Now I begin my road trip around the Peloponnese. I figured that I would be tired of the water and the islands, so I opted for a mainland adventure!

Even though I didn’t get my sailing fix, I am so glad to be in Peloponnese. It is tourist friendly and welcoming, but still very uncrowded, which adds to it’s beauty.

I only have 6 days with the rental car, so I won’t be able to go everywhere, but I will cover a lot of interesting places and stay in different towns.

I am limited by the fact that this is a work week for me. I only took full vacation for the time with friends, so I will adventure half a day and then work starting mid-afternoon to the night – typically 3:30pm to 11:30pm. I am making sure to book accommodations in beautiful locations so even the working hours feel like paradise!

The rental car was around 20€ a day, including tire and windshield protection. Incredible! I could have gotten a mini smart car, but I opted for the normal small car because it felt a bit more sturdy.

The rental car man was extremely thorough when he reviewed with me all the tiny scratches that I was inheriting. He was kind and suggest I also review and feel free to take pictures of the car for my records, so I played along. I hope he will not be as thorough when I return the car!!

I picked up my rental car on the edge of Athens and immediately was put onto the busy streets and highways. I’m glad I know how to drive on the right side of the road. It is hard enough trying to distinguish street and city names in the Greek alphabet! My GPS didn’t even attempt to pronounce any of the names; she just says “turn right in 500 meters.”

I’m also extremely grateful for eSIM phone and data connection as well as external batteries. These have kept my trip more smooth and efficient.

I hadn’t decided yet where I was going to sleep tonight. If I choose to do the route counter clockwise, it would be Dimitsana. If I choose to do the route clockwise, it would be Nafplio. Either way, I had to pass through Corinth. I decided to postpone my decision and head to the Corinth Canal!

The Corinth Canal

I’m enjoying that there aren’t parking fees for any of these attractions. I suppose they expect people to buy from one of the restaurants or shops. I decided to buy chips and a Fanta Limon from one of the shops. I bought fancy looking “long chips” that tasted similar to Pringles but shaped flat and long like a lasagna noodle. They were delicious, but difficult to eat in the wind. I enjoyed my snack above the Corinth Canal, and I was lucky to see a few boats pass through!

Nemea

I decided to head to Nafplio for the night. On the way, I drove through Nemea, the famous wine region, and stopped at a vineyard, Ktima Palivou, for a tour and a tasting.

There’s a famous grape of the region, Agiorgitiko, named after Saint George. It is a red wine grape. Elsa, the woman who gave me the tour was very knowledgeable, but I don’t remember much of the facts and figures. The only other information I was able to retain was that their vineyard is totally natural and some of the land is of different dirt like clay or sand and that enhances the wine. They thoughtfully plan specific types of grape based on the land composition.

Mycenae

I headed to a famous archeological site next, Mycenae. It is one of the more famous archeological sites of the region and is characterized by the Lions Gate. I quickly scurried through the museum and didn’t read too many descriptions. My plan was to wander around and take it all in.

By the Lions Gate, I offered to take a picture of four French tourists so they could have at least one picture all together from their trip. They said “Cheese!,” so I said “Fromage!”

Then I wandered around a bit more and kept the journey going.

Nafplio

I arrived to Nafplio and the few places that I contacted did not have any available rooms, so I walked into a local hotel, and they had a room! Opa! Now I could relax and enjoy Nafplio. There were cute streets to walk around.

I parked on the edge of town because, although I enjoy driving, I am not a confident parker. I’m worried I will crash into something or park in a “no parking zone.”

Nafplio is apparently a place that rich local people from Athens like to visit for the weekends. I felt that it was a good mix of tourists and Greeks.