Monemvasia

The entrance to the old city

Monemvasia is maybe the most well known castle-city in Greece. It's situated about 290 km from Athens and you can reach it with a car in about 3,5 hours. Looking at a map you can find it in the right ''leg'' of Peloponnese region. Starting from Athens you follow the national highway to Korinthos-Tripoli and when you reach outside Tripoli you leave the highway following the exit towards Sparti. When you pass Sparti you go on for about 15 km until you see the signs to Monemvasia (You shall see a bridge over the road at this point). From there you have to drive for about 70 km to reach Monemvasia.
This beautiful fortified ancient city is built on a small island which is connected with the rest of Peloponnese with a small bridge. Both the fortified city and the village outside the walls are called Monemvasia.
If you book a hotel room inside the walls you must be prepared to pay more and leave your car outside the city. This could be a problem if you carry too much baggage. On the other hand staying on the village outside the walls is in my opinion better, as you are close to the old city and you make your life easier at the same time. Especially on a very hot summer day (something which isn't rare there) believe me........you wouldn't like to search for your hotel on foot while holding a suitcase.
Of course I have to admit that the old city inside the walls is far more beautiful than the village outside.





Monemvasia from inside the walls

Once you are inside the walls you feel like going back centuries. Take your time to wander the cobblestone alleys and feel free to get lost! The city isn't so big so eventualy you will find your way back. All around you can see many churches (some of them really old) and in my opinion you should climb the steps and uphill root that reaches the higher spot of the city where the church of Agia Sofia (Holy Wisdom) is. The view from there is simply breathtaking. You not only see the whole city from above but your gaze is captured by the endless blue of the sea. Of course you should wear the right shoes and be prepared for approximately a 15 minute difficult walk.
Monemvasia was the place of living of Yiannis Ritsos. Ritsos was a great Greek poet and his house can still be seen inside the walled city. Outside his house you can see his marble bust.

The house of Yiannis Ritsos

After a long walk inside the city and especially if this walk was under the hot summer sun you can rest and have coffee or food in one of the cafes or restaurants. All these cafes and restaurants are also ancient houses or made like ones so as not to alter the city's character. Some cafes and restaurants are also outside the walls in the new city.

Cobblestone alley

One of the many ancient churches of the city

Cobblestone alley at night

Part of the new city with tavernas (restaurants) by the sea

As I mentioned before you can't go with a car in the old city and you have to park it outside the walls but if you don't go early in the morning you may not find a parking space. Maybe the best solution is to leave your car in the new city and take the local bus to go to the old city. It's less than five minutes drive. Closing this post I would like to remind you that if you are keen on making a tour around Peloponnese, Monemvasia surely deserves your attention!

Limeni (Peloponnese, Mani)

Limeni (view from the entrance of the village)
 

Every start has it's difficulties (as this is my first post) but I will do my best to inform you about this beautiful destination called Limeni. As you can see this foto is taken in 2009 but since then I have returned many many times just to sit by the sea and look at the beautiful view. Limeni is a small graphic village located in Mani (Peloponnese region) and it is famous for it's crystal clear waters, the old noble houses built of handcrafted stone and the taverns that offer fresh fish. When we say Mani we mean the middle peninsula of Peloponnese region.Other famous places in Mani is Gytheio, Areopoli, Diros (with the famous caves), Kotronas, Gerolimenas. Limeni is about 280 kilometers from Athens (about 3,5 hours with a car).Starting from Athens you follow the national road to Korinthos-Tripoli and after Tripoli you follow the provincial road towards Sparta-Gytheio-Areopoli-N.Itilo. After Gytheio and while driving to Areopoli you shall see the wild beauty of Mani. Mountains with nothing but very low plantation nearly bare, overlooking amazing little gulfs with crystal waters. It's easy to visit Limeni either you stay in Gytheio or Areopolis or Gerolimenas but it's not advisable to do so as a day excursion from Athens. Even though there are some appartments and hotels for holiday rental in Limeni in my opinion it's better to stay in a larger place like Gytheio in order to have more options for entertainment and visit Limeni for swim and lunch. It's so small that it doesn't even have the smallest shop.There are only taverns!

the essence of greek summer (beer or ouzo and greek food by the sea)



picture taken from tavern 'to magazaki tis Thodoras' 



Limeni doesn't have an organized beach.In the entrance of the village (at the end of the downhill road take the left u turn) it has a fantastic bay where you can swim but you have to climb down some rocks (not steep at all-even kids can do it).When it's time for lunch you can be sure that you will eat well! 4 tavernas in such a small village ensure that you will have plenty of choice as where to sit and have lunch. If you choose to eat fish you can rest assured that is fresh but be prepaired to pay much more than if you choose a variety of other dishes. Most of the times I use to go to the tavern you meet first while going into the village.You can find it on the same u turn I described above. It is called ''to magazaki tis Thodoras''. It's not specialized in fish as the other taverns but it has nice ''mezedes'' (variety of greek dishes).
Closing this post I would like to say that this beautiful village offers tranquility and amazing pictures to every traveller along with nice food but unless you like total calmness and isolation you should stay elsewhere and just visit Limeni as a day excursion.
Believe me.......the colour of the water, the smell of grilled fish and the amazing view will stay in your memory for a long time!