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Woke up early so that I could climb up to the castle, the highest and most dramatic point in the city. Sunrise was at 7:45 am so I timed it to be on top by then. It’s not a long ways to the top, just very steep, consisting of 999 steps. I started out in semi-darkness and was the only one on the trail. It was a great workout and a good way to wake up.
Made it to the top at 7:40. There is an iron door on top at the entrance to the castle. It isn’t opened for visitors until 8:00 am. I stuck around and took photos at sunrise and then opted not to enter the castle. It was only slightly higher than where I was standing outside the gate and would have cost me 8 euro just to go up and take a few more pictures. The view is outstanding. As far as you can see are low mountains, the sea and the tile roofed town. The sun in the east takes a while to clear the mountains to our east and slowly paints the landscape and town in oranges and pinks. Church bells peel periodically and it was cool to hear them clanging high above the sleeping city. It was very windy at the top and I was starting to get chilled, so eventually headed down. We are staying in a really primo location here so the walk back was less than 20 minutes.
I met Susan in the breakfast area of the pension. Their breakfast buffet is really awesome. Had cheese pie in filo dough, toast with fresh fig jam and good strong coffee. That’ll give me the strength to get up and do what needs to be done! Many of the people that we have met during our trip have been very interesting and they seem to pick me out and want to talk. I struck up a conversation with a man from Persia with a perfect American accent. He lives in San Francisco. He and his significant other (she from Colombia) were traveling all over the Middle East from Greece to Jordan, Israel and Egypt. I don’t remember how long they planned to be on the road but it had to be at least a month. It’s a good life. Another guy approached me later and the first thing he said while looking at my sandals was, “Are those Keens?” and then, "Are you following the Rick Steve's guide?" I guess it’s an American thing. He and his wife had been all over Greece on an extended trip.
After breakfast we decided to get out of town and explore a little. It is still a holiday weekend in Napflio and Saturday mornings means a massive flea market downtown. We were lucky to be able to navigate our way through the crowd on our way out of town. We chose to turn south to Tolo, a small beach town on the coast. Judging by the number of hotels, bungalows and pensions along the beach, there are likely a huge number of people during the high season. Fortunately we are at the very end of the season so we parked close and practically had the whole beach to ourselves. The beach sits on a gorgeous bay with a light brown sugar sand beach, clear water and almost no waves. Perfect for swimming or just hanging out.
People were paddle boarding and kayaking. I swam and we laid on the beach for a while. It was cool there, about 70 degrees, and the wind was up, so after being in the water a few times, we decided to head back. Took a few back roads on the way driving first along the coast and then back inland through miles and miles of orange groves. Before I leave, I’ve gotta try a fresh orange.
Interestingly, as you drive along the secondary highways and back roads, you come across little shrines. I'm not sure what their exact function is, whether to mark the spot of an accident or as a convenient place to say a prayer for safe passage. I could use one of those whenever I venture out on our highways and the insane drivers that occupy them.
It was feeling about lunch time so we went to Souri’s Souri’s which was recommended by Rick Steve’s and happened to be just a block away. Steve’s suggested that we get a couple of appetizers (mezes) but be sure to get the flaming cheese saganaki. We ended up getting a huge and satisfying Greek salad (my last best chance to eat fresh tomatoes for eight months), the flaming cheese and my new favorite, zucchini balls. It was yet another epic meal and required a good walk afterwards.
We also had some Euros burning a hole in our pockets so we strolled the gauntlet of shops and waded through the river of tourists on our way to the waterfront. We strolled for several blocks and bought a few things and then it was time for my afternoon coffee and dessert. I got a (un)healthy slice of orange cake, which is sponge cake soaked in an orange syrup. Just describing it makes me sweat. After that it was time for a break and back to the pension.
We chilled out for a couple of hours until just before sunset and then made our way to the fort above us to catch the sunset. The fort has minimal information or formal interaction and consists of a high wall and a few crumbling stone buildings. The narrow brick road that goes through it takes you up to the top and becomes a regular city street proceeding straight west into the sunset. We walked to the west end and snapped a bunch of pics over the course of a half hour as the sun receded behind the hills. That end of the hill is for some reason absolutely thick with prickly pear cacti starting at the peak of the hill and cascading down the sides to the cliff. They apparently like it up there. There were a couple dozen people up on top with us. This vantage point is popular for sunsets.
We came back down to our pension and had a ceremonial last toast to our time in Greece. We sat on our little porch overlooking the city and savored the crimson hues of dying light. Then it was time to get packed. Gotta get an early start tomorrow to get to the airport in Athens for our flight home.