"This morning we'll head east to the fortified city of Monemvasia - perched atop a massive rock, surrounded by the Aegean Sea." Monemvasia held a high place on my must-see list for Greece. I would have liked to spend the night, but was willing to settle for a day trip. Lonely Planet (David, presumably), called it the Gibraltar of Greece, "rising dramatically from the sea". Matt Barrett also invoked Gibraltar. Having found the actual Rock of Gibraltar worth visiting mostly for its "England in Spain" vibe, and the hazy views of Africa, I was more taken by the photos than the text.
The photos had been accurate - Monemvasia looked like a small fortress, unaccountably adrift in the Aegean, but came nowhere near Gibraltar's size, and rather than needing to cross an active airport runway to reach it, we boarded a shuttle bus to drive the narrow causeway joining it to the mainland .
The cluster of buildings at the island end of the causeway had been largely taken over by the tourist industry - we were greeted by a narrow street packed with souvenir shops and cafes. I was reminded of the similar gauntlet run by visitors to Mont St. Michel in France, although here the rock was crowned by a ruined fortress rather than an abbey.
At Mont St. Michel, the path up from the town is easy to follow, here it took David three attempts at finding his way along narrow lanes, winding between stone walls, to get us started upwards. Some stayed at sea level, but a fair-sized group tackled the trek. I'm not sure the ruins were worth the exercise, but the views definitely were. And again, wildflowers brightened the hillside and perfumed the air.
Back in town, I ate so-so calamari and Greek salad on a terrace with views that more than made up for the food. Then I wandered the streets, resisting the souvenirs but enjoying the old buildings, and decided this was the kind of place that would come into its own when the day-trippers left.
"After exploring this fascinating city, we'll head back to Gythio for some afternoon relaxation." After the drive back, five of us walked the promenade in Gythio to visit the museum (closed) and the lighthouse, and then picked a cafe for coffee and ice cream. The high point of our time in Gythio, though, was the group dinner. The General Store may sound more like a grocery shop than a good restaurant, but the name is deceptive.
I soon as I tasted the first course, loukaniko, local sausages sauteed with orange and ouzo, I knew David had found us a good place. Next came a twist on Greek salad - paximadhi - tomatoes, cheese, olive oil and lemon over bread. I followed that with chicken, cooked with brie, mustard, tarragon, and white wine, and still-firm green beans. I don't have a sweet tooth, and my notes don't mention dessert, but they do record that we finished with a local grappa called tsipouro. Good thing I had burned calories hiking at Monemvasia!
Design and content © Copyright 2006 - 2007, Kathy Wilhelm
Contact: webms
Intro