I rented a car in Nafplio after not driving for 2 1/2 months. I couldn't get where I wanted to go without long bus rides, transfers and inconvenience, so I branched out of my comfort zone and rented a car. When given the option for full insurance coverage for an extra $10 euro a day, a smiled and said "absolutely". Our car is lemon yellow. Hard to lose. Small. Hard to hide our belongings in the trunk as recommended, since they don't fit! A manual transmission no less, like the rest of the Greeks.
We left Nafplio with the destination in mind of Montemvasia, on the southern coast of the Peloponnese. The scenic route was to be about 4 hours, which is, of course, what I picked. Today was the first day of rain we had seen since Poland, and even that was immaterial. Today it poured. Within the first 30 minutes, the back wind shield wiper broke and I had to turn it off. Soon to follow was thunder and lightning.....the waves crashing over the guard rails onto the "scenic drive".
So, the thing about road signs in Greece is that they are sometimes in Greek. This means you don't know what the hell they say. Sometimes they are in Greek and English, then there is some hope. My theory was to just wind along the ocean, knowing we couldn't get too lost, at least for awhile. All along the drive are concrete or stone memorials for those whom have died in car accidents, not very reassuring.
The first adventure was corner #1. I was going a little too fast in my manual transmission bright yellow car around a corner. When I slowed with the brakes, they locked. I told Molly to hold on as we slid, like on ice, around the corner, me twisting the steering to shift away from the 10,000 foot cliff. Luckily no fast oncoming cars. We survived that corner with hearts beating and a new respect for the wet roads and sharp turns. I drove very slowly the rest of the way on a very, curvy, cliffside road. I think it was the car, not the driver and I did check for bald tires.....
We continued on. Very rarely does Molly tell me to slow down, but she did today. We started heading away from the beach and through a mountain pass, still raining, still curvy and very steep. Even in the grey and rain, it was still majestic and beautiful. The only thing making it better was the next corner. We came face to face with a huge herd of goats being chaperoned through the pass by a lonely goatherd and his dog (should have seen this in Austria, not Greece). I stopped the car as the goats all hesitated and nervously passed, curious about me cooing and calling to them.
So, the signage is very difficult. Add to that, this: the main road does not miss the towns, it goes right thru them. Right thru the central plazas, winding thru one lane streets that are two lanes, around pedestrians, up, down, and no signage so you really are guessing most of the time. An old man stopped me in one town. I didn't know what he wanted, so I rolled down the window and asked. I think he wanted to ride with us somewhere and I said no, sorry. When you get out of the other side of such a village and find the main road again, you sigh a big sigh of relief.
Our passage thru the mountains was lonely. Besides the goats, we saw no other sign of life for over an hour. The lines in the road disappeared. We trudged along, with no other option really. Molly was thrilled when we saw a house, another car and finally lines on the road and a sign to Monemvasia (in English). We arrived after a 5 hour drive, one bathroom stop and really bad coffee, and a few directional mishaps, combined with the slow average of 20 miles per hour along the wet, curvy road. I have to say, Molly was a great sport on this adventure.
We found a lovely hotel room with a view of the water and the castel we have come to see. A measly 30 euro a night, it is a bargain during the slow winter. Good thing there is internet, because the rain continues, the dark night has set in and Molly and I have played enough backgammon for the night. Bed at 9 sounds okay, the drive wore me out.
