[Aug. 2023] We came all the way from Nafplio, Greece to Monemvasia.
After taking a break, we started walking around the town.
We continued along the town’s main street, lined on both sides with restaurants and souvenir shops.
Of course it’s cobblestone.
I didn’t notice it as long as I was walking on the flat part, but when I reached a gentle slope, I started slipping and sliding because of the shiny cobblestones.
I was wearing sandals suitable for walking, though.
After a short walk, we came to the central square.
Here you will find the town’s largest church, the Cathedral of Christ in Chains, built in the 13th century, and the even older 10th century Church of Agios Pavios.
We tried to enter either of these, but perhaps due to time constraints, we were unable to enter either.
So we continued walking down the main street until we saw the wall at the edge of town.
This town is surrounded on both sides by walls.
I guess it’s for defence.
There are ruins of a former fortress (castle) on the mountain, but the town itself seems to have flourished as a commercial centre rather than a military base.
Apparently it was especially famous for exporting Malvasia wine.
That’s why the Italian name for Monemvasia is Malvasia.
We headed up to the ruins on top of the mountain called “Upper Town,” which has a nice view.
It’s a hill, so it’s slippery.
However, although the uphill slope was steep and tough, my fear of slipping was not a big deal.
The problem was downhill.
If you let your guard down even a little bit, you will slip and could fall.
As I was walking down ever so slowly carrying my heavy camera, a stranger kindly asked me, “Are you okay? Let me take your camera.”
Maybe problem was my sandals or the way I walk.
Most of the people were walking smoothly, even though they were slipping a bit.
Indeed, the view from the top was amazing.
So I think it’s worth going anyway.
We could have reached the Agia Sophia Church if we climbed further up, but we decided to go back down from the scenic spot.
Along the way, we also saw the remains of a prison that was used until the early 20th century.
When we finally reached flatland, we went into a cafe there and drank some beer, which was excellent after the hard work!
We met Alexandros, the taxi driver, again on the meeting time.
After crossing the causeway, we stopped and took some photos of the island, then headed straight for Nafplio.
Alexandros stopped the car at a small chapel on the way back over the mountain.
He gave an offering and prayed, repeating certain words.
Too bad I forgot what the word was.
I’m sure it’s a prayer for traffic safety.
Thus, the three-hour one-way excursion was successfully completed.
I’m thankful that I didn’t fall even though I slipped.
Looking back, to be honest, I wonder if it was worth going all the way to this town.
The view was certainly beautiful, but as my husband said, the town itself felt like an open-air museum, with only facilities for tourists.
In fact, according to the guidebook, only eight people live here.
In the end, what left the strongest impression on me was that it was a “slippery town.”
