This week we see people flying kites in Nafplio, visit a castle, find the (almost) perfect beach and get blown away by the scenery.
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The Detail:
Distance Covered: 175 miles
Financial: Fuel £95; Groceries £48; Zeus £9; Eating Out £6 Total £158
Stopovers: Nafplio; Larisa Castle at Argos; Anavalos Beach, Kiveri; Fokiano Beach; Kastraki, Monemvasia [3 nights]
Nafplio
Spent the day exploring Nafplio. Much quieter today than yesterday, but still really busy. Very much a tourist town.
All along the waterfront was restaurant after restaurant. All of them busy. In the narrow streets behind were the shops and businesses catering to the tourists.
For all that it’s a lovely town. The waterfront, with its Nauplion Promenade, is a delight with views across the harbour to Bourtzi Castle set against the mountains in the distance.
The Fortress of Palamidi perched on the hill above the town, reached by 999 steps up the steep slope.
A second fortress, called Akronafplia Fortress, not quite as imposing as the other, is the oldest of the three.
Many beautiful churches can be found around the town. Pretty narrow streets with overhanging balconies. The historic Syntagma Square.
Walking back to the motorhome we saw many families along the harbour and beach flying kites. It is traditional in Greece on Ash Monday, or Clean Monday, to mark the end of the carnival season with outdoor excursions and the flying of kites, often homemade.
Flying a kite is said to symbolise the freeing of the body from sin. The older people believe the higher the kite flies the more likely their prayers will be heard.
Whatever the reason, it was lovely to see so many people enjoying family time together with such a simple pleasure as flying a kite.
Nafplio to Larisa Castle at Argos
Today was a day of immersing ourselves in some of the amazing history Greece has to offer.
Nafplio may be a tourist destination, but it isn’t just for the town itself that people come to this area. There are many archaeological sites and places of interest, some small, others more extensive, just a short drive away.
Our first intended stop was an archaeological site at Tiryns. This is a Mycenaean site and the location from which the mythical hero Heracles performed his Twelve Labours. Unfortunately for us, however, it is another one of the sites managed by the Ministry of Culture, and as such doesn’t allow dogs. So we had a brief look from outside and moved on.
Next up was the Mycenaean Cemetery of Dendra. This is a good example of a Mycenaean Cemetery which, according to the archaeological finds, was in constant use from 1500 to 1200 BC. It must have been connected to an important Mycenaean settlement, possibly Midea, just a short distance away.
Which of course was our next destination. The Mycenaean Acropolis of Midea. This site is located about halfway between Tiryns and the extensive Mycenaean site at Mycenae. It is considered to be one of the most important fortified Acropolis in the area, and Midea would have been one of the main Mycenaean centres on the mainland.
From there we moved on to The Heraion of Argos. This is an ancient temple and was part of the greatest sanctuary, or place of healing and worship, in the area. In its heyday, it would have been a very impressive structure indeed.
By now time was getting on. We decided to swing by the Archaeological site at Mycenae. This is another one managed by the Ministry of Culture, so we weren’t expecting to be allowed in with Zeus. We arrived just as they were closing up for the day and took the opportunity to ask whether we might be allowed to take Zeus in with us in the morning. As expected the answer was no. We parked up and looked at the site from afar for a while, had an ice cream, and then moved on again.
The final destination for the day was Larisa Castle at Argos. This is the ancient acropolis of Argos, located on a high rocky hill, within the town’s boundaries to the west. The site has been fortified and in continuous use for 19 centuries. At the summit are the ruins of a Byzantine-Venetian castle. The hill is also home to Panagia Katakekrymeni-Portokalousa monastery, and the Monastery of Agia Marina (Saint Margaret), a nunnery. And for one night only it was our “home” too.
Larisa Castle to Anavalos Beach, Kiveri
I was woken quite early, about 6 ish, by the sound of several cars driving past. That in itself isn’t anything unusual, but bearing in mind we were parked at the top of a hill at the end of a dead-end road I wasn’t expecting to hear anything at that time of the morning. Turns out it was people returning to the nunnery nearby. Bit of a giveaway when the chanting started a little later.
The first stop today was at the pyramid of Helliniko. Yes, you read that right, Greece has pyramids too, although not on quite such a grand scale as Egypt. They are much smaller, being only about 9 meters square at the base.
