Tag: Road Trip

#1041 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Greece, Serendipity1 Comment

All the colours of my day. We took a trip to Monomvasia. Two reasons. Someone had said it was ‘Worth a look’. And secondly I remembered reading about the fortress town, in an old edition of National Geographical, such an old edition that the pictures were in black and white.

The understatement of black and white images and a throw away remark had not prepared me for  the vibrancy and beauty of a town hanging on the slopes of a rocky island close to mainland Greece.

Our day started very grey, torrential rainfall and a waterspout accompanied the bitter, but essential phase of coffee in a taverna.

Arrival to Monomvasia brought turquoise sea, free parking and a cheap bus ride up a steep hill.

Every corner of the town was a visual treat. Old houses still awaiting some twenty first century tweakments, or not. I do love a dishevelled building in the right circumstances.

A taverna for sale had a laconic sitting tenant with no expectation of being disturbed any time soon. Monomvasia is in Laconia.

For a touch of blue with both meanings of the word,  I realised yesterday that I really regret getting rid of all my dads old National Geographics when I cleared my old home 30 years ago. There is  something magical about  discovering a fantastic world of colour hinted at in monotone.

#1039 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn GreeceLeave a comment

So long Stemnitsa. Hello Gythio.

Both subjects far too rich to be  dispensed with in my briefer travelling ponders. Just so much wonderful stuff to ponder but no time to ponder on a road trip. Even on travelling days we like to do in excess of 10,000 steps.

For the first time in a while we have reliable wi-fi, which has enabled me to download images from my digital camera.

The digital camera is less prone to overheating so I am very glad to have had it on this trip. Which has swung from very hot to torrential rain in the blinking of an eye. My phone has overheated and failed at critical Google Map moments but so far we have hit every location or ferry appropriately.

For now I am going to share the thumbnail images of the market in Nafplion. I have yet to sort through them but they are so bright and wholesome. A Saturday morning well spent. There were one or two essential visits in mind when we planned this trip. For me Nafplion market was one of them.

And so to sleep ready to explore Gythio.

#1037 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Greece1 Comment

The day we followed a hand-drawn paper map around Stemnitsa and a little bit beyond

Breakfast to fuel adventures in the sun. Leaving Stemnitsa for a  Sunday Drive.

First stop, a monastery, where celebrations were ongoing to celebrate the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus.

Amyalon Monastery

Next stop Dimitsana for excellent ice cream and a wander about.

Then an adventure of 10 km of hairpin bends to take us down through a ravine to some ancient ruins and a crystal clear river. So cool on a hot day. But thunder and lightning were about which made the drive back spectacular.

Forcing us to take refuge in an excellent Kafenio for early supper while we waited for the deluge to pass.

No menu just a verbal recall of what was cooking.

Fabulous food and a great wine rack.

All the while waiting for the rain to stop.

https://videopress.com/v/DzUuSGt6?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

So we could return to  Stemnitsa for more nattering in the square.

A roadtrip within a roadtrip.