Wednesday, May 16: The tour portion of our trip officially ends this morning when we turn in our room key at the Oscar Hotel. The representative from Swift Car Rental arrives a few minutes early, fills out the requisite paper work, provides maps, and directions to get us out of Athens and back to their office in Pireaus where we will drop the car in two weeks. The car is a Hundai Mystic and appears to be serviceable enough for our needs. We've rented an automatic so shifting won't get in the way of our dealing with traffic and some wild Greek drivers. Before we've gone far we witness a couple going the wrong way against traffic to avoid making a U-turn, and Nascar-types going well over 120k/hr (72 mph) in an 80km (48 mph) zone. Since the car came with only 1/4 tank of gas, our first stop is a gas station to fill up. At approximately 1E per liter, the first fillup comes to 36E ($50) which is over $5/gallon US.

We have rented an apartment for the week in Astros, a small town on the west coast of the Gulf of Argolis, about 27 km south of Argos (Got that?). On our way we'll stop at the Corinth Canal, an impressive feat of engineering that connects the Ionian with the Aegean Sea. It was begun by the Emporer Nero in 70 something BC and completed in the 1890's--typical Greek efficiency....It is impressive, nonetheless, with its 90 meter high walls. The canal is cut through solid rock for about 5 or 6k. Rory is duly impressed, not only by the canal itself, but also with the deep turquoise color of the water. It's gorgeous in the warm sun. (Oh did I mention that the weather is once again fantastic. If it were any better they'd have to charge for it.)

From the Corinth Canal, we'll take some time to find the ancient city of Corinth. Despite several wrong turns we find it and tour the site to the tune of 6E each. This is a minor site as Greek ruins go, but it's still impressive. There is also a museum which houses a collection of excavated marble sculptures and various decorated items of pottery. After a cheap lunch (Rick finally gets his first gyro), we're off to the ruins at Mycenae. This site is most famous for the Lion's Gate (the keystone above the gate has the likenesses of two lions carved in stone). Amazingly there are very few people here today and Rick gets several photos of the gate sans tourists! We tour the site including the old cistern which descends into what turns out to be a black hole. In past visits there were always enough people with cigarette lighters and matches to see to the end. Not this time--we're the only ones there and our little mini-flashlight is locked in the car in Rick's backpack. Rick is especially interested to find the tombs of Clytemnestra and Aesthus--they seem to be in a different place than he remembers. None of the other visitors find these while we are there. Our 8E admission fee entitles us to visit the Mycenae museum and the Treasury of Atreus. It's the latter that Rick remembers as the "tomb" that he was looking for.

We are about 30k north of Astros so Rick contacts Tasia (we have an international cell phone with a Greek phone number) who will meet us at the apartment between 6 and 7pm. The drive along the gulf is comparable to those along the Pacific Coast in California and the Amalfi Coast in Italy: narrow winding roads, high cliffs, little towns nestled along the way. We had not expected this and are looking forward to exploring this area more thoroughly. The directions we received from Angelica (who owns the apartment) are quite good. When we reach the square in Astros, we ask directions to the church across the street from the electronics store and the fitness center. Our three bedroom apartment is above the latter. Tasia arrives to show us how everything works, give us the key, and collect the remainder of the weeks rental after subtracting the deposit. We actally owe 300.23E, but Tasia refuses the coins. The apartment will due quite nicely--there's plenty of room, it's well-appointed, and convenient to the town square, to which we'll walk to find a place for dinner and perhaps a super market to stock up on groceries. Once we're settled in it's time to explore the town of Astros. It's a short walk from the apartment to the town square and by the time we've gone around once, we're sure the word is out about the two "foreigners". Obviously, the town doesn't get many tourists. We are the first patrons of the evening at a small restaurant on the square. In perusing the menu we find the following under the heading "Roasted on Spit": "Roasted old goat (16E kilo)" followed by a list of the "Chef's oily dishes". We stick to salads and a chicken gyro with an Amstel (not light) for Rick and some white wine for Rory. We're still wondering who the roasted old goat might have been.

