A flight and two buses later – via nice navigation by my husband – we found ourselves back on the mainland in Nafplio, Greece. Nafplio is a town in the area of Argolis in the eastern Peloponnese. It is dubbed as one of the most romantic towns in Greece. But that is not why we came to this beautiful place.
John’s grandfather was born and raised here and John wanted to visit the place his grandfather called home. This is an amazing story of courage – the man left his family and all he knew – without knowing any English – to come to America in order to find work. He left this town in his 20s and moved to Chicago where he was given a job as a dishwasher. So Nafplio has a special place in John’s heart and we made it a priority to visit.
I’m so glad we did! For more reasons than one. To honor John’s grandfather and also because this place has such a wonderful, relaxing, happy vibe. It is my new favorite place in Greece! And, incidentally, we could both LIVE here!
As always, a small bit of information about Nafplio and then a link to find out more if interested. According to mythology, the town was founded by Nafplios, the son of the god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus Anymone. The city was the first capital of the modern Greek state from 1823 – 1834. Then the capital was moved to Athens.
After leaving our luggage at our hotel, we went to explore. Have I said how incredible this place is?! The small alleys are filled with people and shops and tavernas but with so much charm and sweetness. This place is nothing at all like Naousa or Chania or Heraklion. It simply has a different vibe. Much more relaxed and slow and homey…
Lunch was in order and since the hotel-recommended restaurant was closed on Sunday we picked a random taverna on one of the many small, quaint alleyways close to our hotel in the Old Town. One thing a blogger should never do —— take a photo of the restaurant – you know, so you can write about it – and NOT be able to translate the Greek to English. Ug! Luckily my husband took note – Taverna Byzantino. John had a Greek cabbage salad called Politiki. We hadn’t seen this before and it was of so good. See John’s face below!
The first thing we wanted to do was head to Pronia – a small suburb of Nafplio. This, in particular, is where John’s grandfather called home. The area is just a short walk from Nafplio Old Town. The suburb sits in the shadow of the awe-inspiring Palamidi hill and fortress (more to come on this later) and is more of a traditional Greek area.
We did not see any tourists here. A few shops and cafes and a market or two but we were pretty much on our own. Could be that it was Sunday as well. We talked about John’s grandfather and wandered around and said a prayer. It was touching….I am hoping someone remembers me in such a way…
We headed back to the Old Town to check into our hotel – Amymone and Adiandi. It was so cute! Very cool art and decor! And right in the middle of the Old Town. It was perfect for our brief stay.
More exploring…and shopping of course! The shops here are filled with more than your traditional souvenirs. There is local arts and crafts and fashion and jewelry boutiques and pottery. The window shopping is really fun! So that’s what we did – until we didn’t 😊.
We finally stumbled upon a little art shop called ??? (if you’re still reading, I’ll add this later!) The sweet older Greek couple who owned the shop were just sitting outside chatting. There were some lovely pieces of painted wood in the window. Not really our style but John wanted to take a look. And I’m glad he did! Beautiful, different types of Greek art; some of which was painted by the shop owner himself. We got some nice pieces but I’m not saying more because some of you reading this will be getting them as gifts! We also really enjoyed speaking with the couple in John’s Greeklish. Hearing about where they came from and how they found Nafplio was nice. And seeing the pictures of their grandkids. And a Greek tradition we weren’t aware of. The shop had many dried pomegranates hanging from the wood beams on the ceiling. Per the owner, on the first day of the new year, it is a Greek tradition to smash a pomegranate in the home. If it opens and spreads the seeds it’s good luck.
We both felt better about finding some nice gifts for our loved ones. It was time for a cocktail overlooking the port and the stunning island – and fortress – of Bourtzi. The castle was built in 1471. Interestingly, to protect the castle from enemies, the Turks laid the surrounding sea with a large barricade of stones that made it impossible for large ships to approach the island and the fort. The island and the castle are simply stunning! This is one of the places I wanted to check out. You can visit the castle by boat. Unfortunately it was currently closed due to construction. While telling us this, the sweet young man from our hotel “deleted” it from the map.
The view was still wonderful but being veteran tourists we’d never have dinner right next to the port. But drinks at Psarosavounas Bounos would work – Ouzo for John and Tsipouro for me. Tsipouro is another traditional alcohol made in Greece. Very similar to Raki in that it’s made from grades, but Raki is specific to Crete. Strong and delicious – two of my favorite things!
We wanted to head back to Pronia for a more local experience for dinner and to also pay more homage to John’s grandfather. We went to O Pseiras Taverna. We had a wonderful meal served by a young man who was in Nafplio for the season and couldn’t wait to get back to Athens. Not too much for a young man to do in this town, I guess, but it was perfect for us. We simply ordered what he suggested and of course it was one of our top meals. Sitting on a small table on the sidewalk in the shadow of Palamidi hill, drinking local wine, eating delicious food with the one you love. What could be better?!