Don't make a habit of it

I have been postponing this for months. In the spring I had too many things to do and I wasn't sure that my feet are up to the task, in the summer it was too hot and in the autumn I was preoccupied with our imminent trip to Crete. But now I have run out of excuses. The winter is here, a winter with glorious sunny days and pleasant temperatures, I am in great physical condition and I have the time to keep exploring this beautiful place that I have found myself in!

The widest panorama of the town under the evening winter sun has a price though. A price that is counted in stairs, hundreds of them!

The legend says that there are 999 stairs on the stairway, leading from the town of Nafplio to the fortress of Palamidi. Other sources say that they are only 857. On the other hand I counted 902 of them but don't take my word for it. Stopping every now and then to take pictures and enjoy the view is not the best way to keep counting in a reliable way :)

Around the middle of the ascent there is a stone bench under an arch within the wall. A very cosy spot to sit and rest for a while, enjoying a mesmerising view. Judging from the glossiness of the rocks, on the suffuse of the bench, I would say that many thousands, if not millions of butts have sit there as I did too :)

The lowest part of the fortification was around the corner and I didn't want to reach it out of breath.

Looking down the stairway looks more intimidating than it actually is. I made the round trip (up to the castle and back to the town) in one hour and a half without feeling any particular difficulty. But I have to admit that when I returned home and sat down, a sweet fatigue overwhelmed me. Just for a while though as I went to the gym a couple of hours later :)

You should know that there is a road around the hill and you can visit the castle by car, if you would like. The first time though that I climbed those stairs, many years ago, I didn't know that. As I didn't know the visiting hours.

So I went all the way up just to see the closed door and a few days later I went again to see the castle itself. It was during that second visit that I found out that I could have driven my way there! But it didn't really matter. I was so much younger and the walk from the stairway really deserves the trouble.

Although my knees are telling me, as I write those lines:

OK, we did you the favour for this once but don't make a habit of it :)