Tom
After spending a quiet night in Ermioni we motored off to a lovely bay for swimming. Our hostess Maria has a sense of humor that we appreciate, but today she pulled a fast one! Her task is to swim out with a tether line to anchor the boat to a rock offshore so those who wish to swim can do so comfortably between the boat and the nearby land. Some swimmers enjoy warm water, so Maria informed us that the water quality and temperature were better than yesterday, maybe 30 Celcius. Ha ha ha! In actuality it was not 90 Farenheit, but closer to 75! The initial reaction of the bathers (Val, Diane, and Jim) was accompanied by shrieks and slow entry, but eventual equilibrium and enjoyment. Val and Diane also challenged themselves by swimming around the boat. Jim snorkeled hoping to catch a glimpse of octopi but only saw small fish, although he did see some needlefish from the deck.
Food has been wonderful on the AZURE, our luxury water abode. Today we had a tasty multi course breakfast of croissants, egg and ham sandwiches, juices, coffee, yogurt, granolas, jams, honey, and scrambled eggs. Lunch was a fresh salad followed by salmon on rice and ripe honeydew. Yummm!!
We traveled next to Monemvassia, a town located on an island off the coast of the Peloponnese, a “tied” island connected to the mainland by a 400 meter bridge. It was settled by the Byzantines in the sixth century and is an impressive castle town situated so as not to be seen from the mainland to avoid enemy attacks, as it can only be seen from the sea and only a narrow pathway connects it to the mainland. Monemvassia means “single entrance”, and is fortified on an islolated rock we nicknamed the “Greek Gibraltar” because of its impressive presence, vertical cliffs, battlements, ramparts, and ruins.
Some of us have been feeling foot weary, so the idea of trudging up the sloping roadway to the cliff town was daunting to a few. However, the modern convenience of a taxi solved that problem, and we managed to navigate the narrow cobbled pathways to enjoy enough of the town’s medieval flavor. A surprise was the number of shops, restaurants, and even hotels along the narrow winding walk. We ate at a restaurant recommended by our Captain Nikos, bought some artwork (Deb and Tom), and taxied back for tsipouro (Greek grappa), wine, and ouzo. (Note that Diane has been prone in some photos. She protests that she is “resting”. You may draw your own conclusions!)
What a fantastic way to travel – kudos to whomever set this adventure up! Love the variety of locales, sights, certainly the menu and also the fact that you take time to just relax.
How stunningly beautiful.