Monemvasia - Peloponnese

Monemvasia

 The medieval fortress city of Monemvasia looks as though it was chiseled out of the rock.  Rather than a stand alone city built on an island, this city seems to be of the island, not separate from the rock but a natural piece of the rock.  It is quite a site to see when you are sailing in from the sea. 

Talaria at anchor near Monemvasia

 

 

Centuries ago the only way to reach the city was by boat.  Monemvasia was carved into the back side of the rock so that it would be hidden from the mainland.  The idea was to provide refuge for local people to escape enemy attacks.  Initially separated from the mainland there is now a causeway connecting the the island to the nearby town.  Even in ancient times there was eventually a path that led to the city with a single entrance through the walled fortress.  

Monemvasia

We had left our anchorage in Milos at 0400 and arrived in Monemvasia before 1600.  That was the first time we have departed from a crowded anchorage in the dark.  It was a little stressful as our night vision had not kicked in yet and there were boats everywhere.  In retrospect we should have only used red lights when we got up at 0300 - we did ourselves no favor when we turned on the regular lights.  Thankfully, within about 30 minutes our night vision had kicked in and we were able to see the rocks and islands out there!!

Byzantine church

We ended up staying in Monemvasia for a few days waiting for the wind to shift.  There are three capes
 at the southern end of the Peloponnese.  The first one you go around is the most daunting (according to the guidebooks).  When sailing around you have to give Cape Malea a wide berth as the wind gusts flying off the mountain can be very strong.  So we were waiting for the right conditions before we round the Cape.  Meanwhile, our new anchor was tested yet again as we saw 40 knot gusts in the anchorage at Monemvasia!  

Narrow lanes in Monemvasia

Monemvasia is a busy place for sailors.  It is the place people cross over to from Milos and with the Corinth Canal closed everyone must now take this route.  Night after night our anchorage would get crowded with boats coming from or going to Milos.  While waiting on our weather window we spent the days exploring Monemvasia and the connected town.  I must confess however that we did not do the steep climb to the top to see the beautiful Byzantine church. However, we did not totally miss out  as we saw several of the 10th and 11th century churchs down in the town.  We also found it remarkable to be able to see the walled city in its entirety (coming from the sea).  In contrast, Rhodes castle is so vast that you can see only a portion of the wall.  Like a reading a chapter and not the whole book.

Church bells

Many of the old mansions and other buildings in Monemvasia have been renovated and are now shops, restaurants and hotels. Albeit despite the modern touches Greece has done a remarkable job in preserving the old city and the Byzantine churches.  For a small city there is an amazing number of churches. 

Another Byzantine church

Once we round Cape Malea we plan to anchor at an island called Elafoniso.  We will then continue on around the other two capes of the Peloponnese and then to the west coast of Greece.  Next up - the Ionian islands. 

A very ancient Byzantine church