There are several trains of thought as to their purpose. The most likely is that they were constructed as watchtowers to guard the ancient road connecting Argolida with Arcadia. They had a flat top where a beacon could be lit which would have been visible over a large distance.
Next up, something completely different. The old train station of Miloi. This is an example of a 1-metre gauge line, linking the Peloponnese with Athens. However, during the economic crisis of 2011, it was closed down after money had been invested in it in 2008/9 and is unlikely to ever reopen.
Over the years, apparently, since around 1955, as engines were no longer required, or broke down, they have been parked up along the sidings. There are numerous steam and diesel engines there that have just been allowed to rot. It’s sad to see such magnificent machines in such a state. I’m sure that in almost any other European country the site would have been turned into a museum and enthusiasts would be working frantically to restore them to their former glory.
The site could be truly fascinating, all the signals, water towers and other infrastructure is still there, but sadly falling further and further into disrepair.
We finished up parked on another beautiful beach for the evening. A little bumpy to get down here, but some lovely views. The far end of the beach is a little weird, what looks like some kind of unfinished building half fallen into the sea, and a little further along the coast a rather functional building which looks a little like some kind of secret submarine base out of a James Bond movie.
Anavalos Beach to Fokiano Beach
When you start to research what the Eastern Peloponnese has to offer it doesn’t leap out as being a must see destination. But that is far from the truth.
We spent a day just exploring the area today, with no real destination in mind, but moving in a generally southerly direction. We may not have covered many miles, yet we have experienced so much.
From wetlands teeming with wildlife, to hail and thunderstorms at the top of mountains. From idyllic little harbours and hidden coves to sheer mountains calling out to the adventurous climbers amongst us (not us). From wild, rugged mountains with their stunning scenic views to lush green plateaus, filled with neat lines of crops
And the finale, driving over the mountains on the narrow, winding roads to turn a corner and be greeted with a view of the most picture-perfect beach you can imagine.
And guess where we are tonight? Yup, nestled on the edge of an olive grove right on that beach. The sound of the waves gently lapping a few metres away. Looking out over the crystal clear water framed by the steep mountains surrounding the bay.
A late afternoon walk along the pebbly beach. The sun crept slowly towards the mountains. A couple of tavernas further along the beach hint at how busy it will be during the season, but closed now for the winter. The scar across the mountain where a new road has been built suggests that some investment has been made in the area to encourage people to visit. At the end of the beach, a small unmade road leads to a tiny natural harbour with a few small fishing boats gently swaying in the swell. A small wetland area behind the far end of the beach offers a haven for wildlife, and possibly a bit of a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which may be the only small downside to an otherwise (almost) perfect setting.
They say pictures say more than words, and that is certainly true today. Hopefully, they will do what we have seen today justice.
Some of the memories I will take away from today’s drive:
Waking up during the night hearing the waves slapping on the rocks, convinced the sea was undermining the beach under Lottie
The lovely Dutch couple who were parked on the opposite side of the beach at Anavalos, who we chatted to for some time before we left. They had spent some time in Greece helping with the olive harvest and were now waiting for their daughter and son-in-law to join them in their new camper.
The little peninsula with the gorgeous church at the top, surrounded by stunning new villas further down the hill, overlooking the shanty town in the next bay
Several covered picnic hexagons overlooking the sea with limited parking…along side coastal road
Lunch parked by the Moustos wetlands with Astros in the background. The castle sat atop the small hill guardian of the people who live there.
Leonidio, a small village nestling under the sheer cliffs. A Mecca for mountain climbers and other adventure sports.
The thunderstorm at the top of the mountain, with hail and lightning all around. Rivers of water cascading down the road. Getting to the top and piles of hail looking like snow
The diversion in a Leonidio to avoid some roadworks. The narrowest of streets, sharp turns, low balconies and oncoming traffic. We made it, but only just.
The 3 lads on a scooter waving and smiling happily, beeping their hooter as we drove towards each other. Me beeping the horn and waving with both hands back. Yup, there were 3 of them on one scooter, and yup I did let go of the steering wheel.
The idyllic little harbour at Sabatiki.
The lovely couple from Slovakia parked nearby on the beach. Come to Greece for the climbing and on their way to Leonidio. Their boxer dog desperate for me to throw stones by staring at my feet.
