Goulas Hotel Monemvasia

... Wojna Trojanska. Spedzilismy tam 3 godziny, pluskajac sie w krystalicznie czystej, lazurowej wodzie i odpoczywajac w cieniu drzew. A potem czas bylo ruszyc dalej, w strone jaskin Diros... ENGLISH: After Sparta we headed towards Diros Caves. We skipped (from what we`d heard - beautiful) Mistra, as in the sunny heat we managed to stop two Bulgarian guys - apparently musicians, that drove us to Githion. They were supposed to do sth there (or ...

My best friend during Elementary School was Nick Kastanias, whose family is proud of its Greek heritage. Nick's Dad (Mr. K) retired from his job in south Florida and moved back to Greece 11 years ago. He was nice enough to host and entertain me during my fantastic stay in Greece - which largely centered on his lovely hometown of ...

... tree cutting branches. Her husband is seated below giving instructions. Somehow I can't see Miryam up a tree in our garden, while I sit below with a beer offering helpful advice. There are three villages, Kardimili, Old Kardimili and New Kardimili. The village of Kardimili remains a true Greek village with fishing port and olive groves. New Kardimili is the beach area with luxurious summer homes and condos. Old Kardimili on the hillside above the main ...

... of the island then the village of the Lower Town, then massive vertical cliffs and finally high above, the huge fortifications around the top of the rock, where the Upper Town was built. Only the Lower Town is lived in now and its in very good repair as it's a major holiday and tourist destination, especially for Greeks. The houses and buildings of the Upper Town are in ruins now, but the fortifications are still mostly intact. At its peak, around 50,000 ...

Ithaca When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge. The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops, the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them: You will never find such as these on your path, if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine emotion touches your spirit and your body. The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops, the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter, if you do not carry them within your soul, if your soul does not set them ...

We spent several hours exploring the rock village of Monemvasia. (Mono = single, emvasie = one entry/door) Established in 6th c. AD. This is an island (surrounded by the Aegean Sea) reached by a narrow bridge that has a weight-limit so we had to take a small shuttle across. Then once to the city gates the streets are rock paved and about 6 feet wide so all transport is by foot including carrying loads by pack animals, mules/horses. We saw many of them ...

... at rowing an inflatable dinghy! Must take some lessons from the celebrity who was on my transfer last week!<br><br>Three more high season weeks left, Andy and I are teaching the improver group together next week which should be fun, and then I have a week as 'beach assistant' where I intend to do lots of tweaks, tinkers and improvements. As always we love to get letters and e-mails so keep in touch, and lots of love

I discovered years ago that an essential to comfortable cycle-touring was a good map with well-marked contours. Unfortunately I was well into the countryside before I realised that my map of the Peloponese had contours every 300 meters. Thus, Wales would have looked flat. Usually, however, one can usually overcome such small irritations by looking at the lie of the road on the map. If it does lots of zig-zagging then its' a pretty fair bet that the road is going up ...

It is September, and we have decided to visit MANI this time. Our first stop is at GYTHIO, where we have lunch. Gythio is a beautiful port and so our lunch includes my favorite dish which is KALAMARI, sea shells, mussles, and of course my favorite starter OUZO.