Nafplion

We were supposed to go to Mycenae the morning of the fifth of October, but the riots prevented us from doing so. So instead Dr. Hatlie announced that we would have an entire day in Nafplion to ourselves!

We all settled into the hotel and then made our way to the beaches. Most of all found a rocky beach side and we all sat by the rocks, as we started jumping in one by one. Although it was October the weather was still amazing. It was really hot, and the water was warm, so it felt amazing to be in there, especially after such busy days. I felt like I was experiencing Greece as I had originally imagined : the Santorini images from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, swimming in the warm ocean.

We spent most of the day by the water, talking and jumping in, taking pictures and watching people fear the jelly fish that the professors had warned us about. After that I left with a friend and we walked around the small streets of Nafplion.

The beach where we hung out

Although I had already fallen in love with the waters of Nafplion, the small plaza and the shop-filled streets made me love the city even more. We walked around looking at all the souvenirs and talked to the street vendor. One really interesting vendor in a nice small store opened up to us in his broken English and told us about his frustrations. He was really annoyed with the government, annoyed with all the riots that came from the people that want money and do not work. He told us how foreigners had come into Nafplion and had tried to make business more efficient for them, how they had changed his cash register for a computer, and made his life more technological and faster. He did not like this, he liked the slow rhythm of life that comes with hard work, patience and dedication. He enjoyed making the worry beads that they sell over Greece.

Trying on weird souvenirs

Walking by the dock.

I kept walking around with my friend until we hit the dock and there we sat down to talk. We ended up talking till the sun started to set, which was extremely nice. I had already enjoyed the conversations in the busy street of Athens, but sitting in front of the sea with boats and islands in the distance, after a slow day was also a great memory to treasure.

The next day was slightly more hectic. We finally went to Mycenae, and from there to Epidauros.