roughly form an oval fort on the top of the hill.
Once you enter this castle through the Epameinondas Bastion, alas not free, you come to the first bastion, Miltiades, that was later used as a prison. There were a ton of small rooms to explore and you could climb up to the top for some great views.
Next up is to go across to the Bastion of Leonidas.
From there, you continue on to the Bastion of Agios Andreas. You enter up an imposing staircase and through a portal with the Lion of Venice above it.
The interior of this Bastion is really impressive and has the coffee shop.
Next comes the fun part, you exit a small doorway and head uphill to the Bastion of Fokionas.
From here on, the views just get better and better. In the second photo you can see the old Roman fort built on the hill below the Palamidi.
We hung out in this area to take a break from the climb and just explore. There was absolutely no one else with us and it was like a walk in a park filled with Mediterranean plants. Wandering around I found another doorway to go through with stairs leading down to a narrow pathway leading to the Bastion of Themistocles.
Finally, you reach the end at the Bastion of Achilles. It's a big green area with views for miles. The sun was out sparkling on the water and it was just a gorgeous place to relax before heading back down. We probably spent about an hour total in the upper bastions and saw four other people the whole time!
Here are the last shots from the way down. As you can tell from the inordinate number of photos, we LOVED this place!
SPETSES
Our last stop in the Argolis was the island of Spetses, one of the Saronic Gulf islands. We really wanted to go to an island in winter to see the vibe when it's just the locals hanging out. The drive along the coast eventually took us up through the pine forests and over the mountains before coming back down to the port town of Kostas to catch the ferry.
Spetses is just a 15 minute ferry ride from the mainland. 
Cars aren't allowed on the island (except for delivery vehicles and one taxi) but that doesn't mean there isn't transportation! The town zips around on scooters. Women in hose and heels, old men on bikes just as old, families of three, sometimes with their dogs, it's a constant hum.
Walking is definitely NOT an approved form of transportation. We got some very strange looks on our walks around. Of course it may be because I am literally oohing and aahing as we walk around! The streets and plazas are all done in stone mosaics. As you may remember, I'm a sucker for mosaics. Keep your eyes open while looking at the coming photos and you'll see them everywhere!
The island has one main town that is filled with beautifully restored Venetian homes and buildings from the late 1700's and early 1800's. As a playground for Athenians who take the high-speed ferry connections, the island seems fairly upscale. We decided to follow suite and splurged on a seaside hotel with a waterfront room. Well worth the expense! The weather is beautiful and it was warm enough for breakfast on our balcony.
As far as the island in winter goes, there were three actual restaurants open and although there were fish at the fish market daily they must just be for the locals because there are no fish restaurants operating. But the traditional taverns were excellent. Our favorite was one up the hills a way, a long dark walk at night, but well worth the trip. Local dishes served in a warm atmosphere.
And we even got rakomelo for dessert.
Spetses has been inhabited since the Mesolithic Era, when it was connected by an isthmus to the mainland at Kosta, but its heyday (prior to the present) was under the Venetians when it was an important spice trade island. It also has a long history of rebellion under the Ottomans. Its ships participated in the Russian Turkish War in the later 1700's (you may remember this era from our blog from Naoussa) that unfortunately led to disaster for the island with the Ottoman's destroying the only village.
But did they ever rebound! Walking around the old harbor, it's one amazing house after the other. 
There are also a couple of pretty churches and a clock tower.
The old harbor itself is very picturesque. It is very quiet at this time of year. All of the restaurants and shops in the harbor area are closed and no one is on the boats. 
A few people are working on boats out of the water and we saw really cool and old wooden systems for removing the boats from the water.
There were also some old Venetian boat sheds that had been converted to a restaurant.
At the far end on the point is a park with a lighthouse at the top.
They've built a nice park along the beach that looks back across the harbor to town. 
It is in remembrance of a pivotal naval battle against the Ottomans during the Greek War of Independence. The people of Spetses rebuilt the town and rebuilt their fleet after the devastation wrought by the Ottomans for their participation in the Russian War. Proceeds from running the trade embargoes during the Napoleonic Wars made the captains very rich. Playing both sides of the embargo was good for business. So, when war came again, Spetses again leant its ships. They participated in the siege of Nafplio, among others, and essentially sowed the seeds of the Greek Navy. It's a heritage they are very proud of and there are monuments to the captains around town.
The most famous being Laskarina Bouboulina. She has a fascinating history as one of, if not the, first women to achieve the rank of Admiral in the Greek Navy. She commanded her fleet of merchant ships during the war.
Her statue is at the other end of town from the old port. At that end is the iconic Poseidonion Grand Hotel. It was built by Sotirios Anargyros, descendant of a great 18th-century Spetsiot shipping family. After falling on hard times and moving to the US to make a fortune in tobacco, he returned to Spetses and in 1914 finished his hotel. He catered to the wealthy Athenians coming to the island and also became a philanthropist for the island.
Turns out we have these folks to thank for all the paving mosaics in town. While an ancient tradition to use black and white stones in mosaics, the depth to which the wealthy Spetsiots embraced it is truly beautiful. When refurbishing the town, they paved streets, entire plazas, and parks with it. Even the newer monuments have it as their embellishment. Talk about serendipity, I landed in the place identified with the "benchmark for most pebble mosaic per square meter of everyday public space"! Come see it for yourself.
We've really enjoyed our time on the island. It reminds us of the great beach towns of Italy or France in its wealth and beauty. Definitely worth a visit and we'd love to come back in season to rub shoulders with the predominantly Greek tourists.
Next we leave the Argolis and move over to the Messenia and Kalamata. Stay tuned for more castles and subscribe if you want notification of our next blog!
This featured blog entry was written by mrb430 from the blog Arrr Adventures.
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