Thursday 27^th – Navplion (Mycenae)

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This morning we were up and out and on the local bus (which is actually a luxurious air conditioned coach) to Mycenae (Mikinai), the ancient centre of the Helladic civilisation between 1650 BC and 1100 BC; this was one of the reasons we came here.  On the way the bus went via Argos, the capital city of this region, giving us a chance to see some of the surrounding area.

Mycenae was fabulous, perched high on a hill.  We first went around the museum to get an idea about what we would be seeing on the site; the museum was arranged with each set of relics grouped according to where they were found and linked via a map to where they were on the site – this worked really well as we were able to re-visit the museum at the end to put it all into context.

After our trip around the museum, we went out, just as a fresh breeze was blowing through to keep us cool, and climbed up through the ruins to the top, enjoying incredible views over the plain and the mountains beyond.

The coach back to Navplion was mid afternoon and so we also had time to walk the short distance down the hill to the Treasury of Atreus – this was a large bee-hive shaped tomb in the hillside which was very well preserved.

After a brief visit to Pyxis, we went for a walk along the waterfront and around the old town of Navplion.  It has many 18^th and 19^th century Venetian buildings, with narrow cobbled streets, and brightly coloured bougainvillea hanging from the walls.  Many of the buildings are now small shops and tavernas.