Back at the apartment, we've got a week's worth of laundry to do and, of course, Rick's got the journal to update. We found a wi-fi hotspot in town and Rick hopes to gain internet access tomorrow. The whereabouts of the super market is still a mystery--a challenge for tomorrow morning. Rory spends most of the evening battling the washing machine which is out in the hall. The cool, dry air of the Peloponnese will serve as the dryer. The apartment is above a fitness center and there is some pretty heavy music being blasted, but it quiets down by 10:30..We'll be taking day trips around the Peloponnese for the next week or so.

Thursday, May 17: The apartment is on the "main" street out of town and there's quite a lot of noise. The wind came up last night and the banging of a loose sheet of what looked like a sheet of corrugated aluminum roof paneling on the shed out back did its best to keep us up--but we were too tired to care. Rick is up early, and while Rory continues the washing machine war, he's off to find the super market. Asking directions from a woman coming out of the apartment next door, doesn't help--Rick's English is NOT "Greek to her". She motions that he should go toward the square, turn right, and turn left; but is unable communicate how far to go each time before turning. On his trek into town, he passes the meat store, cheese store, and bakery. It's obvious that much of the local population gets its groceries the old fashioned way--from "mom & pop" stores specializing in one thing. Passing an official looking building where there are several people sitting behind a counter, Rick asks again about the location of the super market. They speak better English and when they explain that it's on the main road to Argos, Rick understands how the mom & pops continue to survive. On the way back to the apartment, Rick stops at the bakery and cheese shops. Rory is just about done. After hanging the wet clothes on the balcony outside our bedroom, we're off to the super market. We find a "short cut" which eliminates the need to go through the square with it's one-way streets.

Today we'll backtrack a bit to get to Nafplio and Epidaurus. Epidaurus is farther away, so we'll visit there first and do Nafplio on the way back. The attraction at Epidaurus is the ancient theater, maybe the best preserved of all the classical Greek theaters. It is still used for concerts and plays. The parking lot had been full of tour buses, but because it's lunch time, by the time we hike up to the theater, the site is remarkably uncrowded. The acoustics are so good that a coin dropped in the center of the circular stage can be heard at the farthest seat up. We don't know about that, although in past visits, Rick has been able to speak barely above a whisper to someone way up, and be clearly understood. Today there are still too may people trying it out at once. When we stand at the center of the stage and speak, we can feel the sound waves coming back to us, due to the shape and construction of the amphitheater. It's a pretty impressive site; sitting at the top and looking down at the stage and out past the theater to the mountains that form the background is serene. It would be a singular experience to attend a concert here. The combination of nature, history, and culture would be hard to beat. There is also a museum to explore and a friendly security guard shows Rory the tap outside where she can get a drink of "the best water in Greece".

