Palamidi Fortress, Nafplio, Greece
After two nights in the walled medieval stronghold of Monemvasia, we walked along its roughhewn stone streets for the last time and exited the tiny town through the sole entryway: an opening just wide enough for a loaded donkey to fit through. After reclaiming our rental car, which went unused during our stay in pedestrian-only Monemvasia, we continued on our way through the Peloponnesian Peninsula.
Known to many as the Gibraltar of the East, the tiny Greek island fortress city of Monemvasia felt to us more like the Mont Saint Michel of the Mediterranean. Both are walled, medieval strongholds, surrounded by water on all sides, and tethered to the mainland only by a single slim causeway. And while its rough-hewn cobbles and Byzantine influences set Monemvasia apart from Mont Saint Michel’s well-laid stone and grand Gothic design, walking the streets of one felt reminiscent of the other.
With that in mind we thought we’d do something a little different and invite our readers along on a short walking tour of Monemvasia’s twisting alleys.
On the road again, our odyssey through Greece’s Peloponnesian Peninsula brought us from the grandiose ancient ruins of Olympia to Kardamyli, a tiny town that made a big impression on us.
After a long, winding drive, we finally looked down from a lofty mountain road onto Kardamyli, picturesquely nestled between hillside and sea. Not easy to reach and with nary a cruise ship or tour bus in sight, this pretty village is a place you could spend an uneventful two hours or a delightfully relaxing two weeks. We spent three glorious days there and wished we had allocated more time.
After ferrying around the Greek islands and seeing the classic sites in Athens, we set out to explore more of the mainland on a twelve-day road trip. Beginning and ending in the capital city, a looped route brought us to mountainous Delphi and then through the Peloponnese, a gorgeous, historic peninsula in the southern part of the country.
