Peloponnese

Thursday, April 12: Arrival in Tolo

Arose before dawn to make flight to Athens, where about half our old group left and our new traveling companions joined us. There were 19 in the Cretan group, and 18 in our new group. We were also joined by our new guide, Sophia. We set out on a bus trip from the Athens airport to our new "home" in Tolo, a small fishing village in the Peloponnese near Nafplion.

At lunch time we stopped at a restaurant right on the Corinth canal. Instead of a draw bridge the canal has a sinking bridge which drops into the water whenever a boat comes through the canal, then rises again to accomodate traffic. Most unusual.

We then hit the road again, arriving in the region of Argos. Driving through Nafplion we spotted what looked like a ruined acropolis above the modern city. Our genial host Vagilis, when asked what it was, replied that "It is nothing, it's modern." We later found out that the ruins were from the Venetian period, and so are a "mere" 300 years old.

Arriving at the hotel we had drinks (which I skipped) and then dinner. My balcony faces the Argolic Gulf, with little boats in the harbor and a decorative island with a church fetchingly off center. The island is named "Coronis" after the mother of Asklepios.

Good Friday, April 13: First part of Easter Celebration

We were scheduled for a boat ride and bar-b-que, but the weather is pretty iffy and Vagilis worried about a bunch of seasick travellers, so instead we went into Nafplion. We walked through the weekly open air market (which was huge), and then the old town. We were also able to visit the Folk Art Museum, which featured textiles and clothing, and would have been closed, except Vagilis talked the fellow who happened to be there into letting us in.

Ed went shopping and bought book bags for himself and some for friends. We then found a nice cafe on the old square to sit, eat ice cream, drink coffee, and enjoy the view. Kevin joined us and was captivated by Ed's book bags, so went off to buy one for himself. Ed claims they were used by shepherds to carry cheese and wine as they climbed the hills with their sheep.

Went back to the hotel for lunch, and had time to relax and do some laundry. Then took a stroll along the beach and back through the main street of Tolo. Town is just the right size to take a decent, but not excessive, walk.

After dinner we walked up to the main church in Tolo, which was packed, and got bee's wax candles so we could join the procession which follows Christ's "coffin" through the town. The night before the women of Tolo had stayed up all night decorating the "coffin" with flowers. When the mass was finished the "coffin" (which was quite beautiful) was borne out of the church, accompanied by altar boys, the priest, and incense. The worshippers followed, bearing their candles, and those of us outside got our candles lit and joined the procession through the town. When we passed our hotel we dropped out and went through the hotel to the patio, which is right on the beach, so we could watch the procession pass, then chatted a bit and off to bed.

Saturday, April 14: Mystras

Took a bus trip out of the land of the Argives, into Arcadia, the major city is Tripolis, located between two ancient dry lakes, and then through the mountain pass and into the land of the Spartans.

We did an impressive amount of uphill hiking in Mystras, where we visited a ruined church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. I noticed what looked like a part of a cave behind one of the walls inside the church, and asked Sophia what was back there. She said the cave had been the site of a cult shrine for Artemis. Well, that's one way to overcome your enemies--bury 'em in brick work.

Then on up the mountain headed for the convent, which is still active. I kept hoping I would round a bend and find my friend Kevin konked out, so I could quit climbing. However Kevin kept going, so I did too. The convent is attached to a restored Byzantine church, which we were able to enter. It was beautiful, with frescoes and icons.

Also breath-taking was the view outside. One could see the valley of Sparta with snow-capped peaks beyond the town. Sparta was our next stop.

Due to their soldierly life-style the Spartans left little in the way of physical monuments behind them. We stopped to visit the ancient Spartan theatre, which had been used for the performance of martial music and meetings of the assembly. There were some Roman era ruins as well, and all were set off by olive trees and wild flowers. Then we returned to the hotel for dinner.

Saturday is the night for the Greeks to have their big Easter service, which concludes at midnight with a fireworks display. Unfortunately I fell asleep before the magic hour and missed it.