Nafplio, the city of citadels and 999 steps - Greece

haydae (66)in #travel • 6 years ago (edited)

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999 steps, and it was just the beginning. Even our hats couldn’t protect us from the burning sun, heat had our whole bodies turn into litres of sweat, our legs were shaking like crazy, but we couldn’t stop. We would beat these 999 stairs and get to the fortress. That was the promise we had made to ourselves ever since we had arrived in the coastal town of Naplio and laid eyes for the first time on that massive stone citadel resting above the city.

Our day had started early as we had jumped in the car to get to Epidavros and its world-famous theatre before everyone else. We had arrived there a little past 8 o’clock and at the time when most other tourists were still enjoying a pleasant breakfast, we were already indulging in the amazing sight of one of the best-preserved ancient theatres in Greece, and in the whole world.

Such an early wake-up supposedly meant that we would spend the rest of the day sipping a beer in one of Nafplio’s many cafés or taking a nap by the sea, but as we got back to the city, the appeal of the Palamidi Fortress was just too hard to resist to.

The fortress could be seen almost everywhere, sitting on a rocky outcrop we had no idea how to climb. Sure, the GPS told us there was a road somewhere that led to it, but we could walk all the way up there, right? How hard could that be anyway?

Still, we were contemplating all the different solutions to minimize the climb and when we noticed what looked like some kind of funicular railway on the map, we immediately jumped on the occasion. As it turned out, what we thought was a cable-car was nothing but an elevator at the end of a creepy, dark corridor. When we came out of the elevator, the fortress was nowhere to be seen but we wouldn’t give up so easily and kept walking.

We quickly noticed an old clock tower and at its feet lied the entire city: brown mountains in the back, sea as blue as the sky and in between, the red-tiled roofs of Venetian and Ottoman mansions. There was no wonder why Nafplio was so popular with tourists and we too, had fallen for its charm.

For now though, we were all alone, lost on some hill with a clock tower on our left and an intriguing no man’s land on our right, which was only waiting to be explored. Past the yellow long grass and gravel path was an ancient stone house protected by small walls leading to the sea. We climbed on the walls for a better look on the landscape and there it was taunting us, the Palamidi fortress, looking so close and yet so hard to reach.

For the first time, we also caught a glimpse of the Arvanitia beach. It was breath-taking, nested in between the fortress and the hill we had climbed by pure accident, and we could even spot a few unspoilt coves from above that tested our will to hike the fortress, when all we could do was just lay down on the pebbles or go for a well-deserved swim in the sea. However, the beach as well as the fortress was still a long way to go, and our immediate surroundings had a lot in store too.

Walking further, we discovered that we were actually strolling on a fortress of its own in the oldest part of the city, kown as the Akronafplia, or Inner Castle. It had borne witness to the troubled history of the city and its many rulers across the centuries, with its Frank strong castle, Byzantine and Venetian fortifications, Greek castle, but also its spooky abandoned hotel covered in graffiti for a bit of modern history.

The cobble-stoned streets of this unexpected ancient citadel finally led us back to the city, somewhere at equal distance from the beach and the first steps to the Palamidi fortress. Again, the struggle was very real, especially as the heat kept liquefying us, but there was no gain without some pain first. This motto would stick in our head for the next very painful 30 minutes.

Were the first hundred steps the worst? Perhaps the next hundred? Or maybe getting through the very last steps and discovering that the climb wasn’t over to get to the top of the fortress was the most difficult part. Backs bent under the burning sun, breathing heavily, thighs aching like hell, we sure looked like the two hunchbacks of Nafplio.

We tried to keep it cool though, pretending we were taking pictures when the real reason we were stopping every fifty steps was not to faint. Our little show didn’t hold much longer when we finally got to the entrance booth, faces as red as peppers, foreheads shining with all the sweat, and the guy at the ticket office asked for 8€ each. All this tedious climbing and we couldn’t even get a free pass…

Another flight of stairs awaited patiently so we gathered all that was left of our strength and courage. No need to say that the view that greeted us was worth the pain. What we had seen from the Akronafplia fell short in comparison to the scene in front of our eyes.

We could actually see the citadel very distinctly, as well as the Arvanitia beach, and on top were the entire layout of the city and the infinity of the sea, painting a stunning, vivid picture. It was hard to walk away from this perfect blend of harmonious shapes and colours. Yet, we had a fortress to discover and headed towards the courtyard where stood a tiny chapel and stone arcades that used to be prison cells.

Just like the other citadel of the city, the Palamidi Fortress had seen many rulers reign over its walls and its eight bastions had been named after the Venetian conquerors and the Ottoman after them, before falling back to Greek command. Discovering it felt now like a journey back to ancient Greek times of heroes and myths, walking side by side with Achilles, Themistocles or Leonidas in an evocative atmosphere where the smell of pines blessed the imagination as much as the imposing buildings all around. At every corner, an inviting stone gate led to reclusive ruins, thick walls for all to rise and steep paths guiding us to prettier views on the horizon.

We had made it and our legs didn’t thank us for it, but at least we were feeling some reward. Walking down the stairs, our knees were now in pain instead of our thighs and calves. When we crossed paths with another brave soul climbing the stairs and dropping a dire “Fuck”, we could feel him, but he would later be as proud as we were at that moment. A clever sign in front of a café congratulated us when we got back to the ground, offering the comfort of a fresh glass of beer, but the beach could not wait anymore.