Nauplia and the Military Fortress of Palamides …

DSC_0111Before wrapping our trip to Greece we visited the picturesque city of Nauplia.  Considered a UNESCO World Heritage site, it was certainly worth a stop.   Nauplia is said to be the birthplace of Apollo’s son Asklepios (the healer).

Looking over Nauplia looms the military fortress of Palamides. Built in DSC_0003the 18th century, the fortress was an  ambitious project that was completed within three years. The fortress provides an impressive view over the city and the surrounding countryside.

The sprawling fortress includes eight bastions, each DSC_0246one designed to be self contained.  That way, if one bastion was breached the others could be defended separately. 

DSC_0151We were a little surprised at how few guard rails were in place at the fortress … especially in areas with considerable heights.

To reach the top of the fortressDSC_0203 there are over one thousand stairs that prisoners were responsible for building. If you look, you can see Austin in his red shirt waving from this unprotected staircase. Yikes!

 

 

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