Peloponnesian Odyssey

The road from Nafplio to Tripoli winds up and over a spectacular mountain range. The drive is challenging - we had to stop suddenly in one of the hairpin turns to avoid hitting a large flock of unattended sheep - but the views were breathtaking. Thank goodness for clear weather!

Driving in Greece requires awareness and flexibility. Most roadways, even highways, have one lane of traffic going in each direction. But they drive on the shoulder, as well, in order to let others pass. And someone always wants to pass you. They make their intentions known by tailgating mercilessly. At this point, you are expected to move to the right so that at least part of your car is on the shoulder. The tailgater squeezes past you using what's left of your shared lane.

Warning to drivers: Do not park on the shoulder of roadways in Greece!

Speed limits drop upon approach to towns and tunnels. 100 to 80 to 60 km/h, for instance. But if you slow down anywhere near ths much, the tailgaters become even more aggressive. Let the driver beware!

Our destination was the Byzantine city and fortress of Mistras near Sparti. Sparti, unfortunately, isn't particularly nice. But Mistras is very impressive with many well-preserved chapels and structures. The palace is under renovation, but most of the buildings were accessible. Each of the chapels has frescos painted into the walls, but most of the paintings are in poor condition.

Afterward, we took a rather long drive back through Tripoli, up to Korinthos (Corinth), and along the southern coast of the Gulf of Corinth. Views of the gulf were fleeting and somewhat difficult to enjoy, because the roadway is effectively one huge construction project. They are replacing the old road completely, but the work reduced the width of the existing road significantly. The aforementioned practice of tailgating reached epic intensity along the entire 125 km stretch. It was difficult to enjoy what should have been a lovely view.

We crossed the massive Rio-Antirrio Bridge to the north side of the gulf. The bridge (officially named the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge) has been in service for ten years but looks as though it opened last week. It's spotless, brightly painted, and geometrically stunning.

The drive on the north side of the gulf was more relaxed and pleasant. Despite encountering occasional rain showers, we were able to pull off into turnouts and enjoy dramatic views of the sun setting over the water.

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