This island village (it is reached by a bridge) of Monemvasia is the epitome of living a detached lifestyle. You cannot even see the nearest next place of habitation on mainland Greece, it faces the Aegean to the east and you live here as if having turned your back on the rest of the world. It is populated by less than 1,000 people in summer and that figure drops substantially in winter. We saw very few 'residents' and those we did see were shop and taverna owners commuting in from the mainland.
The entire village is surrounded by a 10 foot high stone wall, it clings to the rock face for all it's worth and there are no vehicles inside the wall. There are no streets, only alleyways, some having room for only one person at a time walking along it. If you are claustrophobic this place will either cure or kill you. There is limited parking outside the arched gateway and you are better off owning a scooter or commuting by bus, everything is carried by hand into the village. The village in olden days consisted of an upper and lower part, the upper part on top of the rock is no more, except for the remains of two churches, of which the island had many in its heyday.
The climb to the top is steep on cobbled paving and stone steps, but the view just so rewarding across that shining Aegean Sea.
I saw no dogs but many cats, with some person feeding them resulting in unchecked breeding .... vermin control will no doubt be the excuse. There were a few tourists from the Far East staying in one of the dozen or so small hostelries looking somewhat lost and bored nibbling away on pieces of cucumber. Some shop owners prefer sitting outside in the bit of sun that reaches the alleyways during the winter months, watching us tourists with sandals and T-shirts doing window shopping.
We made our way to the stone wall at the furthest edge of town, found the opening and proceeded along a path to where it ended at what used to be a manned lighthouse, judging by the remnants of the stone buildings.
A strange place this Monemvasia, it is beautifully located on that rock, obviously has a rich and varied history, upwards of 30 churches in its day, narrow stone alleyways everywhere, tavernas and small 'hotels' crammed together, all of this clinging to the side of this rock. Good for a stroll and a day visit, but not sure whether I could stay a night or two in those cramped conditions as a tourist. As a destination for motorhomers it is wonderful due to the various parking spots and choices of views and scenery - we stayed for 10 days all over the place.
We endured a two day storm and hunkered behind this garbage truck in the main port area, see the water being churned up in the harbour where the Coast Guard is moored. We moved from the island's open exposed parking area to the semi-protected area behind the truck, further enhanced by the motorhome that stood in front of us fending off the gale force wind - very cosy!
We left Monemvasia and made for Kalamata via Sparti, where we stocked up on groceries once again, filled with LPG and stayed a night at the Kalamata marina (third time) for laundry (2 x 8kg washes) and to use their electricity plug-in points to fully charge the leisure batteries of Fifi the motorhome.
The entire village is surrounded by a 10 foot high stone wall, it clings to the rock face for all it's worth and there are no vehicles inside the wall. There are no streets, only alleyways, some having room for only one person at a time walking along it. If you are claustrophobic this place will either cure or kill you. There is limited parking outside the arched gateway and you are better off owning a scooter or commuting by bus, everything is carried by hand into the village. The village in olden days consisted of an upper and lower part, the upper part on top of the rock is no more, except for the remains of two churches, of which the island had many in its heyday.
Views over the 'lower' town
The climb to the top is steep on cobbled paving and stone steps, but the view just so rewarding across that shining Aegean Sea.
The way to the 'upper' town
Views from the 'upper' town
I saw no dogs but many cats, with some person feeding them resulting in unchecked breeding .... vermin control will no doubt be the excuse. There were a few tourists from the Far East staying in one of the dozen or so small hostelries looking somewhat lost and bored nibbling away on pieces of cucumber. Some shop owners prefer sitting outside in the bit of sun that reaches the alleyways during the winter months, watching us tourists with sandals and T-shirts doing window shopping.
We made our way to the stone wall at the furthest edge of town, found the opening and proceeded along a path to where it ended at what used to be a manned lighthouse, judging by the remnants of the stone buildings.
Old lighthouse
A strange place this Monemvasia, it is beautifully located on that rock, obviously has a rich and varied history, upwards of 30 churches in its day, narrow stone alleyways everywhere, tavernas and small 'hotels' crammed together, all of this clinging to the side of this rock. Good for a stroll and a day visit, but not sure whether I could stay a night or two in those cramped conditions as a tourist. As a destination for motorhomers it is wonderful due to the various parking spots and choices of views and scenery - we stayed for 10 days all over the place.
View from the connecting bridge
View back to the 'mainland'
We endured a two day storm and hunkered behind this garbage truck in the main port area, see the water being churned up in the harbour where the Coast Guard is moored. We moved from the island's open exposed parking area to the semi-protected area behind the truck, further enhanced by the motorhome that stood in front of us fending off the gale force wind - very cosy!
Howling gale in the harbour
We left Monemvasia and made for Kalamata via Sparti, where we stocked up on groceries once again, filled with LPG and stayed a night at the Kalamata marina (third time) for laundry (2 x 8kg washes) and to use their electricity plug-in points to fully charge the leisure batteries of Fifi the motorhome.
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