It's after two o'clock and we haven't eaten much, so a stop at a local taverna is in order as we drive back to Napflio. The first town we pass is Ligourio and there are plenty to choose from. We quickly exit the first one we stop at--the place is full of the passengers of the two tour buses parked across the street. Our experience in Turkey two years ago was that these places are short on quality and long on price. As we continue out of Ligouria, none of the restaurants appeals to us and we are resigned to finding something in Nafplio, when we spot the Oasis Taverna, the last one on the left before the town ends (or the first one on the right if you're coming the other way). At least it looks like there are already a couple of patrons and the shady setting is attractive. The proprietor, a Buddy Hackett look-alike, who speaks about as much English as we do Greek. Before we can order anything he asks if we'd like a little ouzo. We wouldn't really, but we don't want to insult him as he's obviously trying to show his hospitality. So we say "ne" (yes). He brings out two glasses, about 1/4 full of ouzo and two glasses of water--which you really need to wash away the strong licorice taste of the ouzo. We toast him by saying "yamas" which means "to your health". His face lights up and he goes to the table he had been sitting at with two of his buddies and comes back with a glass 1/4 filled with beer, so he can return the toast properly. We really only want a sandwich, but he doesn't do gyros. Our choice is "pork or lamb". We choose the latter. He asks if we want potatoes and tzadziki (a yogurt-based sauce). We say "ne" to the former, and shake our heads no to the latter. We have no idea what's in store for us; we agree, whatever happens, it will be an adventure (and, after all, isn't that why you read this stuff?). First he comes out with a little saucer containing olives, cheese and tomatoes with toothpicks in each along with a basket of bread, which is quite good. After an appropriate interval, he brings out a greek salad with two slabs of feta cheese on top. Rick lives for greek salads--they have become a measure of the quality of the restaurant for him. This one is as good as we've had so far on out trip, but it's more than we can eat. Again, after an appropriate interval, he brings out a tray of fried potatoes that are superb--lightly salted and sauteed in olive oil. They're great, too, but remember all we wanted was a sandwich.... It's apparent that lunch will be our main meal today. Next comes the lamb chops--NINE OF THEM!--more like lamb steaks than chops. We're pacing ourselves now. Somehow we manage to finish all of them, while wondering what suprise awaits us when we get the bill. Remember, we've seen no menu; all he asked us was prok or lamb... The last course is a plate of fruit (apple and oranges slices)--the perfect dessert. We're wondering how to ask him his name, when Rick remembers the Lonely Planet guide in the car has a small section on Greek phrases. He goes over to the car, gets the book and the camera, and we spend a few minutes trying our pronunciation of "pos sas lene" (which means, "What's your name?") On our second or third try, his expression changes from "huh?" to delight and he responds, "Costa" and then "Costatino". He is quite pleased with all this and asks our names. After some time to let the digestive system do its thing, we signal Costa for the bill. He has written "25 E" on a piece of paper--no accounting for the price of each "course". We are more than happy to pay him, and he beams again. We ask to take his picture and again he beams, posing with Rory while Rick takes the shot. When Rory attempts to shake his hand, he kisses her on both cheeks in the traditonal way Greeks greet each other and then subjects Rick to the same treatment. We almost reluctantly say "Kali spera" (good afternoon), and spend the drive back to Napflio reliving this experience.

The attraction in Napflio is the Palmidi Castle, a fortress on a hilltop overlooking the city. It is one of three fortresses; Akronafplia and Bourtzi are the other two. The former is atop an acropolis overlooking the old city, but considerably below the Palmidi. The latter is an island out in the gulf that is reachable by boat for 4E (we don't go). There are two ways up to the fortress, a road that snakes up the hill and a stone path of supposedly 999 steps that starts at the bus station. We obviously chose to drive. The Palmidi is vast and spectacular, not only for the views of the surrounding area, but also for its expanse. There are multiple bastions, each built higher and higher on the hill. We'll explore all but the very top one. In addition to its military function, the fortress was also used as a prison. We have fun exploring Kolokotrone's prison, named for Theodor Kolokotrone who was held here several years for treason. The 4E admission fee is well worth it. From the Palmidi, looking down on Akronafplia, Rick recognizes the hotel he stayed at when he was here in 1978. There is an open plaza at the base of the hill and there was a lift up to the hotel. Later, when we drive the road to Akronafplia, we'll discover that the hotel has been abandoned. It's a warm day, despite the strong winds at the Palmidi. When we're finished exploring the site, we stop in town for a cold drink before checking out the Akronafplia. We take a narrow little street that looks like it goes to the top--but doesn't and we hit a dead end with very little room to turn around. Then we encounter a car coming up the hill against us. He will have to back down the hill so we can get out. The next street is the right one. It winds up the hill past the hotel. We spend some time trying to find the entrance only to realize there is none. The site is not open.

We take the coast road back to Astros, detouring to Porto Astros, which appears to be an extensive beach resort. At this time of year, it's practically deserted, but looks like it might be worth having dinner here one night. We discover a short cut back to the apartment which will make revisiting the place that much easier. Rick is developing a cold, so a stop at a local pharmacy results in a box of cold pills that seem to start working immediately. Returning to the apartment at about 7:30, neither of us is hungry after our monster lunch. Rick spends the evening reading; Rory plays spider solitaire on the computer and perusing many of the books from the shelves in the living room.

