Kardamyli is about an hour drive south of Kalamata. It is at the northern tip of the Mani Penninsula. The road south from Kalamata is the most twisted and narrow road we have driven since leaving Athens. It winds through some cute litte villages where cars are parked on the side of an already narrow throughfare. But, it is so worth the drive. Kardamyli is wonderful. It's just the place to spend time relaxing and observing local life.
It was sunny and clear when we arrived but the weather forcast was for rain. So first on the list was a swim in the Mediterraian just before the thunder and lightening set in. We watched the storm come over the hills.
Sunday's in Greece are very quiet. All businesses are closed and only a few restaurants in this very small town were open. We headed to the cafe in the middle of town for breakfast and found ourselves emersed in Sunday in Kardamyli. A group of elderly men were playing cards (I never did figure out the game or the rules) and they sounded like it was a constant argument about whose turn it was and how many points should be written down. Several other gentlemen were surveying the card game around the edges giving their opinion freely, which seemed to cause even more of an argument. A Formula 1 race was on the TV (it was blaring). Formula 1 is as popular in Europe as the NFL is in America. William and Mark were instantly glued to this and we ended up hanging around until the race was over - team Reneau won. Thus half a day was spent at the cafe.
Next we headed to Nafplio. Our plan is to spend 4 nights in this city. There is a big vote in parlament this coming Thursday (October 20) and the news is forcasting stikes at the airport, ferry terminals, metro and bus as well as all museums leading up to the vote. So, hanging around in Nafplio until Friday is a great idea.
Our first adventure in Nafplio was to climb the 999 steps to the Fortress of Palamidi. All of the ancient sites in Greece require a climb because everything was built on a hill for obvious reasons. The Fortress of Palamidi is a huge site made up of eight Bastions.
Day two in Nafplio found us day tripping to Epidavros and Mycenae.
The next two days we will be catching up on school work and taking some walks through Nafplio.
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