Lazareto Monemvasia

... up the buildings of the lower town (the area built along the bottom of the cliff) and renovating it. Today, the lower town is beautiful - and all of Monemvasia is pedestrian only (no cars) because the cobblestone streets are very narrow. Supplies are brought in from the causeway each day by donkeys. There are many little art galleries, craft shops, several boutique hotels, a couple of small café bars, and a few, very nice restaurants that we ...

... play a concert;)), so we were told to meet them at 4pm in order to continue the ride with them. Meanwhile we went for a swim. I read in my guide book that at the island where we went, there had started the romance of Helen and Paris, and at the same time - the Troyan War. We spent 3 hours there, smimming in clear like a crystal and azure water and resting in a shade of trees. And then it was time to move forward, towards Diros Caves...

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 ...

... cold. The road down the peninsula to Areopoli is spectacular, with the blue Aegean on one side and the green mountains and the red tiled roofs of mountain villages on the other. At Areopoli we witness a religious procession, probably a wedding, though we don't see the bride and groom. We now leave the coast and traverse the peninsula though the mountains to the fishing port of Gythio. It is a beautiful town, and we leave our car beside the quay and park ...

... speeches and parades and more of importance for us, one of the main roads in the town will be closed to traffic fro several hours because of this and that will black the old part of town (where we are) off from the road out (where we want to go). So we pack up early and leave. We can drive most of the way to the main castle and fortifications on the rock mountain just behind the old town (and access out of this road won't be affected by the parades). The ...

Hello Everyone, We have just returned to Athens after warm sunny days in the Peloponnese. We toured archaelogical sites at Epradovos and Mycenae which were very interesting and also did a car trip across to the Ionion Sea near Olympia. Due to the warm temps we have gone to the beach everyday and the swimming has been fabulous ...

... that I knew of it. My own Ithaca was Mystras, that mystical hillside site, the last stronghold of the fading Byzantine empire, the place where the last emperor was crowned. Before I left on my journey, I had become fascinated with Mystras. The more I read about it, the more I knew I had to make every effort to see it for myself. It took every effort to see it. I wasn't certain how I would get to Mystras before I arrived in Greece. I considered stopping in Sparta and ...

... had to climb to the top of the rock. It started out with uneven steps, advanced into rocks, always upward. There was a church about halfway up and yes, you guessed it, another Sophia. Only seven of us made it to the top and it was breathtaking up there. We had lunch which I really enjoyed. It was cabbage rolls with a lemon sauce and of course, a greek salad. I was also lucky here to find a shop with olive wood items.

... Rose'. This isn't a very interesting name so we had a different one each day: Bendy Nose, Sandy Toes, Dandy Pose (after skipper Annalie's 'anchor drop' signal which is crossed arms, Adam Ant style), Wendy Wind Blows, Wendy House and finally Home She Goes. We struck lucky on day 1 with a dolphin escort, playing round our bows in the Argolic Gulf for about an hour, giving both of us a chance to admire while ...

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.