Fokiano Beach to Kastraki, Greece
We had a lovely peaceful night. Unfortunately spoilt at 8 am by the local farmer wanting to prune the olive trees right where the Slovakian couple had parked. Rather than knock on their van and ask them to move he started revving his chainsaw until they got the message. I did go out and speak to him to check if we needed to move too, but he seemed happy for us to stay there – “no problem, no problem”
We would have loved to stay there for a while but decided to move on. Two main reasons, both down to the lack of phone signal. Firstly I wanted to catch up with the computer work, and more importantly, it was Carol’s dad’s birthday and Carol wanted to ring him, understandably.
Once again we didn’t really have any particular destination in mind. We had a vague notion that we would like to visit Monemvasia after the weekend. But other than that we were just exploring, looking for somewhere to camp for a couple of days. Our only criteria are phone coverage and somewhere safe to walk Zeus.
So off we went. We couldn’t resist taking even more pictures of the beach as we climbed the coast road. Such a beautiful location.
The road here is excellent. Clearly fairly new, but something of an anomaly. It connects Kyparissi with Fokiano Beach, a distance of about 22 kilometres, but access either end is via some very narrow, winding roads. Some places it would be nigh impossible to get a larger vehicle such as a coach through. I struggled with our motorhome a few times. So why build it? Why spend all that money?
The journey along the coast was just epic. Totally unspoiled with barely any buildings or people other than the occasional farm scratching a living from the harsh land. But the views. Totally stunning.
Coming round a corner and catching a glimpse of Kyparissi for the first time literally took our breath away. Kyparissi is a secluded paradise backed by the craggy slopes of Mount Parnon and fronted by the cobalt blue of the Myrtoan Sea. Until 1970 it was only accessible by boat or on foot.
In recent years it has become well-known as a climbing destination. First “discovered” in 2005, it wasn’t until 2015 when an initiative called Climb Kyparissi was implemented that it started to become popular. There are now around 200 marked climbs in the area.
We aren’t climbers, thoughts of adventure sports are something of a distant memory. But standing in the village looking up at the dramatic cliffs through the binoculars I can understand the draw.
We stopped on the seafront for lunch before continuing our journey. Unfortunately, motorhomes aren’t welcome in the village. I can understand why. The streets are narrow and space is limited.
But it’s a shame. The local people seemed genuinely friendly, the phone signal was excellent, and it’s such a beautiful place. We would have loved to stay for a few days.
The drive out of the village into the mountains was one of the most memorable drives of my life. Fortunately, the road was very quiet, just the occasional local, because we kept having to pull over to admire the views and take more pictures.
The awesome cliffs, the tiny church which was only accessible by scaling the mountainside, the lush valleys, the winding steps down to Jerome’s House Climbing Crag. It seemed like every corner we turned presented us with another epic view.
Time to start looking for somewhere to stop. This part of the Peloponnese is sparsely populated. Not many places to stop, and patchy phone coverage. Of course, that is part of its charm. However, not ideal when we’re looking for decent internet.
We found a likely spot. Vlychada Beach. Very remote, accessed via a narrow mountain road in slightly poor condition. The reviews mentioned a phone signal, so we headed there.
The drive down was interesting, to say the least. Very narrow, with no barriers, steep hairpin bends, the road in poor condition, and herds of goats on the road. It was one of the more challenging drives so far.
When we got there, there were signs everywhere, no dogs, no camping, which made us a little uneasy about stopping, despite a couple of campers already there. Worse still, no phone coverage. We decided not to stay. Back up the mountain. Glad we didn’t meet anyone else along the single-track road.
In the end, we finished up at Kastraki. A beach close to Monemvasia. Another lovely spot right on the waters edge. We hadn’t intended coming this far, but it’s a perfect place to spend the next couple of days. There isn’t much here, just a long, narrow, sandy beach. But that suits us very nicely thank you very much.
Some menu highlights from this week
Click on the picture for further information. If you would like recipes or further information let me know in the comments
As before, There is so much more we saw and did that I haven’t included here – you’ll just have to go see it for yourself!
I haven’t gone into great detail about anything in particular in this post, so if you would like me to expand on anything please leave a comment and I will endeavor to write another separate post on the topic.
Happy Motorhoming.
Hope You Enjoy!
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