Highlights of the Peloponnese

I’ve just spent a few days in the far south of Greece. I’ve always thought you get plenty of Greek Island charm without leaving the mainland if you head for the Peloponnesian Peninsula. It’s all within about 3 to 4 hours by car from Athens. Over the next few days, I’ll share video clips taking you to some of the remote wonders of this corner of Greece.

 

three-oranges.jpgThe tomatoes aren’t as tasty as my Greek travel memories — a lesson in going with what’s in season. But the oranges are incredible. What more could a traveler want after a long day of exploring than a sunset from his hotel balcony with three fine oranges? This photo is from Hotel Anniska in Kardamyli.

 

nice-nun.jpgJust as you’ll find more life in the desert than you’d expect (when you know where to look), little vestiges of traditional Greece survive in the Peloponnese — if you know where to look. At Mystras, once a leading city in the Byzantine Empire, the population is down to seven nuns. And, in these economic hard times in Greece, they survive by selling their handicrafts. Dropping by here, I was greeted with more warmth than I expected, as this nun brought me a sweet cake and some holy schnapps. I was told that these sisters, thankful for the groups we bring by with our tours and the individuals who drop by with my guidebook, include my guides and me in their prayers each day.

 

trail-and-monemvasia.jpgMonemvasia is considered “the Gibraltar” of Greece. A few days ago, I saw a postcard featuring an aerial view of this fortified town on a rock under a castle. It looked so otherworldly I thought it was a computer-generated fantasy. But no, it’s actually Monemvasia — one of the most striking fortified towns you’ll see anywhere in Europe. In this photo, you get a sense of how the dizzying trail plunges from the stony citadel to the town.

 

vathio.jpgGreece feels depopulated in general as in recent generations young people have migrated to Athens in search of jobs. But since the current economic crisis started the flow has reversed, with lots of people (jobless in overcrowded Athens) heading back to the villages. But the ghost towns of the rugged Mani Peninsula, in the far south of Greece, are forever barren — alive only with the wind rustling through the towers of long-gone warlords and the tales of bloody vendettas. Pictured here is Vathia.

 

bee-keepers.jpgAny love affair with Greece is made sticky in part by honey. All over the countryside we found groups of beehives as beekeepers shuttled them from wildflower patch to wildflower patch in search of the sweetest action.

 

end-of-road.jpgA fun thing about travel is reaching “the end of the road.” England’s Land’s End, Cape Flattery at the Northwest tip of Washington (my home state), and Cape Sagres in Portugal.  Here in Greece, it’s Cape Tenaro at the end of the Mani Peninsula, where ancient Greeks understandably believed the dead met the masters of the underworld. What is your favorite “end of the road” spot?

Comments

8 Replies to “Highlights of the Peloponnese”

  1. My favorite is Fisterra, just out from Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Went there a couple of years ago with dear friends, doing some of the Camino stops along the way. Watched the sun go down out on the rocks near Fisterra.

  2. L’Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland where the Vikings landed a millennium ago. The land peters out into boulders and sea and you feel that you have come to the of the world. If you were a member of The Flat Earth Society, you could easily believe the edge was just beyond the horizon. Even if you are not a member, you could still easily believe that.

  3. I did the RS Athens and the Heart of Greece tour in 2006 and loved the Peloponnese. But I would also put in a good word for northern mainland Greece, which I did on my own, mostly on KTEL buses.

    My favorite end of the world place isn’t physically an end of the world, but it was the end of the Roman world for a while – Hadrian’s Wall. But I also love the Cornish coast, so the area just north of touristy Land’s End would qualify.

  4. Greetings,

    My favorite is Key West at U.S. Hwy 1, Mile Marker 0.

    Cheers,

    Jeff Doppelganger

  5. For great reading on this part of Greece read Patrick Leigh Fermor’s book on his summer hike through the Mani. It’s oneof those books I read every other year or so.

    Favorite end of the road spot is Hwy. 130 onthe Big Island – drive out as Far East as you can go… And across the lava fields and thousands of miles of ocean., somewhere out there is the mainland of North America.

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