Untours Trip to Greece, February 27 – March 12, 2008

[Marcia Venus]

Untours Trip to Greece, February 27 – March 12, 2008

Our Untours trip to Greece was our first (first Greece, first Untours) – and after our experience there, it certainly won’t be our last. When we told people we were going to be staying in a town called Nafplio, we were often asked why we chose that town. We too wondered why Untours chose Nafplio, out of all the beautiful places in Greece. Having heard such positive things from other Untours travelers about their trips in Europe, we trusted that the Untours staff had selected an appropriate place. Now having been there and having loved it as much as we did, we will trust them to send us anywhere! When people ask why we selected a certain city, our answer will be “Because Untours thinks it the best place – and we trust them.”

Nafplio couldn’t have been a better place to settle in for two weeks, at least for us. In fact, we were so charmed by the town that we didn’t even move our rental car from the parking lot for over a week! Our apartment was so comfortable, the view so beautiful, walking in and around Nafplio so much fun, that we couldn’t imagine leaving to go see historical sites. Eventually we decided to venture out, not because we were tired of Nafplio but because we began to feel guilty that we hadn’t seen any of ancient Greece.

While we loved it all, our favorite events/activities in Nafplio were:
 Walking around the peninsula every morning after breakfast, followed by iced cappuccinos at one of the many cafes at the waterfront or in the old town.
 Walking the dirt path to the sandy beach -- so beautiful
 Visiting the many quaint shops, some touristy, but many not, including several wonderful jewelry shops run by the artists themselves, a gallery of Greek artists, a South African shop run by a fascinating Greek who lived in SA for a number of years, bakeries, two very special ice cream shops, shops featuring honey products and lotions – and so many others.
 Lunching at one of the many outdoor cafes -- we tried to follow advice to try a new restaurant every time, but found that there were some special ones we that drew us back time and time again
 Afternoon naps during the Greek rest break from 2-5, followed by wandering the town again -- a few blocks to another café for coffee and people watching
 Visiting the outdoor markets on Wednesday and Saturday – we made it to every one of them the 2 weeks we were there, buying blood oranges, almonds, cheese and other goodies for our usual evening meal and just enjoying the feel of it all.
 Walking up to the Nafplio Hotel on the Acronafplia to, once again, drink iced cappuccinos, and to take in the amazing view of blue sky, blue water, mountains and the charming town of Nafplio below.
 Celebrating the pre-Lent carnival on our last week-end – costumes, masks, wigs, music, dancers, balloons, food, colored lights, fireworks – so special.

We also very much enjoyed and highly recommend our day trips to Epidaurus and to Mycenae, and an overnight trip to Monemvasia, driving along the incredible coast and into the mountains. Two overnights in Athens at the Hotel Plaka, where we could walk to the Acropolis, made a nice end of the trip prior to flying out from the Athens airport.

It was all wonderful, but we fell in love with Nafplio. Nothing we did came close to the joy we had staying in this most lovely town, and, for a too-short time, being part of the Greek life.

[Powen Shiah]

Marcia, thank you for sharing this with us!

[Vickie K]

Thanks, for sharing. We leave May 6 for Nafplio and are looking forward to it!