Friday, May 18: Rick wakes up early as usual and updates our journal for yesterday. Then he rousts Rory out of bed, because we have decided to go to Monemvasia. Rory turns on the tap in the kitchen and is greeted by NO WATER! Nothing from the taps and nothing to refill the toilet. We wonder if we've done something wrong, but there was water when Rick got up. He goes next door to the electronics/appliance store to see if they have water: Is it a local problem or just ours? The young woman in the shop doesn't understand what Rick is asking. Then he notices an outside faucet with a hose attached. When he turns it on, nothing comes out. So--it's a local problem that we hope will be fixed by the time we get back.

Monemvasia is on the coast in the southeast corner of Lakonia (a province of the Peloponnese). We take the coast road south from Astros and turn westward over the mountains near the town of Sabatiki.. We are in for a treat. The roads are incredibly narrow and form some of the sharpest and steepest "S" curves we've ever driven. There are no guard rails and at times there's no more than 12" between the road and the edge of the cliffs. It's fun and scary at the same time. We decide right away that we'll take the longer inland route back to Astros rather than travel this road when it's getting dark. Even though we're on a main road, according to our map, it goes through the center of every little town and village along the way. In some places, there's barely enough room between the stone buildings on either side of the road for our car to squeeze through--let alone two cars heading in opposite directions. Leonidio is the first of these villages we'll pass through. Our challenge is compounded by the fact that we're running low on gas, having decided early on to wait "till later" to fill up. We're not sure how high we get (several thousand feet for sure). Along the way we see the Monestary Elonis high above us. It appears to be constructed on the cliff wall and we wonder how they did it and how you get there. Several kilometers and a thousand feet of elevation later, we'll find out--the curvy road eventually goes right by it. It doesn't seem quite as imposing from up close as it does from down below. We haven't seen any petrol stations for a while and we're getting nervous. In one little village, we spot the priest of the local church and ask 1) are we headed in the right direction for Skala, and 2) is there a petrol station nearby. He responds by pointing and saying "direct" to the first, and yes to the second; but we don't see one. Luckily, we've begun our descent out of the mountains. We've got about 1/8 tank, but to be on the safe side, we put the car in neutral and coast all the way down, braking where necessary, and occasionally reaching speeds of over 100km/hr (almost 60 mph). In Vlachiotis, we finally find a station and fill up to the tune of 50E. The price per litre here is 1.18E, the highest we've seen (figures!), compared to 0.899E (the lowest). Who are we to quibble and we're off on the road to Monemvasia. The skies are getting grayer as we go. It was sunny in Astros when we left. After more than 3 hours of driving, we finally find the town.

The medieval town of Monemvasia is known as the Mont St. Michel (France) of Greece. Whereas the access to Mont St. Michel is a spit of land out to the island that is inaccessible when the tide is in; Monemvasia's road is always accessible. In the summer months (June - September) you must park on the mainland and either walk or take a free bus up to the entrance to the town. We opt for lunch first, then drive up; and as we do so it starts to rain. Over the past several years, the houses in the town have been purchased by Germans, so it's actually an inhabited village complete with hotels, gift shops, churches, and cute cafes and restaurants. The latter offering breathtaking views of the water and the modern(?) town. If only we'd gone there before lunch! There is no fee to enter. The entrance is an L-shaped tunnel, so you don't see inside the old walls until you turn left. All the "streets" are cobblestoned and there are no cars inside the walls. (We wonder where the residents park.) The main street is lined with souvenir, gift, and jewelry shops, with cafes and restaurants interspersed. The farther up the street we go, the steadier the rain gets. but it's still not raining very hard. We enjoy the freedom to wander down whatever cobbled lane we come to. It's very quaint and there's a photo op at every turn. We agree that we should turn our courtyard in Columbia into a mediterranean garden with rock paths, and NO grass!! At one point we meet a young couple who are trying to take a picture of the two of them by holding their camera out as far as they can reach. Rick offers to take it for them (he does this everywhere--it's his thing) and they do the same for us. The young woman says she was born in Tampa, FL, but lives in Athens. She looks and sounds very Greek to us. Her boyfriend lives in the suburbs of Athens.

