Day 2 – what happened???

All I can say is…the super early start ruined us. 6 am wake-up call was just not fun. Isn’t this vacation?!?! (I know, I know…it’s expected from a tour, but still!)

First stop = Corinth canal

Of course, I had just woken up from one of my many naps of the day and had gotten out of the bus all woozy. Naturally, I had missed all the background and “woo’s” and “ah’s” about the canal. So the first thing I noticed was that you can bungee jump off the bridge. Awesome!!! ~sigh~ but no time…

Other than that, Lindsey had to fill me on the rest. Never mind. She said she was awake but failed to process any of the information. Sounds like my nap was more useful than her nonproductive time awake. All I know is that it was important because it allowed for ships to travel from the Gulf of Corinth to Athens without travelling around the Peloponnese. It also symbolizes the friendship between Greece and some other country…sorry, not a history buff.  

Second stop = Nafplion, the first capital of the newly independent Greece before it moved to Athens.

Its harbor is guarded by 3 fortresses – one on a small island (Bourtzi), another just above the Old Town (ancient Akronafplia), and a third capping a tall cliff above the city (Palamidi Fortress). The town was quaint, with Neoclassical, Venetian, and Ottoman buildings. 

If only we stayed longer, we totally would have climbed the 800+ steps to the Palamidi Fortress. It would have been another awesome workout since all we have been doing is pigging out and napping on the bus. =P

Me imitating King Ottoman

Third stop = mysterious Mycenae -- they're the ones who used the “Trojan horse?”

Not much to note except the Mycenae were very intelligent people who devised a way to relieve the pressure of stones on their rooftop. This was very advanced technology for their time. It took lots of imagination and creativity to reconstruct all the royal palace and throne rooms atop this acropolis. What also amazed me was how these people found and hauled so many stones to build their castle. 

 

  

Tomb of Agamemnon. The tomb was supposed to be covered with a mountain of dirt in order to keep it hidden. Unfortunately, this did not stop the tomb raiders

Food adventure of the day – rice stuffed tomatoes cooked in olive oil, lamb and potatoes 

Shower ordeal (Lindsey) – Who the heck puts the shower head on the middle wall of the shower?? Apparently the Greeks in Olympia do!!! So I had cold water, shower head on the wrong wall, and an additional shower drain on the outside of the small tub, and what did I get?? Shower fail!!! As careful as I tried to be, I still slightly flooded the bathroom floor which equaled major cleanup =(  I can only speak for myself since Anna decided to remain dirty =P Now we all know who smells on the tour bus =)

We're now infamous for sleeping through beautiful rolling hills on the bus  =(  And I don’t blame them. I don’t remember anything from the day except knocking myself against the bus window and catching brief glimpses of dried shrubs. I guess I totally missed the beautiful scenery. And unfortunately, there's evidence. Photos to be submitted later by fellow traveler =(