Peloponnese Road Trip Part 1 - Athens, Tolo, Nafplio, Foutia, Monemvasia, Gytheio & Limeni
Yeah, clocking more boating time than a Greek sailor. We arrive late at night, catch the bus to the aiport (Piraeus port to Athens airport, 4.50 Euros), followed by a shuttle to the car hire company (Green Motion). We pick up our toy car (Volkswagen UP, 6.50 euros per day for 2 weeks plus about 10 euros average per day for petrol) and hit the road, only to notice that the headlights are not working properly. So, we somehow find our way back to the car rental place and the guy is still there. He just shows us where the light switch is, it could have been a funny story but not really when we are so tired and have a long drive at night, seriously. We make our way to Tolo in the Peloponnese region. We arrive very late and tired and finally find the Oasis Apartments (29 euros), highly recommended. Our hostess is very nice and helpful, the studio apartment is nice and comfortable and very close to the beach, with private parking. We wake up, go to the beach and then visit the very famous city of Nafplio. Nafplio is a gorgeous Venetian town on the coast and it's also a very popular weekend destination for Athenians. Nafplio is also considered the most romantic city in Greece and it oozes style: tile roofs, grand homes and a blue-green sea. The famous Bourtzi, Akronafplia and Palamidi castles add a sense of drama to this stunning seaport town, consisting of fortresses, neoclassical buildings, old neighbourhoods, bougainvilleas, wide sidewalks and large squares. We then go back to Tolo and have a late lunch at the highly recommended Mammans Grill, delicious. Next morning we go for a long walk on the lovely Tolo beach and after lunch we go back to wander around beautiful Napflio a bit more as we will be leaving the following morning.
We leave Tolon in the morning and make our way to the Laconia region. We cross the zigzagging, sometimes scarily so, mountain roads, see amazing hanging monasteries, churches and villages, with the bluest Greek ocean views all along the way. Our first stop is the village of Foutia, where our apartment, View to The Castle (24 euros), is located. The apartment is nice and big but the road to the village is extremely tortuous, not sure how many times we want to take it up and down with our little toy car. We planned to eat at the village taverna, only to find out that it is closed. We talked to a neighbour and he tells us everything is closed after the season and a few minutes later, he knocks on the door and brings us some beautiful pieces of cake in a delicious syrup, we are so grateful, kindness is alive and well. We are booked for 2 nights but we decide to leave in the morning as the village is very hard to reach and the internet connection is pretty crappy. We wake up in the morning and go to check out the most amazing town of Monemvasia, a must in any tour of the Peloponnese, just check out our photos. We go early to avoid the crowds and have the most amazing experience, exploring this unique, majestic place. Monemvasia, founded by the Byzantines in the sixth century, is a breathtaking medieval town located on the south-eastern coast of the Peloponnese. We take the time to explore this mystical stone-built settlement with it's unique atmosphere, also known as the “Gibraltar of the East”. Monemvasia has been occupied by the Byzantines, the Crusaders, the Venetians, and the Turks in the past and it's history can be felt by wandering around it's narrow cobbled streets, and admiring the beautiful mix of architectural styles. From there we drive to Gytheio, a small coastal village where we have lunch in a lovely seaside tavern. Then we visit the gorgeous, tiny and very upmarket village of Limeni, with amazing blue water, some great waterside restaurants and excellent accommodation which is now buzzing with visitors. We then drive to Petalidi, which is going to be our base to explore this area.