It's raining harder now, so after about an hour or so we decide to drive back. We've got three hours of driving ahead of us. Too bad it was raining because we could have spent the day here. We've got to backtrack on the road we came in on, but finding the main road north through Sparti to Tripoli turns out to be an adventure in wrong turns and good guesses. When we do ask for help, our own guesses are confirmed. The road over the mountains is much better than the one we came in on. When we get to Tegea, just south of Tripoli, we see a sign for Astros and turn right. Then the adventure begins. It will be the last sign we see for Astros for almost an hour. We travel on roads and through little villages that few Greeks, let alone American tourists, have ever seen. We stop for directions twice, and are amazingly lucky to receive the correct ones both times. Just about the time we're wondering if we'll ever find it, we see a sign for Astros. One more ill-advised turn and we're lost again--inside the town!! We spot a sign that says "kentro" which means the "center" of town and follow it down some narrow roads that make the ones through Leonidio look like interstates. Finally we recognize where we are (two blocks from the apartment) and we're there in a couple of minutes.

After driving most of the day, neither of us is much interested in finding a place for dinner; and it's raining harder now than it has all day. So we make a quick run to the super market, but first we check to see if the water is back--thankfully,it is! . Rory makes a great chicken dinner with green beans (we're not getting enough veggies); we've had enough Greek salads for a while. Rory gets a hot shower and washes her hair before settling down to the luxury of sitting quietly and reading a good book.

Saturday, May 19: We are both fighting colds and decide, after all of yesterday's driving, to stay around Astros today. Rick spends the morning updating our journal and adding photos. Rory having been unsuccessful in establishing a good working relationship with the washing machine, decides to do the white laundry in the sink. Since we've got all the makings, Rory fixes a greek salad for lunch. We'll walk to the internet cafe, so we can check email and update our website. The Astron Cafe is a wireless hotspot so we can conveniently use our own laptop.

Rory wants to go to Paralio Astros, which is the beach resort area of Astros to look for shells. As it turns out, the beach here is another pebbly one and there are no shells. We wander a bit around the town, spotting the ruins of the old castle on a hill overlooking the town. We're not castled-out yet, and follow the narrow, winding road to within 50 meters of the place. It's really in ruins, but the view is great. It's another cloudy day and threatening to rain, so we drive back to the apartment just before the rain starts. While we're relaxing we hear a key in the front door lock. We open it to find Stelio (the brother of Angelica, the woman we've rented the apartment from and who lives in Italy) at the door. He did not realize that the apartment had been rented. He turns out to be quite a fine fellow, makes sure we are satisfied with everything in the apartment, and, when Rick asks him, he recommends a restaurant in town that we never would have found. Tasia, the lady who let us into the apartment when we arrived on Wednesday, works there. We invite Stelio to join us and he accepts. The place is called Jiataki, a small, very quaint taverna. The food is excellent. Stelio was born in Canada of Greek parents and speaks fluent English, French and Greek. We let him order and enjoy everything. Stelio lives in Athens with his wife and two children. We regale him with stories about our time in Greece so far and exchange cell phone numbers and promise to call him when we get back to Athens at the end of our trip.

Tomorrow, we plan to travel to the southwestern part of the Peloponnese: to Mystras, the Diros Caves, Keroni, and Methoni. Since it's a longer trip than the one to Monemvasia, we plan to stay overnight somewhere.

Sunday, May 20: Neither of us was feeling too well when we woke up this morning. We came close to canceling our trip to Mystras. But neither of us felt like hanging around the apartment another day, and it's Sunday so none of the shops in town are open. By noon, we're feeling better, and pack for an overnight stay. Rory even makes sandwiches for us to eat along the way. This time we find the main road toward Tripoli without any problem. From there it's a pretty smooth ride to Sparti, and 6km later, to Mystras.

