Peloponnese Road Trip Part 4 - Stoupa, Kardamyli, Mystras, Epidravos & Athens
We leave Methoni very early and it’s raining so hard we can barely see and get drenched just packing the car. There are storm warnings for the entire country and there’s a lot of lightning and thunder all around us. The lady cleaning the apartment seemed very concerned that we are leaving in this weather but we decide to brave it anyway. We find out later that there were severe floods in several places in Greece. We drive slowly along the coast on this beautiful small road through gorgeous little villages and amazing cliffs. But the road is also very mountainous and narrow, so, slowly we make our way to our apartment (Efigenia’s Rooms, 37 euros, needs a bit of tlc but the views are breathtaking) in yet another lovely seaside town, this time, Stoupa. We wait for the rain to calm down a bit, go for a walk and have a lovely lunch at Ammos Grill (mixed grill for 1 but more than enough for two people, 11 euros and of course, some Greek wine). Next morning we wake up early and go for a hike up to Old Kardamyli and Agia (Saint in Greek) Sofia. The trail is quite wet and the hike is a bit overrated but we enjoy the views, the fresh air and the exercise. The loose, wet stones (from the storm on the previous day), not so much. So we decided to walk back down on the main road. It's a 5kms walk down and you have the most amazing views of the ocean all along the way. We then make our way to the also a little overrated village of Kardamyli. We can’t really see the point, seen so many other places more charming and enchanting in this region. We reckon it just got famous because of the jazz festival that happens here in the summer. We wander around for a few hours trying to see what the fuss is all about, then make our way back to Stoupa which was definitely an unexpected lovely surprise as we thought it would be just a pleasant base. Stoupa has been discovered by summer tourists but it remains unspoiled by high-rise hotels or noisy bars, with a lovely sandy beach and crystal clear ocean. We go back to Ammos Grill for lunch, yeah, another mixed grill, and retire to pack as we will be leaving very early again tomorrow.
We get up very early and drive for two hours until we reach Sparta where we are going to visit the Ancient City of Mystras. This castle town was the second most important town after Constantinople in the final years of the Byzantine Empire. On top of the castle hill, there is the Palace of the Despots as well as several Byzantine churches with an interesting architecture and very well preserved frescoes. The city is absolutely amazing and we walk around the archaeological site, up and down, for hours. Then we make our way back to Tolo, just to have lunch at Mammans Grill again, and yes they do the best chips in the Peloponnese hands down, highly recommended. After another 30 minutes drive, we arrive in Epidravos and check in at our fantastic apartment Epidavros Seascape (47 euros and could not recommend it more highly). Though a bit hard to reach, the apartment is just incredible and it has everything you need, even fresh oranges for your juice. It has a very well equipped kitchen plus a huge swimming pool and endless, breathtaking ocean views. Next morning we make our way to the iconic Epidravos archaeological site. Epidavros is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece and it's mostly known for it’s Ancient Theatre, famous for it's symmetry and incredible acoustics. The theatre was constructed in the late 4th century BC to host religious ceremonial events in honour of the god Asclepius, whose healing centre was located a few steps away. Afterwards we check out the pretty and pleasant seaside town of Epidavros, and no, you can’t see the sunken city, believe me, we tried. Next morning, we drive 2 hours back to Athens to return the car, our lovely and reliable travel companion for the past 2 wonderful, fun filled, perfect weeks. The car hire guys then give us a ride back to the airport to catch our Ryanair flight to Italy, so sadly it’s time to say Yassas Greece, Ciao Italia ...
