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Monemvasia & Mystras: Castle Climbing!
Driving from Kalamata to Monemvasia is uneventful. We approach the island castle over a 400 meter tombolo, essentially a “bridge” formed by sediment. We drive as far as allowed and get lucky finding parking close to the gate, which is the only entry to the castle. There we meet our porter, looking dog-tired but eager to help. He loads up a trolley and heads through the gate. The porter is moving fast, maneuvering over steps and large cobblestones. We scramble to keep up.
A few minutes and a 1/4 mile later, we arrive at Guesthouse Kellia, which is a perfect location. It’s mostly flat to walk to and it has a private courtyard with the most magnificent and unmarred views of the Mediterranean we’ve had yet. Our hosts guide us to a quiet cozy room in the castle.
The entire town is built within the castle walls so we head out to explore. This means more climbing. We climb stairs and sloped pathways, which are made of stones polished by centuries of trudging upward. This climb seems much higher than Nafpaktos, but it turns out they are about the same elevation. Eventually we reach the apex, and behold the Hagía Sophía built in the 12th century, as a “faithful replica” of the original in Constantinople, built in 6th century BC.
On the way back, we find a little cafe with a big view and have the best souvlaki I’ve ever tasted. Later we venture back to the center of town, which has a handful of shops and restaurants and find a sweet little cafe for dinner.
The next morning I am awakened by strange light through our window facing the sea. It turns out to be an epic sunrise. Granted I’m not a morning person, so probably haven’t seen the most sunrises, but I’ve never seen anything like this! I don’t know if all Monemvasia sunrises are like this, but wow!
The guesthouse offers a generous and scrumptious breakfast, more than any other place we’ve stayed. Bonus points for extra delicious coffee.
Our trolley porter was not only prompt, but seemed to have even more energy than the day we arrived. Once we are outside the gate and across the tombolo, we stop at a bakery to try an amygdaloid, the almond treat that Maria from Kalamata recommended. It’s covered in powdered sugar, so of course it’s delicious. We like to sample the local specialties, unless it’s fish!
On the way to Nafplio, we detour to check out the ancient town of Mystras. When we arrive, the castle looms large and pretty well taunts us. So we take the challenge and drive to the top parking lot and begin our climb. It’s pretty challenging with loose rocks and nary a handrail. OSHA would have a fit. The view is spectacular. Two STEEP climbs in two days would normally result in some aches and pains, followed by ibuprofen and/or muscle relaxers. We ar not typically in to hiking. Thankfully, both Tom and I are doing morning Egoscue stretches which seems to help us recover a bit better.
Back down to the village we stop for a beverage and some olives. The sleepy town seems nearly covered in bougainvillea, which adds to the quaintness factor.
We head off to Nafplio next …
Sometimes only once while wandering various countries do you find a hidden gem like this. Good sleuthing Julianne! This gets the quaint award….so far. I love the exterior walls – almost looks like they’re made of broken pottery chards. And the soft pastel colors broken up by small ancient-looking windows — extraordinary!
Aaah, the sunrise – spectacular!! Only one night here??
The sunrise!! Sooooo beautiful ❤️
I love that you got to stay in a castle town… if your trip ended today you already have a library full of special memories for a lifetime!
Yes, only one night. While beautiful, it’s actually pretty small, so one night is probably enough to see most everything. But more nights would be nice to bask in the beauty of this place, for sure!
And yea, Julie, it could have been a trip of a lifetime, just in the Greece portion.