The medieval town of Mystras (there's a modern one, too at the base of the hill) has two main entrances: the main gate and the fortress gate. We find a place to park in front of the main gate, pay our 5E each for admission, get a map of the ruins with directions from the ticket lady, and we're off. These ruins are quite extensive and there are many buildings, churches, and other structures to explore. The frescoes in the churches are especially impressive: deep blue, red, and gold in surprisingly good condition, considering the ancient city of Mystras was conquered and burned several times. We follow stone paths, gradually climbing several hundred feet. The site is noteworthy not only for its expanse, but also for the views of the nearby cities and towns, as well as the mountain ranges of the southern Peloponnese. In addition to the hiking challenge, the intermittent rain showers do their best to take some of the fun out of it. Eventually, the rain stops completely, and the sunshine wins out. We wend our way back to the entrance. Our admission includes both the main ruins and the fortress ruins. We have to dirve a couple of kilometers further up the mountain to reach the fortress gate. Shortly after starting our climb to the fortress at the highest point on the hill, we meet Allan and Linda from Scotland. Chatting with them makes the climb go by faster and the views from the top are really impressive. Allan and Linda are interested to know about our plans for the rest of our stay in Greece. It turns out that we should be on Paros at the same time they are. Linda and Allan haven't been to the lower ruins yet. Before they go, We exchange cell phone numbers and hope to get together with them again in Paros. We think we may be on the same ferry to Paros.

We continue to explore the upper ruins, but by 5pm, we've had enough. We plan to visit the Diros Caves, Koroni, and Methoni while we are this far south, so we decide to spend the night at the Hotel Byzantion. rather than drive all the way back to Astros and come back again tomorrow. Fortunately there's a room available (55E including breakfast), and after checking in, we're ready for a cold drink at a taverna in the square. While we're making our plans for tomorrow, we're entertained by two dogs who settle themselves in the middle of the narrow street that curves through the square, totally oblivious to the cars passing in both directions. The interesting thing is that all the motorists go out of their way to avoid the dogs, unlike their total disregard for pedestrians. Soon a man on a motorbyke comes down the hill and the dogs run after him, probably because he takes care of them. One of the locals informs us that the man on the motorbyke is "the boss of the dogs". This ends our entertainment. We eat dinner at the same taverna and head back to the hotel.

Monday, May 21: We're up early this morning. We've got a lot of driving to do to reach the Diros Caves. After we booked into the hotel last night, Rick realized that we had plenty of time to drive from Mystras to Gythio. Doing this would have reduced our driving today by about an hour and we would have had the opportunity to explore Gythio late yesterday afternoon and evening. Can't win 'em all....I guess we'll have to come back one day. When we do reach Gythio at about 9am, we stop to take a couple of photos and buy some drinks to have in the car. Our instincts are good today (no wrong turns) and we're at the caves at about 9:45.

We have read conflicting things about the Diros Caves. Lonely Planet says it's not worth the 12E entrance fee for only a 30 minute boat ride through the caves, especially since the dry caves (which we can't see) have more formations. Matt Barrett's Greece Travel site says "don't miss it". Allan and Linda who we met yesterday, second the motion. We were going anyway and it WAS worth the somewhat high fee. We have to wait until the next "tour" which begins at 10am. We are given life jackets. We find it interesting that the Greeks would take such a precaution for a very safe boatride, compared to taking no precautions to safeguard visitors to some of the ruins from the potential of falling hundreds of feet. Go figure! We are assisted into small flat boats that hold 5-7 passengers. We're the last two to get on ours. Too bad--the front seat is the best for photos. Wish we'd realized it--but the views are still fantastic. There is no narrative on the tour; just a slow ride of about 1500 meters ( a little less than a mile) through the caves. The boat is poled by a fellow who doesn't say a word. The only time we realize he's even there is when his pole gets in one of Rick's photos. Oh yes, he appears to be humming quietly to himself. The cave formations are extensive. Some of the stalagmites (from the ground up) were formed before the cave filled with water. There are passages so narrow that we all have to duck and be sure our arms and shoulders are tucked in toward our bodies. The quiet is broken only by our whispers and when another boat passes in the opposite direction. The absence of narrative allows you to let your imagination take over. When the ride all too quickly ends, we agree that Diros are some of the best caves we've ever seen and we would do it again!! We want to visit the Neolithic Museum to see the finds from the caves, but it's closed on Mondays. UGH!

