The Mani – Day 2

Sunday June 17

I am in love!! The Mani is one of the most beautiful places I have visited. It is wild, remote, barren; it has coastlines of deep blue and aquamarine sea; it’s “tower” houses are unique. It mesmerizes your mind. You just want to stand and stare…and absorb. But we move on.

It was an amazing day. We left Gerolimenas this morning around 9:30. And clearly we are not the only ones to find the Mani beautiful. In the pretty tower-house town of Vathio we came upon a film crew shooting an advertisement for a French video game called “Assassin’s Creed.” The crew was in the process of setting up the town: painting, putting down appropriate flooring, and arranging the “set!”   

We headed down to the point of the Mani, Cape Tanaron, where we parked. We walked out to the lighthouse and back – about 3.8k. The trail was rocky but not much climbing and therefore pretty straightforward. We were surrounded by indigo blue ocean. Some colourful flowers survived the harsh environment and added a dash of colour to the pinkish orange rock. When our path crossed from the east side of the peninsula to the west, the gentle breeze cooled our hot and sticky bodies. There was a lighthouse at the point but it was closed, so we walked around it staring out to sea, and lingered for while.  On the way we passed a circular stone wall akin to a sheep pen in Scotland, but the wall was to protect a ruin. There was a beautiful mosaic floor in the middle. No-one knows the history. When we walked back to the car, we took time out for a short swim in what looked like a small fiord ; the hardest part was walking in bare feet over the rocks to get deep enough into the water to swim. The water was cool, but not cold, and it was beautiful.

We left Cape Tanaron and made the most beautiful journey through the mountains. Small almost deserted villages of tower houses cluttered the rocky mountains. Sadly, many of the tower houses are deserted and only a few inhabitants remain in the villages. Living in this part of Greece is tough. Families have moved on, gone to America;  however, many of them come back in the summer for a reunion and then the ambiance in the area changes. It is family party time and the area jumps back to life, for a short time. Then recedes again into silence.

We had lunch in Yithion – the eastern “gateway” to the Mani. The whole scene changed. Regular Greek homes painted in pastel colours, flat land, smooth straight roads. We headed along an almost highway to Mystras, and we were back in the mountains surrounded by bushy trees.

We stopped at the historical site at Mystras. We experienced some rain while listening to the thunder in the background, but it never really poured during our visit. Afterwards we could tell that there had been a lot of rain in some of the areas. I guess we were really lucky.

Mystras, a fortress town built in 1249, was the centre of Byzantine power in southern Greece. We wandered over the ruins concentrating on Byzantine churches, following stone lanes and walkways and marvelling at the beautiful views. It rained on and off, and the skies added to the dramatic site. At one point a line of white clouds hung in the valley, very similar to effects we get in the mountains in Squamish.

Yorgos picked us up around 7:15 and we checked into our hotel – The  Mazarakis Guest House. It is beautiful. Authentic for the area, but our room is modern and decorated in powder blue. Quiet, and restful. The area was not quiet. There was celebration for a christening in a very close taverna. The story was that the couple lives in America, one party is Greek, the other American. The party has been going since mid-day and the parents have had enough…. But the party goes on!!! We went to dinner in a close by restaurant and were entertained by the music from the christening party. We met a lovely English couple who had spoken with the “parents” and shared the parents feelings!!

Servings in Greece are “huge” we have decided. Even the apetisers are too big!!  Ray met his match tonight with a “small mixed grill”. That was how we were “introduced” to the other couple. They couldn’t believe the size of Ray’s serving. Ray had a friend though who shared his meal with him. One of the street cats. He/she couldn’t believe her/his luck!!

We had a nightcap with the English couple and have now collapsed in bed.

It has been a magical day.