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Published: November 22nd 2017
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Exploring Richness
We begin our 6th week exploring further afield in the Peloponnese; we have done some in the past with visits to Mystra , Sparta, Nafplio, Methoni, Koroni and Pylos and the western Messinian coast .This time to Monemvasia via Gythio to meet Peter for a few days before bringing him home to the Mani for a week! What Riches this land has , in antiquity, in history, in spirit , in time taken and given, in local food and produce, olive trees with their gifts of succulent fruit and oil,in wonderful wine from local vines, in landscape that opens the heart and soothes the soul and in filoxenia (hospitality and welcome) to mention but a few.
So being time rich and relaxed to the core off we go, stopping for a coffee in beautiful Gythio with it's faded Venetian air and beautiful harbour and then passing through the Laconian landscape of citrus groves, now heavily laden with glorious fruits, stretching for mile after mile. Towns and villages with people about their daily chores and business , unhurried on this cool, damp, cloudy, autumn Monday morning. We arrive before two , buying a few provisions for a simple
lunch before heading for the walled castle gate to meet our air bnb host Georgia. Our little house is not far from the ancient entrance and is itself a medieval house with thick stone walls, wooden and stone floors , an old hammam on the lower floor and views from the lounge and bedroom of the top floor over the rooftops below and the bay beyond. Peter arrives and we catch up over a perfect simple lunch at the round kitchen table of cured ham, local kefalotiri and mizithra cheese, ripe juicy tomatoes and crusty chewy fresh bread with olive oil and local organic wine! We nap to recover and then take a small gentle stroll to explore of the lower town and main pedestrian walkway with its few tavernas and bars and central square , falling immediately in love with the magic, romance and antiquity of this rock and its alleyways, buildings and fascinating history. We have a drink in a very fashionable bar ( I take my first Aperol Spritz of the trip here! Not very Greek I know but sublime nonetheless and have a gorgeous supper at the oldest Taverna in Monemvasia , Matoula, where we find
the owner to be very welcoming and the food good, enjoying melting aubergine baked in the oven with tomato and onion , local small fish freshly caught and cooked and Horta (local greens doused in olive oil and lemon), Pork chop and good oven potatoes before wending our way back to our comfortable beds and shuttered windows to dream of days gone by.....
Exploring in the daylight is a delight , we leave early in search of the many many ancient churches, the squares, the cool stone and the fortified walls of this place and drink coffee in a cool still square while we contemplate the morning air and blue sky. We wander aimlessly up and down, through and around , finding ourselves at the end of the rock at the lighthouse and then up and up we stroll , through houses with trailing bouganvillia , restored gateways and arches and up stairs where many have trod since its first extensive settlement in 580 AD ....this city has been ruled by the Byzantines, the Turks, the Venetians and attacked by the Normans of Sicily , the Greeks fled for a time and it fell into a steep decline and
neglect which has been reversed with the advent of tourism and loving care in its restoration. We find ourselves climing up and up to the top or Upper Town which is the Castle and largely in ruins but benefited from much recent restoration and the views over the lower town and the bay and peninusla beyond are breathtaking. We walk along the spine of the rock and down through a wooded hillside to the causeway finally and over to the modern town of Gyfira for lunch.
We leave on Wednesday and take a trip up to the beautiful natural Fjord of Gerakas with its stunning waterside village and fishing boats and have coffee before returning over the magnificent mountain pass in the most torrential thunderstorm yet! And wend our way home....
We marvel again at the Richness of the Time we have, the antiquities we experience and see and the people and places that touch our life here, and being able again to share it with family dear. Rich indeed.
The week with Peter we spend sharing with him some of the local mountain villages we love, visiting Aereopoli again to buy from the market and wander
the old town , swimming in the cool sea and lying on the beach on some of the particularly warm days, eating gorgeous local food at home and in a couple of our favourite places and catching up on experiences and family news whilst sipping sundowners on the terrace and playing backgammon and cards beyond the sunset. Before we know it the week has gone and on Wednesday we decide that when we drop Peter to his bus connection in Kalamata we will venture again into another unexplored area for us to the Louisos Gorge and the Northern town of Kalavryta to travel on the rack and pinion railway and visit the holocaust museum..... more riches await us.
Reflections of being halfway and beyond
Being more than halfway through our time we think about the time spent, experience gained, how we feel and about the time left . We have the benefit of time to do this slowly, to explore our own feelings and thoughts and share them with each other. This has brought us to a knowledge of how slowly and subtly we have unwound, how without noticing or realising, the many stresses have slipped
away, about how we have the richness of time and how naturally this brings us to live more in this moment and this day and savour this taste, smell , sight, sound richly and fully. How this place with its people and their richness of spirit (at least in our experience) has soothed, welcomed and relaxed us and how it's richness in provision has fed us so (MORE THAN!) amply! About how incredible it is to see and experience the ancient culture and cross culture in so many places of antiquity and heritage and how the landscape is so rich in beauty and authenticity. To be away from mass commercialism, from too much hype and news , from the stresses of business and financial responsibilities related to it, from overloaded work and diaries has enriched our lives and given time to reflect and restore ourselves, each other and our love. How richly blessed we are in family and friends and how we miss them and our contact , not desperately but enough to realise once more that these are the important things in life. To reflect on how rich we are in health, if not wealth and to have time
to tend to our physical mental and spiritual well being here and be grateful for it. How rich we have been in travel and life experiences and how much we treasure them all , good and bad for that is how we come to be here now in this place and time and be who we are. We look forward now to returning home and to pastures new although we still need to work on that ! We have noted how going past the halfway point has turned us to thinking more of the next stage and what our life might look like.
We will relax and rest now in between thinking however just because we can ! Dimitsana and Kalavryta here we come!
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