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Published: September 5th 2012
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Approaching Monemvasia
If you look closely, you can see the road with cars parked along it. The walled city is on the right at the bottom. Monemvasia is a town and a municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small peninsula off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The peninsula is linked to the mainland by a short causeway approximately 200m in length.
Its area consists mostly of a large plateau 100 metres above sea level, up to 300 m wide and 1 km long, the site of a powerful medieval fortress. The town walls and many Byzantine churches remain from the medieval period.
The town's name derives from two greek words,
mone and
emvasia, meaning "single entrance". Monemvasia's nickname is
the Gibraltar of the East. Apparently, it used to be a part of the mainland until an earthquake separated it from the mainland.
The town and fortress were founded in 583 by people seeking refuge from the Slavic and Avaric invasion of Greece.
From the 10th century AD, the town developed into an important trade and maritime centre. The fortress withstood the Arab and Norman invasions in 1147; cornfields that fed up to 30 men were tilled inside the fortress.
Monemvasia was a destination on our itinerary that I had never heard of. When we spoke to several
Million Dollar View
It's the simple things... even the furniture. people on the cruise ship who had done the Mediterranean before, they had never been there. Apparently the larger ships don't go here because the port isn't big enough to accommodate the bigger vessels. Being a smaller ship with approximately 600 people, we were the only ship in port that day, leaving us this incredible place all to ourselves.
We got off the boat and walked to the town along the only road on the island. There were shuttles buses for the "older set" but we opted for some exercise. It was another sunny day and the mercury continued to climb. When we were sweating it out in Italy, someone warned us that it was going to get hotter as we made our way through the Mediterranean. They didn't lie. I thought I was used to heat after being in Tanzania, but I tell you, hot is hot and I don't think you really ever get used to it.
The shoreline was remarkable, rugged and dotted with stone buildings along the way. The yellowish stones gave this place a warmer feeling, rather than the colder grey stones we had become accustomed to in other cities. We arrived to
the main entrance to the town and it was like walking into a fairy tale... beautiful solid stone buildings, cobblestone pathways and houses and shops that were definitely from another time.
The walkways (I won't say streets since there are no cars allowed in the city), are a labirynth of twists and turns... One minute you are waking along the seawall enjoying the view and next thing you know you are in someone's courtyard. The locals must love the tourists showing up on their doorsteps!
Laurie and I walked the paths until we got to the far end of the town where the wall and lookout tower stood and the island fell off into the sea. From there, we decided to head up the hill to the old chapel that stood high over the city. Once we figured out where the correct path was, we put our heads down and started to climb.
After our adventure in Kotor, I thought this would be relatively easy. Wrong again! The heat was crazy, the humidity hung like a wet sheet in the breeze, and neither of us are young! (I am younger than she is, though... just sayin'😉. We
were doing pretty well, but we kept passing people on their way down and they were soaking wet, shirtless (the men) and warning us of the slippery stonework on the paths.
We stopped several times for water breaks and to take photos. Somehow, in the the pictures, Laurie doesn't look like she is breaking a sweat and I look like I just ran through a sprinkler.
The climb was well worth it. The view of the water along with the town was impressive. To be honest, the chapel at the top, while very old, wasn't all that exciting... and it was closed! I have no pictures of it. We took photos of the view from the top and then headed down the slick rocks (smooth from all those years of people climbing and descending). The path, which wasn't clearly marked (which made the trip even more of an adventure) dumped us out right in the middle of the shops and restaurants.
We, once again, rewarded ourselves with lunch on a shaded terrace and enjoyed an sampling of authentic Greek appetizers. I ordered a beer. When it arrived in a heavily frosted mug, I almost cried with joy.
From there, we explored the shops but there was nothing of great interest to us. Monemvasia is relatively new as a tourist destination so the options were limited... very nice but limited.
As we left the walled city, we passed the local cemetary. It was closed on Mondays so we couldn't go in for a closer look. I stuck my camera through the bars to give you an idea of how the dearly departed are spending eternity there. First of all, there were enough pictures and trinkets at the gravesites that they will never feel lonely. Secondly, they have this amazing view from their final resting place... Give me a view like that and I wouldn't care if anyone ever came to visit me.
Next Port of Call, Santorini!
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Jeff
non-member comment
Re: resting place.
I'll come visit you Bobby!