Pages

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Old Town Nafplion, Part 1

(Arvanitia, city beach around the corner from us 
at the end of Old Town and beneath Palamidi Fortress and Akronafplia.) 

Last November, right after Thanksgiving,
we made an emergency roof repair trip to Greece,
knowing that our roof (and interior) could not withstand another winter of rain
without some patching. 

And we arrived in the midst of a major rain storm
which meant water flowing down the steps like a waterfall
and dripping into our bedroom.

But that's not what I want to show you. 





From the ancient rock wall of Akronafplia,
where some of the stone is still Byzantine,
one can look out over the rooftops
of old town Nafplion.




The old town and the bay lie on one side 
with the tiny island of Bourtzi in the background...


...on the other side... 
the Mediterranean.





Just next to us,
the fortress of Palamidi sits atop the hillside
looking over the city and far beyond. 





The ancient entrance to the old town
(refurbished)
is the symbolic gate between the old and new towns.




A few shots of one of my favorite walks in Greece
(which you can see more of Here)







which always has a plethora of lovingly-tended altars...










as well as wild prickly pear
and bougainvillea.









The walk swings around Akronafplia
and back into old town
just in front of Bourtzi.




I took several shots of these palm trees,
their gorgeous seeds in full color.
Sadly, that same week,
I witnessed workers hacking them off.
They all now stand bare along the shore.




The walk along the water brings us to our favorite spot
for a sunset drink






looking out over the bay,
Bourtzi and the sailboats. 





Our roof fix turned out far better than we'd hoped
(a true fix rather than a patch
and new tile to replace the beautiful but water-damaged parquet wood floors.)
We're hoping it won't take us as long to return.
Friends to see, walks to take,
books to write. 



*All photos copyright: Kirsten Steen
May not be reproduced.*




3 comments:

  1. I have to say at this very moment when all around me is covered in white and blue sky is a welcome but rare occasion, I could simply fall into your photos and stay there forever. I'm sorry you had to journey for a reason less than pure fun, but oh -- I'm quite sure you managed to have some!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kirsten, never heard of it, but I'd love to go. It is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am finally here; I have been so busy with school, traveling back and forth ( I am a traveling French teacher!) and I am finally HERE! Kirsten, I don't know why I never knew you had a place in GREECE! Next to France, this is my dream destination. Even as a small girl, I always dreamed that my honeymoon would be and SHOULD be in Greece somewhere! But of course, a surprise dream came true by having it in CARMEL.....these are some of the most gorgeous photos of Greece and you must love it there. The water has to be the most magical I've ever seen, with so many shades of blue!

    THANK YOU for visiting my dear friend...I am missing so many of your posts and need to redo my blog roll, because for a while there, it was not working!

    HAPPY DAY SWEET VALENTINE! Anita

    ReplyDelete

Hello and Welcome!
Thanks for coming and for making your thoughts and feelings known. I appreciate all comments greatly.
Hope to see you again!
Kirsten