After the caves, we stop briefly at a shop in the small town of Pirgos Dirou: Rory buys postcards, Rick buys a flaky, cheese-filled pastry from the bakery across the street. Back in the car we're headed for Methoni in an area called Messinia on the far southwestern coast of the Peloponnese. We're on another one of those picturesque, winding mountain roads and the views are spectacular. Rory takes over driving here. We have to drive through Kalamata (yes, that's where the olives come from). As Matt Barrett says, unless you have a preference for beaches strewn with plastic bottles and other trash, you can skip Kalamata--we do (skip it). The map Rick bought before we left is quite good and we get to Methoni with only minor confusion. It appears that there are two towns named Pylos. We want the southern-most one. It isn't until we get there and Rick realizes he's been here before, that we figure out that we're in the town of Pylos, and not the ruins of Pylos.

Methoni is 11km farther. The attraction is the ruins of the Venetian castle and fortress. There is almost no one here--no tour buses; and there is no admission charge. Who could ask for anything more? The ruins are extensive. The fortress is surrounded on three sides by water and there's a (dry, now) moat that we cross to enter the site. It's a gorgeous day (not a sign of rain). The combination of sun and wind blowing off the sea is wonderful. There are several buildings that can be explored, including a church that has been restored and is still in use. The most striking part of the site is the Bourtzi castle on an adjacent inlet accessible by stone walkway from the fortress. Rory discovers that there's a way into the castle--at least to access the second level. Pigeons are nesting in the nooks and crannies of the walls and dome. Lots of photo ops here!

It's after 3:00 and we haven't eaten anything (if you don't count Rick's pastry) since breakfast. The town of Methoni seems all closed up--it's siesta time. But there are a few tavernas open. Arond the corner from the fortress we pass a little place: Taberna Klimataria. The shaded front porch looks inviting, so we park the car and walk back. The place is family owned--a true Greek taverna. We're asked whether we want food or just drinks. When we say food, we're escorted into the kitchen to choose what we want. This will be our first experience with traditional Greek food--no souvlaki, no Greek salad (although we're sure they would have prepared them for us if we'd asked). Rory picks stuffed vine leaves, meatballs, and stuffed tomato balls (tomatos chopped and mixed with other vegetables formed into balls and lightly fried); toasted bread with olive oil, wine and water round out the meal. The food is outstanding (the best lunch we've had in Greece) and we are happy to tell the owner (and his wife) how much we are enjoying it. We'll have to order these dishes elsewhere to get a comparison. Before we've finished, the owner and his wife get on their motorcycle. The wife is carrying a colorful box, with holes in it and a ribbon around it. What's in the box?--a tiny kitten and a small bowl of water! The three of them are off on the bike, we finish our lunch, and, on the way out of town, Rick finds an ice cream for dessert.

We've got a long ride back to the apartment in Astros, but we detour to Koroni, another little town with a castle ruin about 21km east of Methoni. When Rick was in Greece in 1978, he visited this area. The road between the two towns was unpaved and wound through the mountains--no guardrail, no nothing (except your own driving skill) to keep you from going over the edge. Since then, the road has been paved and the drive goes quickly. There is one spot where some active roadwork leaves just a bit of a reminder of how it used to be. We find the castle in Koroni, but we are castled-out and don't stop--opting to get back to Astros by 8pm. Other than the fact that the "super highway" from Kalamata to Tripoli doesn't seem to exist yet--we find our way back to the apartment without incident. A quick trip to the corner market for juice is all we've got energy for. Neither of us is hungry so we make do with snacks for dinner. Tomorrow will be a "veg" day--nothing planned. We will sleep in and gather our energy. From Astros we've planned a week covering the northwestern part of the Peloponnese and central Greece by car.

Tuesday, May 22: We stayed mostly in the apartment. It was cloudy and rained a bit. We returned to the scene of our first dinner in Astros--nothing special. After all the driving we'd done in the last two days, it was nice to be able to just relax and read.

Wednesday, May 23: We're out of the apartment in Astros by 8am. Our ultimate destination today is Olympia, site of the original Olympic Games. Our route takes us back over the mountains west of Astros to Tripolis. The map isn't clear as to how we get through the city and onto the road to Olympia. We wind up in the center of the town in the middle of the morning rush hour. Traffic is slow and with all the activity, we find ourselves driving on streets with barely enough room to pass. As we get through the center of town we encounter a sign pointing to several towns, none of which we can translate from the Greek. Rick's sense of direction tells us we should go right, but we're still not sure where the right road is. We spy a man who looks to be in his early 30s walking his dog. We ask if he speaks English (he does) and show him on our map and where we want to go. He says the road we want is difficult to find, so he has us follow him while he jogs off with the dog. At the end of the street, he points out where we want to go. We are very appreciative--and wonder if we'd have done the same thing if the situation had been reversed. We hope so.

