Monemvasia Morning

It was difficult to get the kids going in the morning – they’d seen the sort of climb involved and would have preferred to spend the time in the water. But the “ruins” were not optional!

Monemvasia is one of those strategic Mediterranean positions that is historically and architecturally rich because it has changed hands many times through the centuries. It had two periods of Venetian occupation and two under the Turks. And no wonder. From the top of the “rock” you can see potential invaders over sea and land for miles around and it’s very defensible.

It’s easy to imagine the gate house on the single road from the mainland manned with guards – there are stone seats lining the walls and enormous heavy doors. In fact, Monemvasia is the concatenation of two Greek words, mone and emvassia, meaning "single entrance". This structure leads onto a narrow main street that leads through the lower part of the town. The town was deserted in 1911 and was “re-discovered” by rich Athenians and developed into boutique hotels, tavernas and gift shops – mostly sympathetically done.

We made our way directly to the Upper Town, Alex on point. It was a steep climb and the people coming down it looked exhausted. We rested at the octagonal church, Agia Sofia which has been catholic cathedral and Turkish mosque, before we walked up to the Turkish baths and the ruins of the Upper Town. The extent of the ruins is breathtaking – they occupy a huge bowl right at the top of the rock.

Getting back down was exciting ... but we were rewarded with a nice relaxed lunch before heading back to the boat.

Pictures: Top: The single entrance into Monemvasia -- the "guards" are on the walkie-talkie to Hakuna Matata. Bottom: The breathtaking "single step down" from Agia Sofia -- there are no fences and no warning signs.