Pics as soon as Flickr and the WiFi cooperate!
4:45pm: taking a rest in our hotel in Kardamyli, deep in the Peloponnese, after a long day. We got breakfast at the hotel and then walked a few minutes to the Saturday Nafplio market, which was bigger than I expected and much fun! There were small sections for junk and seafood and a large produce section in between. You could buy anything from bananas to super sketchy cheap wine in plastic bottles! I bought a couple of kinds of olives and some of the biggest fresh figs I’ve ever seen. We went back to the hotel, got our bags, checked out, and set out for our next stop.
To satiate Matt, we detoured a bit to Sparta, yes that Sparta. Too bad the town is nondescript and the ruins are in such disrepair that they are free and unattended. The town also has a nice modern olive and olive oil museum, which had some cool historical equipment and told the story of the importance in Greece. Across the street, a shop aptly titled “300” was selling local products and I got a little 100ml bottle of Spartan olive oil.
We then set off for our next base for 3 nights, Kardamyli, at the start of what is called the Mani Peninsula. If you look at Sparta to Kardamyli on a map, it looks close, but there are essentially mountains in between so it took about 2 hours on a wild and windy, but otherwise in good condition, road. Along the way we found a bakery and got a snack/lunch. We arrived at the hotel around 3:30 and were greeted by a lovely lady. The hotel is a large stone structure set above town so every room has a balcony and sea view. I knew it was a bit of a hike down into town - they have a private path - well, it is 120 steps. So, we will be doing that max once a day and preferably in the evening as it is hot here, about 90F.
9:30pm: back at the hotel after a wander through this cute little town, a lovely sunset dinner on the water at Lela’s Tavern (we had Greek salad and split pork cooked with potatoes, lemon, and oregano and it was delicious), and Lola’s for some yummy ice cream. We stopped in a wine bar in town where the owner produces his own olive oil and I bought a small bottle. Even though it is from last year’s harvest, the oils here are strong and delicious and I’m glad we’re buying a bunch of small bottles of different kinds rather than one big bottle. This town is pretty cute but small - a couple markets, a couple banks, a pharmacy, a few shops, and a few restaurants, and a lot of hotels/rooms to rent.
We somehow survived the ascent back up to the hotel even though the bottiom is basically a dark dirt path - thank goodness for iPhone flashlights! To put it mildly, we will not be doing that again.
Tomorrow we explore more of this region!
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