Peloponnese

We rose early to a grey sky for our ferry back to the mainland to herald the final leg of the trip, a road trip across the Peloponnese to the Vassellisi in the south west corner of the Peloponnese. The trip took us through winding mountains roads, coastal villages and a landscape peppered with ancient sites.
To enter the Peloponnese you must cross the Corinth Canal, carved from solid rock, which was cut to link the Ionian and Aegean Seas. We were lucky enough to time a coffee break at the mouth, to see tug dragging a cruise ship through the canal, we waved and so did they...

Epidavros is the site of the World Heritage Listed 14000 seat, Epidavros Theatre, where performances have been applauded for over 2000 years. The experience of sitting in the top row and hear normal spoken word from the performance area, matched with the view was amazing.


We found Rigas Pension in Nafplio old town and went exploring the next day in the 16th century Palamidi Fortress towering high over the town. Our host for the hight was a Greek fellow from Sydney who’d fallen in love with Nafplio and decided to spend over 3 years of his life renovating a Pension. 2.5 Million Euro and it’s yours..



On the way to Gythio where we enjoyed even more fresh Calimari we stopped at World Heritage Mycenae ruins dating back to the 3rd Century BC.

We travelled on along the coast road heading for Mt Parnonas. The roads narrow and bend as they wind through the villages, which were not built for heavy traffic. Close to the crest of the mountain we stopped to avoid a tourist taking a photo, then we looked up. The Moni Panagias Elonis Monastery is perched on a shelf in the rock with a large part of the mountain overhanging the building. Space may be tight but they have a veggie patch, chickens and goats for their daily needs.


We made it to Kalamata and after a few crazy minutes in traffic, nice driving babe, (tip Lonely Planet maps, not so hot for driving) made it out and on the road to or destination, Vasselisi.


Sharon’s mum Gina was born here and Sharon’s Great Uncles and Aunts still work the family land on a cliff top over the Messinian Gulf. With no idea of where the Uncles were, so we headed for the farm land (Faneromeni) and drove around until we stumbled on Uncle Pedro tending his Olive trees. From there it was non-stop old-fashioned Greek hospitality, everything eaten was fresh, I mean off the tree, milked from the goat or straight from under the chooks bum fresh.. Farm living… We still had to to a wee bit of token work..


Living rural means animals, and one afternoon we were taking shelter in a cave from rain. I walked out to feel the rain and heard a thud on the sand. Thinking it was a rock falling I turned to see Shaz pointing at the ground where a snake had fallen from the shrubs above to land beside her... That was a moment.

This is were Sharon’s Greek skills were put to the test… I couldn’t contribute much to the conversation but it was great to watch Sharon in action conversing with her family. We stayed in Vasselisi where David and Martina joined in the family fun making their way from Italy. Uncle Pablo had photos of Sharon and David when they were kids in Greece. It was great for the family including the cousins to get a chance to meet 20 years later.

We had one more swim in the calm sea, ate fruit from the trees and enjoyed one last Greek home cooked meal then was time to return to Athens, savour the last few weeks, then jump on the big silver bird back to Mumbai...