This morning we woke up facing the beautiful city of Nauplion, the first capital of modern Greece. A small picturesque town with a wonderful defensive system since a series of castles, bastions and walls protected the settlement from all sides.
We disembarked and left to explore the area of Argolis where we were, heading first to Mycenae and then to Epidaurus.
After a short drive we saw the “well built” and “rich in gold” Mycenae, as Homer calls the city, the kingdom of Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks in the war of Troy. A fascinating place, admirable for its cyclopean walls, the major gate adorned with the Lions relief and the breathtaking location it occupies. Before leaving we stopped to visit a monumental tomb called the treasury of Atreus . We were amazingly impressed by the size, the engineering skills of these people 3,250 years ago.
Then we continued on to visit the best-preserved theater in Greece, in Epidaurus, where in ancient times we had a sanctuary of the healing god Asclepius. The whole sacred area was destroyed in antiquity, except the theater, which is in an excellent condition, with a capacity of 14,000 spectators, still used today and famous for its acoustics.
Returning to Nauplion we sailed right away to enjoy our last afternoon sailing in the Aegean.
Farewell Sea Cloud. We had a wonderful time. We will be back.
