Paolo Hotel Corinth

... bus. Nafplio<br><br>Around noon, we got back on the bus and headed to Epidarus, which is one of the main theaters they used in ancient Greece. Its the one that everyone says if you stand in the center and drop a coin, you can hear it at the very top (or in the last row)--and its TRUE! They still use the theater for summer festivals and performances, and we got to see an amateur ...

... part of traveling through -- the total silence of the passengers.<br><br> <br><br>

... 11.50 Euros later we were in Nafplio.<br><br>We stayed at a small place called Dimitrios Bekas. It was a basic place for 15 Euros a night. It was clean, quiet and had a roof top terrace.<br><br>Nafplio is a town that looks like it was made for a movie, I felt like I was always on set ready to be filmed. The houses are adorably cute with small terraces and lots of potted plants, well maintained and colorful and the streets have posh ...

... as any other local, here in Greece, which is like a mix of Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East in the way it feels, the whole blending in thing doesn't work so well. Most people just speak English to us before even asking.<br><br>When we arrived in Corinth after the hour and 15 minute train ride, we hopped on a bus that would take us to the city center, a spot we thought we needed to go in order to find the main bus station. It turns out that even if ...

Today we slept in late. After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the airport where I rented a car. Don't worry I got full insurance. We drove through Corinth and then through the mountains to the port town of Nafplion. I later found out there was a much shorter way to get there, but it was very picturesque and we saw the location of an ancient Byzantine ...

... a map and walked past a guy and his luggage. On our way back (our map hunt was really very unsuccessful) he asked us if we knew how to get to ancient Corinth. Why yes! For once we actually do know something! He didn't speak much English because he was Spanish. We didn't speak that much Spanish, but we showed him the sign and told him we were also going there, so if he wants he can follow us and we'll show him to the ruins. And then we sort of adopted him for the day. Cassy spoke in sort ...

... prudent; as well as more fun as less time should be spent swimming and more sailing. We had a whale of a time whizzing back and forth, naturally keeping a sharp lookout and making particularly sure to stay well clear of the beginners on their first afternoon out. And then the wind suddenly REALLY picked up while our spinnaker was up; satisfyingly while Lasers toppled like dominoes all around us we shot forward as if catapulted, proving even the solidly built 400 ...

... often did. While we photographed the lion marker and so on in blistering heat -- it was 42 C, or 107 F -- a theory came to me why dawn attacks were traditional even when the enemy already knew your position, numbers and order of battle. It's the only time in 24 hours when it is both light and relatively cool. I haven't written enough about the heat of southern Greece in I Alexander; I plan to add descriptions, especially after we've gone north ...

... concept of improved mileage to the concerned but intrigued attendant. "No one in Canada has ever asked," Karen confided later. For a while after that, we drove through a serene agricultural area. Corn, grapes, olives, legumes and hay are the most common crops (probably the same as in ancient times, minus the corn). The hay, both green and sere, has already been cut and baled. The growing season for that crop has already ended, third week in June, a little hard for North American minds ...

... getting shots of themselves taken next to ancient artwork... they'll chase you right off. This can be circumvented, however, if the poser goes close to the piece of artwork as if she's gazing at it, the accomplice photographer quietly lines up the shot, then the poser quickly turns around and smiles just long enough. I won't say which of us was the poser and which was the photographer, but it was my idea. There are a couple of busts of ...