The road is quite good, and it's a pleasant ride through the mountain area of central Peloponnese. In about an hour we come to an overlook on the town of Lagadia. We can follow the winding road as it zigs and zags down the mountain. There's a tour bus there, so we take our photos quickly, and get out ahead of it. Lagadia turns out to be a delightful town and we decide to stop and wander around. After parking the car on the narrow street that passes through the town, we visit a couple of shops. While walking along, the tour bus comes through and meets a truck coming the other way. There is no way the two can pass and the bus gets too close to a blue mercedes, knocks it sideways, and does a nice job of scratching up its fender. The police show up and so does a fellow who appears to be a lawyer. The bus driver is not a happy camper. We are entertained by everyone's efforts to untangle the mess. Finally the road is unblocked, the truck goes on and the bus parks a little way down the road while the driver returns to settle the damages. Rory buys a small, round, stone candle holder in one of the shops, and we're on our way. Nice little diversion in a very picturesque town.

The remaining part of the drive is uneventful. The road winds up and down the mountains, providing breathtaking views. We repeatedly wonder how the tour bus will be able to negotiate some of the turns and narrow streets of the tiny towns along the way. We see a sign for the ancient ruins of Olympia and turn left off the main road. Less than a kilometer later we find the road totally blocked by construction. We have to back up and turn around. Rory notices another road that bypasses the construction, and we ultimately find ourselves on a gravel road purporting to take us where we want to go. Ultimately we find ourselves in the heart of over 3000 tourists (from 4 cruise ships) who have been bused into Olympia for the day. The place is overrun and we decide to find a place to stay, have some lunch, and then visit the Historical Museum of the Olympic Games. We'll save ancient Olympia until late this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

The Hotel Pelops is recommended by Lonely Planet and in our wanderings through the crowded streets of Olympia, we stumble on it. They have one room left for the night, with breakfast and free internet (70E). After getting settled, we'll find a cute little taverna for lunch. Rick is anxious to visit the Museum of the Olympic Games again. He was last here in 1988 and is curious to see the exhibit for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta (that he attended) and to see if there's anything about our friend Al Oerter (4-time Olympic champion in the discus). He is disappointed on both counts. The museum must be hurting for funds. The exhibits end with the 1992 Summer Games (Barcelona)--nothing at all about Atlanta and none of the small exhibits for the '56, '60, '64 or '68 games has anything on Al. We're finished here around 3:30 and decide to wander the main street of Olympia lined on both sides with a seemingly never-ending row of souvenir and jewelry shops. The town was touristy before, but not like this.

There's a thunder storm blowing in, so we go back to the hotel to wait it out. About 6pm we drive to the ancient site. It stays open until 7:30, so we'll have plenty of time before it closes. There is almost no one here now. Hard to believe how crowded it was just a few hours earlier. We have the entire site almost to ourselves--no one to intrude on our photos. The interesting thing about the ancient city of Olympia is that no one lived here. The site was used solely to host the ancient games. The ruins are extensive, which is the most impressive thing about them, because they are truly ruins. Without the information posted in front of most buildings, we'd have no idea what they were. But the information also contains detailed pictures which show what each one supposedly looked like in ancient times. Although hardly what you'd call impressive, the most interesting sites are the old olympic stadium (which held 45,000 spectators), the site where each modern Olympic Games torch is lit, the ancient temple of Zeus, and the Palaestra lined with stone columns. We can't help but think how magnificent the site must have been in ancient times. We're finished just before closing and return to the hotel. Dinner tonight is at a small taverna a few blocks from our hotel. The food is fine and we spend an hour or so chatting with a couple from Berkeley, CA. Tomorrow we're off to Central Greece--with no definite plans except to see the ancient city of Meteora and visit Delphi sometime before catching our ferry to Tinos on the 30th.