- We left Kardamyli mid morning en route to Monemvasia. In the village of Nomitsi we stopped to check out the tiny church of Ayioi Anagyroi which stands defiantly on the edge of the modern road. The name Anargyroi translates as ‘without silver’ and refers to the saints Cosmas & Damian who were twins and gave their medical skills to the poor for free.
- Crossing over to the eastern side of the Mani peninsula we stopped at Gythio for lunch. We visited its ancient theatre, had an excellent taverna meal on the waterfront, and admired the rusting hulk of the Dimitrios shipwreck at Valtaki Beach.
- There is nowhere quite like Monemvasia. It’s a towering rock island that was cut off from the mainland by an earthquake in 375 AD, and is now reconnected via a causeway.
- It’s been inhabited since the 6th C and became a major trading centre of the Byzantine Empire, famed for its trade in Malmsey wine.
- The medieval village of Kastro occupies every inhabitable surface on the rock. We stayed in the lower town for two nights. The upper town was closed for maintenance when we visited.
- It’s a place that does get a lot of visitors so it was lovely to stay for a couple of nights. Once the crowds had cleared out we could wander the narrow streets and lanes at will.
- Monemvasia seems to have a magic that it works on people.
- The couple who owned the apartment we stayed in had come to Monemvasia for a holiday and loved it so much they bought in and stayed.
- We saw a lovely poster of Monemvasia on a restaurant wall and found out that it was by the local artist Manolis Gregoreas. We went to his gallery and ended up buying three prints. He told the same story, in that he and his wife has come to visit and ended up living here.
- And the the ladies that ran the (excellent) restaurant where we saw the poster said they’d been there since 1970 i.e. 45 years.
