Espresso freddo: 1
Today we got to have breakfast at our hotel, for this first time on this holiday. There was yoghurt, fruit, cereals, cheese, salami, bread, pastries - both sweet and savory. There were also 3 women serving it, who would also cook you omelettes or scrambled eggs to order if you wanted them. As far as we could see the only guests at this hotel are the 4 of us. I think we are out-numbered by the staff, as there is a receptionist and chambermaids too.
The temperature was mild today (about 24C) but it was raining on and off all day. Never very heavily but still a bore. This was not the only complication today.
Our tour guide and driver both live in Tripoli, which is about an hour's drive from here so they had both gone home last night. Some emergency had come up so we only had our driver today. He is very sweet but his English is about as good as my Italian and he doesn't know much history. This meant today's schedule had to be altered slightly.
First off was a visit to Palamidi Castle which is on the hill overlooking the town. The Venetians built it when they ruled this part of the world in the 17th century. There is supposedly 999 steps leading up from the Old Town the castle, however some killjoy has counted them and there is only 837. In any case, we didn't have to climb any number of them but got driven up to the main gate and given 45 minutes to explore. Mary and I could have happily spent longer there but it was time for our next stop.
Our next stop was the ancient Bronze Age city of Mycenae and the Tholos Tomb of Atreus nearby. This dates from the 13th century BC! David was thrilled by the tomb as it had been built with massive stone blocks weighing many tonnes. As a civil engineer he was blown away by how difficult it must have been to built this incredible structure. The inside is a massive beehive shaped space. The tomb has long since been looted and is empty now. The walls are stained with soot as local shepherds have been using it to shelter their animals for years, including having fires to keep warm. The main entrance would have been blocked by stone slabs, while the triangular space at the top was left open so the soul could escape.
We were given a grand total of an hour and a half to explore the ancient ruins of Mycenae. Not nearly long enough but tour bus after tour bus kept arriving so we were happy to leave. Our driver said September is actually one of the busiest times of year as the weather is neither too hot nor too cold. Must remember this for next time, as I would definitely like to come back to spend more time at the site. Obligatory picture of the Lion Gate below.
Next stop was a local taverna in the town of Nemea. They specialise in slow cooked and grilled meats. Fortunately David & Rina aren't religious as while we had grilled chicken in a garlic sauce, we also has some delicious slow-roasted pork. This was accompagnied by roasted potatoes (not french fries - yay!), dips and a Greek salad (which is a called a farm salad here). It was all Good.
After lunch we went to the Ktima Palivou winery in Nemea. This area has lots of vineyards apparently. We first had a speedy tour of the vineyard and the winery. Our guide for this (Agneta?) was very brisk and didn't suffer fools gladly. There were about 20 of us in the group for this tour and she scolded one of the for asking a question when she had already told us the answer to that! They mature some of their wine in conventional oak barrels but some in large clay amphorae too.
After this tour we were given platters of bread, cheese and salami to nibble on while we tried 5 of theirs wine - 2 whites, 1 rose and 2 reds. The rose and 1 white were just Average but the rest were Good. We ended up feeding some of the salami to the vineyard dog, Stella, as we were quite full by this stage.
Then we were driven back to our hotel, with most of us (not the driver!) snoozing as we were all rather tipsy. We were also supposed to have had a tour of the Old Town here but that's been put off to tomorrow fortunately as a rest was welcome.
After a brief rest Mary and I went out for a wander around town as the rain had mostly stopped. We ended up sitting in a cafe looking out over the water. We had coffee (me), hot chocolate (Mary) and cake (Disappointing) as rent for the table. We sat and watched the world go by for a bit before heading back for an early night.
We are such party animals.
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