Day 7:
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The Mani Peninsula.We had a lot of stops today exploring some of the wild Mani peninsula on our way to Monemvasia. The Mani peninsula is the southernmost point of mainland Greece and its geography makes it a bit separated from the rest of the country. Maniots, the people of Mani, historically joined together in clans and built tower settlements in the hills to avoid pirates along the coasts. Violence and vendettas are a hallmark of the Maniot clans, but the area is also famous for never falling completely under Ottoman rule. It thus became the cradle of the 1821 Greek revolutionary movement. Rick Steves calls this area the Greek "Wild West," which feel pretty accurate given the somewhat desolate countryside and its tempestuous history. Although a bit desolate, the countryside is a beautiful mixture of mountains and small towns that seem to cling to the sea.
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The Mani is also home to many olive groves (like much of Greece!). We drove past many fields of these stunted trees all over the Peloponnese, which is famous for olive production (Kalamata ring a bell? It's a town on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, too.) Our first stop of the day was a quick ride outside Kardamyli to the village of Thalames for a tour of an olive oil press and a taste of Greek coffee or mountain tee. The Morea Olivenöl is run by a German couple who sell most of their production in Germany, but we got a tour of their modern olive oil production and a chance to purchase some of our own Greek olive oil and local products to take home with us.
I bought a bottle of Bio (organic) Extra Virigin Olive Oil and a jar of Fleur de Sel salt from the area to make delicious Greek salad at home! |
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It's all Greek to me!
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Greek Salad RecipeA Greek salad is simple, but it's all about the fresh, quality ingredients that make it a delicious treat! I'm not a big salad lover, but I had one almost every day of this trip.
Ingredients: Cucumber Tomato Red Onion Bell pepper (optional) Olives Feta cheese (block) - unless you want an unusually salty salad, get the block cheese NOT in brine! Lemon juice Extra virgin olive oil (Greek is best) Dried oregano Salt Rough chop your tomatoes, cut cucumber in half slices, slice red onions & bell peppers (if desired). Add veggies and olives to your bowl. Place block of feta cheese on top. Drizzle with some lemon juice and olive oil. Top with a sprinkle of oregano & salt. If you're not interested in making your own Greek salad, see the daily Greek lesson on the left to learn how to order one on your next trip to Greece! |
After making our purchases, we met up at a cafe across the street where Dafni treated us to some traditional Greek coffee or mountain tea. I chose mountain tea and it was a delicious herbal treat (even if it was a little odd drinking a hot beverage on a hot day!). Greek mountain tea is brewed from dried sideritis (ironwort), and writing about it now reminds me that I need to add some to my tea collection!
Next, it was back on the bus for a longer drive around parts of the peninsula on our way to the ghost town of Vathia. A stunning example of the Maniot tower towns, the village was built high on a hill top to protect its inhabitants from pirate raids along the coast and its tower homes are meant to be used as fortifications in case of attack. Vathia has been largely abandoned for many years. At one point, a few industrious entrepreneurs tried to turn some of the buildings into hotels and resorts, but its remote setting did not make this a lucrative business move. Nevertheless, the town remains a big tourist attraction.
Roaming the empty streets and peering into collapsed tower homes made for a unique and slightly eerie experience, but the stonework and setting offered some incredible views!
Roaming the empty streets and peering into collapsed tower homes made for a unique and slightly eerie experience, but the stonework and setting offered some incredible views!
From Vathia, we quickly stopped at Marmari for a delicious seafood lunch. Lunch was served family style and we were hungry, so I didn't get a chance to snap any photos before the dishes were devoured! But the Marmari Resort was lovely and we enjoyed a wonderful sea breeze at lunch and some exploring afterwards!
A few hours' drive from Marmari, we stopped briefly in Gythio for a WC (water closet) & ice cream break and to give Christos his needed rest. Then, it was onto Monemvasia - the city on the rock (quite literally). We stayed on the mainland in a town called Gefyra, which is just a walk (or quick bus ride) along the causeway to Monemvasia proper (the big rock in the sea). Monemvasia is an old town that seems to cling to the cliff side of the rock. The lower town is walled and was constructed under Ottoman rule in the 17th century, but intrepid souls can also climb along the cliffside to reach the upper town on a plateau at the top of the rock. I was not such an intrepid soul, but there is plenty to explore in the well-preserved lower town (versus the fairly desolate and crumbling, abandoned upper town. (I did hear from other tour members that the path is pretty rocky and that the descent is far worse than the ascent.) We had lots of time to explore Monemvasia on Day 8, but tonight we explored Gefyra's harbor and found dinner (and ice cream) with wonderful sunset views of "the rock."
As mentioned earlier, Greece is very hilly and many of the tour hotels were a steep climb from "the action." Our hotel in Monemvasia was perhaps one of the highest from town, but it offered great views! I even got a private balcony outside my room.
As mentioned earlier, Greece is very hilly and many of the tour hotels were a steep climb from "the action." Our hotel in Monemvasia was perhaps one of the highest from town, but it offered great views! I even got a private balcony outside my room.
