Birthday in Greece

The perfect way to celebrate my 70th birthday with friends and family was the Greece Untour in Nafplio. There were 14 women friends and family who spent the first 2 weeks on October, 2009 in this wonderful town. We had four apartments and four cars and spent about half the days taking day trips and the rest of the days in and around Nafplio. It only took a few days for us to feel completely at home. We all had our favorite restaurants, bakeries and shops and it was always fun to be recognized by shop or restaurant owners.

Every morning as we left our apartment we would speak to the same people and soon they felt like neighbors. We even came to recognize the cats that lived nearby. It was a wonderful feeling to become part of a place so quickly and a feeling that I do not have in my neighborhood where I recognize few people.

One of the things we did the first Saturday was walk to the farmer's market and buy so much food we could hardly carry it all home with the three of us! Who could resist that wonderful produce and we planned to cook all together on several of the nights. We always had breakfast in our apartments and if we were driving out of town we would pick up food to take with us. My personal favorite was spinach pie. We came to know where several of the bakeries were located and often stopped in to see Mania who was one of the most delightful young women you could ever meet. Three of us wanted to take a Greek dessert to dinner so she told us about Holmaki (?) a traditional Greek ice cream and helped us pick out cookies to go with it. We then went to one of the ice cream shops and they made us a special order of Holmaki for the next day and we became friends with the woman who owned that shop with her husband and son. Loved all the personal contacts. And I have to mention Constantinos who taught me Greek dance steps in the middle of the street and then gave me a goodbye gift the last night as we ate at his restaurant.

We visited many of the sites recommended by Untours and faithfully followed our Rick Steves Guide to Athens and the Peloponnese. Corinth and Nemea one day was our first trip and an introduction to Ancient Greece. Never could find a place open on the wine route but did stop at a little store and had an delightful encounter and wine tasting with the gentleman who was a bit overwhelmed when we all descended on his tiny shop.

Walking through the Lion Gate at Mycenae was a thrill and the views are spectacular. Epidaurus was so much fun and I had my own personal moment on the "center rock" and then watched as others gave their own performance. We loved hearing the Ukraine national anthem from a very enthusiastic group of Ukraine tourists.

Mystras took us through the mountains and the winding roads. The site is worth whatever it takes to get there. Luckily we had 4 cars so we drove up to the top, took 2 cars back down with the drivers, brought one car back with the drivers and after we all gathered at the end of the day, the drivers went back up to get the cars. The walk down through the ancient town was a great time to let your mind wander back several centuries when this was a seat of power. Be sure to stop in the many churches to see the art work.

Tiryns was very close by and you may pass it by as it does not look like much from the road but definitely worth a stop. The huge rocks are impressive as are the views.

Don't miss the walk around the peninsula to the stoney beach and on to the sandy beach. You could also take the shortcut near our apartment. We drove to Tolo to swim and it was chilly but worth get wet for. You can walk a long way out before it becomes deep. The clear blue water made it irrestible. Caution: you have to pay for a beach chair and umbrella.

Around Nafplio we drove up to the top of Palamidi which we had a view of from our living room window. You could see people trekking up the 999 steps but we all chose the easy way. Had no idea until we got there are big it was. You could spend hours wandering the different levels and just sitting and relaxing and enjoying the experience. We also took the small taxi to Bourtzi in the harbor and enjoyed that very much. Be sure to read up on it's history before you go! There are also several museums in Nafplio that are worth a look. We liked the folk art and archaeological museums and the Komboloi or worry bead museum was a must. Always watched to see if men walking down the street has their worry beads out and many of them did.

One of our favorite restaurants for quick lunch or light dinner (pitas, etc) was the small place near Zorba's with a rooster on the sign. Can't remember the name of the street but several blocks off the dock area.

Our Greek Untour was everything I imagined and then some. I loved the neighborhood feeling and even being able to give directions to other American tourists! I would return in a minute. There are so many shops I didn't have time for, not enough days to eat in all the restaurants and not enough time to learn more dance steps.