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I have found free, unlimited internet! Unfortunatly it comes at the price of being stuck in a bus stop in Tripoli, which from the few hours I have spent walking around, I think is kind of like the Oshawa of the Pheloponesse! I was trying to catch a bus to Olympia from Tripoli so I left Nafplio at 8:30am...only to get here at 10:00am and find out that the bus to Olympia didn't leave until 6:30pm. Meaning, I could have taken the 4:30 bus from Nafplio, which I chose not to take and missed out on a trip to this amazing theatre because I thought I needed to be here to catch an earlier bus. But no. Haha, so here I am :)
I guess I should continue from where I left off last time and try to get up to date.
So yes, my last night in Athens was great. I actually felt like I was really experiencing Athens, or at least modern Athens which is a vibrant and very lively city. I had decided to travel with the people I met that night to Ios, an island in the Cyclades, even though a few hours ago I had finally decided to do the mainland first and then the islands. But I always said that I was flexible, and having travel buddies for a few days would have been great. But alas, no ferry tickets mean't they were staying an extra night in Athens, and I was ready to head out and get on with the rest of my trip.
So on July 5th, off I set to Nafplio...I took a 2 hour bus from Athens with only minor risk of puking (thanks Gravol!) and arrived around 4. It was a late start to the day because I had spent alot of time in Athens that morning trying to figure out what I was doing, so I just spent my first day in Nafplio walking around and exploring the streets. Haha well make that I explored the streets AFTER being locked INTO my room! I had booked into this Pension, which is run by this man named Demitri who loves North American sports trivia ("Where you from?", "Canada...Ontario...outside of Toronto", "Oh, Maple leafs!"). Anywho, so he gave me my keys explaining something about one key was for outside, one was for inside and then left me to set up. So I close my door, change into a towel to go to the shower, and then...can't get out of my room. I try to open it with the key and nothing. I hear the bolt moving, but the door will not open. So I try and try..eventually put my clothes back on and stand there trying to figure out what to do. I look out the window and there is a roof beside my window that slopes down, leading to another roof, with stairs that lead..somewhere, I couldn't tell. So I am deciding wether I should attempt roof climbing, when luckily Demitri's wife comes out and I ask her to get Demitiri because "I am locked into my room"..she looks at me like I am insane, but gets Demitri - I throw him my keys and he comes to my room, opens it, and then explains how to use keys! I swear it would not open!! Not that I could explain that to him, or that he would believe me. Oh well, it earned me some crazy white girl points I am sure. Ya for being a tourist!
The next day, yesterday, I went to Mikines (or Mycenae)...an Ancient settlement 45 minutes NE of Nafplion. The site is the old palace of the Myceanen culture, situated on the top of a hill between two mountains. It is believed that the place was settled around 2700 BC. It is pretty much just the outline of buildings now, but the signs let you know what was there..for example, there are two round stones and then the sign shows you how those stones actually held two pillars marking the entrance of the building. When the site was first discovered the archaologist thought that it was the burial site of Argammenenon, the leader of the troops that fought at Troy...but it isn't. Too bad Heinrich. I met some Canadian travellers in the bus to Mikines (a couple, and a guy), so we travelled the site together and then had lunch back in Napflion. Getting to speak with some other than myself was nice :) (Once a day is good for that!). I spent the rest of the day at the sites in Nafplio, including this 18th C fortress that is 999 steps from the ground. And I climbed everyone of them! The fortress is amazing. NOTHING is blocked off, so you can explore whereever you want. I was there for over 2 hours just hopping on walls, crawling into tunnels etc - it is like the best playground ever..but never bring children, because they will die. There are crazy drop offs with no markers..just, oh hey ledge, oh hey water 100 feet below, oh and cactuses...great! But it actually was great...but exhausting! I went to the beach to cool off and had my first Greek swim...I love salt water :)
Haha, and now I have a HILARIOUS story to tell you. I realize this has been a long post, but I do believe this story with worth the extra time you put into reading this. So before I came here everyone was warning me about the Greek boys and men who chase after foriegn girls. (and many of my friends were hoping that I would be the one chasing after the Greek men!). But so far, nothing like that has happened..I haven't even been cat called. The only men who have "cat called" me have been a few old men sitting in their tavernas or shops, just watching me walk past. And really, why should this be surprising. Greek guys have hot Greek girls walking past all the time, why would they be interested in the very sweaty tourist girl? Haha, I don't blame them! Anywho, so yesterday I am waiting for the bus for Mikines looking a little lost, and this older man (maybe...60? I can't really tell), comes up and asks what bus I am looking for, and just seems to be helping me out. I end up finding my bus, and he sees that I am good and then gives me his card for the resturant he manages telling me to come eat there. At dinner time I don't plan on going to his place, but I end up walking right past it not knowing, and he calls me "Kim!" as I pass him. Obviously startling to hear my name called in the middle of a Greek town, so I come over he gives me a hug (!) and I figure I might as well eat here. So anyways, he is talking to me and this girl beside me the entire dinner, telling us stories, asking us about our plans etc. He is very, very nice - super well travelled and speaks a million languages. Also he has a great philosophy for life. He keeps saying that we should go swiming with him in the moonlight..which I just laugh off, silly old man. It ends up being a really great meal as I listen to his stories (much better than being alone trying not to stare at people!). So finally the other woman leaves and I ask for my bill as well because it is aroudn 11pm by that time. And then he sits down much more seriously and tells me that I should really meet him at the water at 12, drink some wine or Coke, etc etc..that I should stay with him next time I'm in the area etc etc. Totally not threatening, but very confident (in the fact that he is old enough to be my grandfather and is still clearly hitting on me!). I tell him that to be honest, I probably won't be there but that I have thouroughly enjoyed my night! He thanks me for being honest, but reminds me that the invitation for a drive to the theatre tomorrow is still open..because "I really like you Kim". BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Now I am sure that he does this to every girl who comes to his cafe, but still....so sincere, so confident. Too bad because if he was 30-40 years younger he would probably be my perfect man! :) (I can tell he was a "Greek God" (as we call them) back in the day). There are many more details to this story, which I canm share later! Hahah and thus ended my final night in Nafplion. It ended up being a great two days, which I didn't really expect so that was nice. And these are the kind of stories that are going to make my trip awesome (remember what I said about akward for me, hilarous for you? haha).
Oh, another stupid-Kim story. My camera randomly stopped working..which is potential for disaster. So I took it into a camera store in Tripoli, and asked them to look at it. They took the battery out...turned it around..and the camera turned on. Once again, I swear that I did not take the battery out before it stopped working. But once again, I could not explain that to them. So another point for the silly white girl tally. Anyone keeping track?
And with that...I am updated! Hopefully I will be in Olympia tonight, and then I need to figure out how to get to Delphi (and maybe further north). I hope to be done the mainland by the end of the week and then it is off the islands!
Miss everyone SOOOO much!
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