22nd September - Kalamata

 First stop of the day today was the small coastal village of Limeni in the bay of Oitylon for a walk along the quiet Main Street, it was so pretty. The surrounding area is protected so even though it is very popular no more buildings can be built.


Old customs house Limeni


After our small stroll it was on to Platanos where we were shown an ancient site of Thalames dedicated to The Oracle of Pasiphae the witch.  People would come and drink barley wine, sleep in the cave and have visions (hallucinations). We also stopped for a coffee and to visit the olive press across the road. We watched a small video showing the process of making the olive oil and had a tasting and made a purchase.





After the impromptu stop at the oil press we set off for Messinian Mani and Kalamata. On the way we Stopped at Foneas beach for a swim, unfortunately the water was not crystal clear due to the storm the previous night but I went in anyway, David didn’t bother. Next was a stop for a walk through the old town of  Kardamili, a beautiful seaside village where the locals still live in the old town inland and the new buildings are by the seaside.



War memorial where the first war listed that residents went to fight in is Troy


Tiny slits in the facade for muskets to poke through

Then we set off for a walking tour through the fascinating city of Kalamata. We wandered through the town square before having another delicious lunch with local seafood soup that we thought was our lunch but turned out to be only the appetiser!

Our day ended at our overnight stay of Pylos, a small town – built in the bay of Navarino. After checking into the hotel (we have water views from our balcony) we set off for a walk up to Pylos Castle and around the harbour side. We met up with the rest of the group for a drink at a bar beside the harbour before heading to bed.

View from our balcony

Pretty Pylos - not too many tourists

Entrance to Pylos castle

Castle walls are high


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