Nafplion, Greece (Day 1 of 4): A Riot of Color and Sound

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It’s our fourth day in Greece. Yesterday, we picked up a rental car at the airport and drove from Athens to Nafplio—about two hours by highway. Rob got his bearings behind the wheel quickly, and we arrived in one piece at our next stop: a weekend beach destination popular with Greeks. As our waiter confirmed last night over dinner, they don’t see many Americans here. “Mostly Italians, Belgians, Polish, and folks from the UK,” he said. We chose Nafplio partly for that reason.

The town has a population of around 25,000, and like many places in Greece, its economy runs largely on tourism.


We’re still hunting for a SIM card so Rob can use his phone. When I reminded him of this last night, he shrugged and said, “Phone. What phone?”—clearly not missing the tether to the life we left behind in the U.S. Still, we’ll try to get one today; relying on a single device in a country where English isn’t guaranteed and maps are essential feels a little precarious.

A few early observations about Greek culture:

  • Mangy but mellow cats are everywhere, fed by countless bowls of food and water left around by kind strangers.
  • Men don’t leer at women in public. I chalk this up to Greece’s deep family orientation.
  • Packs of joyful children are always out playing—and almost none of them have phones. In fact, people in general don’t walk around with their faces buried in screens.
  • At restaurants, a basket of bread and a large bottle of water appear automatically. If you touch them, you bought them.
  • In Athens, the tap water is safe to drink. In Nafplio, not so much—the infrastructure’s dated, so filtered water is a must.

Today’s mission: the beach, and maybe that elusive SIM card.

Photos: Old Town Nafplio is a riot of color—blooming flowers spill from every corner, and the sound of children’s laughter floats through the streets. Our Airbnb is tucked down a beautiful, narrow alley that no car could ever squeeze into.





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