Greece 18 - Monemvasia - orange juice and croissants /Gibraltar of Greece

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Suzy the motorhome has just driven past the aire in Monemvasia, over the causeway and headed up the hill towards the old town where she found a parking spot almost at the top. There were a number of cars already parked up the hill and we thought the place would be heaving however it appeared that most of those cars belonged to the residents who would have found it impossible to park next to their homes due to the low and narrow gateway to the town. This gateway gives no indication of the beauty of the place within the walls.

Monumvasia is another hill town fortified and built on two levels. Yes you guessed it - the Lower Town and the Upper Town. It sits on a rock some 1150 feet above sea level and is barely noticed from the seaward side . Known as the Gibraltar of Greece it does appear like an island and has similar characteristics. It cannot be seen from the sea which made it ideal to defend. Once up there it looks nothing like Gibraltar and just a fanciful description made up by some British madman.

We entered the town through the western passageway. This is the only way in and the gateway leads to a narrow labyrinth of steep streets all leading uphill. Monemvasia means one entrance. You cannot access the town any other way but through this one gate .

Monemvasia has for centuries enjoyed its existence as semi automous city state. The Upper Town is totally ruined and the only things up there are We stopped off at a small cafe where we drank fresh orange juice and ate hot croissants whilst looking out through his windows to the sea beyond. Fine views of a deep blue sea. We feel that we need to pinch ourselves as we must be in a dream world.

It is hard to describe the place , dark little alleyways which do not let in the sunlight. boutique hotels and cafes line the narrow streets. Picturesesque houses with folks going about their day to day business. Quaint corners and courtyards.with pretty Byzantine churches sadly all closed as we were too early to see them. . We walked up and down steps until we arrived at the sea wall. The place is popular with day trippers but luckily we had the place to ourselves.On the walls wreaths made of purple statice or bunches of fresh flowers.



We stopped for a fresh orange juice and hot croissant in a tiny café with a window facing the brilliant blue sea. What a lovely spot for breakfast . If only we could bottle it and take it home with us.. The square was nothing short of charming. Us and two others so plenty of photo opportunities .

From here it was possible to walk down narrow alleys with just room for one person to slide between the house walls. These little alleyways lead down to the sea and the walls that defended the town. We walked the southern ramparts with one eye on the town and the other on the sea . Monemvasia is in a cove and cannot be seen from the sea. We walked and walked – all the time feeling as if we were in a dream world. No voices , no people. Only one way in . Monemvasia actually means one entrance and it was certainly true here.

We walked the southern ramparts to the sentry walk . All the time with the sea twinkling to one side of us. This is one of those picture perfect places. The sort of place you want to bottle up and take home with you.



The town did wake up though as the young adults from college turned up and piled into the streets. Their laughter and chatter echoed and bounced off the walls.

We just keep finding these little gems around every corner. Suzy has come up trumps again.



Sometimes things don't go according to plan. Today was one of those. After Monemvasia we had made plans to stop of Gythio the Gateway to the Mani supposedly a lively little town with a good nightlife and excellent shops. . Our Michelin Guide enthused about it being the most attractive town in the Pelopennese. I can testify it was the busiest. Its main street was heaving with cars making it fairly impossible to park Suzy. Cars were manoevering into whatever space they could find. A nightmare in anyones books. The quayside to be fair did look inviting with plenty of cafes and shops but there was no way we were getting to see any of it. The Mani is famous for its Maniot feuds and its towers that make it a mini San Gimignano. Talking of feuds we have generally found the Greek driving is not as bad as we expected. However a few days after leaving Gythio we were passed by a young impatient Greek driver honking as he overtook us and giving us rude gestures as he past by. Well you always have one of them don't you?

We stopped the night at Camping Gythion Bay. We are back in the land of water filled swimming pools and receipts . Of Germans and Dutch and the few French thrown in. The campsite was a little too far out of Gythio. There was a bus which stopped outside the campsite but the times were vague . We never did work out the times so gave up in the end. The site owner was pleasant and Dutch. It was an ACSI site which meant it would cost 17 euros per night to stay.

Clean toilets and showers, a beach close by but the restaurant was closed. There was a garage opposite with a small supermarket. It was dark and gloomy inside , sold no bread but I could buy string. The owner took an age to come and serve me. I almost gave up . . It reminded me of Arkwrights shop in Open All Hours. Swifts nested in the eaves of the showers. We had intended to stay a couple of days but because we were not able to get into Gythio we changed our minds. This was not quite the heaven of a campsite we were looking for. Having said that there were some pretty big oranges on the trees that needed picking and who was I to refuse to do them. They are delicious cut into quarters, ripe and juicy. The oranges made up for the lack of a restaurant and fresh bread.

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