A JOURNEY TO MONEMVASIA

Castles are beautiful.

 

It’s the roughness of the stone that gets hold of your mind and sends it back to times long gone, in eras that you haven’t lived in, but you have dreamt about, some time, long ago. It’s those Medieval edifices, those pirate fortresses and hide-outs, the rocks and the sea, that all together combine to form mysterious and unique images in the mind’s eye. When history unfolds a map before you and urges you to place your pin, you simply cannot resist; you have to go.

The old town of Monemvasia was beckoning to me, so one Sunday afternoon, on my way back from Elafonisos, I made a stop.

 

We greeted each other and fell in love.

 

 

I could tell you lots about Monemvasia. I could spend hours writing about the incredible synthesis of the stone together with the blue of the sea, about the mysterious cobblestone paths, and about the romance that this Castle Town exudes.

 

The Greek poet Yiannis Ritsos called it a “wooden ship,” and it’s such an accurate description. Monuments, churches, old mansions, stone houses, arches, Byzantine thrones, all of them gathered here; in this ship, which stands imperious through the ages, in a Greek blue ocean.

Monemvasia derives from the Greek words mone and emvasi, meaning ‘single entrance.’

One single way inside the castle walls through the main gate. One single, Byzantine trail to lead you to the heart of the Old Town, at the central square, with the looming Church of Christos Elkomenos and the old cannon. From there on, from the edge of the square, your eyes wander off to the vast sea, while behind you stands an old town, so unique in character. 

 

Very high up, on the northern tip of the town stands the church of Aghia Sophia, and even though I did not manage to get up (due to construction works), I think the way there must be a unique experience. They say that up there you can watch the town disappear inside the sea. They say you never want to come down again, and I believe that. 

My meandering around this town was short but full of those elements that make me fall in love with a place: beauty, uniqueness, hospitality, calm, history, character, aromas, colors, and strange, though beautiful, visual compositions.

 

Monemvasia had everything, but I will emphasize the hospitality because this is what always connects me to a place. You can find hospitality in a single ‘good morning,’ in a smile, in benevolent gestures, in a family’s desire to cater to your needs, and in conversations which are simple, yet heartfelt. In this land, hospitality will duel with beauty for a place in your heart. Let this duel unfold before you and rest assured that, one way or the other, you will leave this town content and happy.

 

In closing, let me tell you that, here, I ate the best stuffed vegetables (after my mom’s of course – I wouldn’t want her to complain). In Matoula restaurant, the oldest in the castle, I tasted the best local delicacies and I am mentioning this because you will think of food almost immediately. If you are in luck and it’s unoccupied, take a seat at the single table, top right, and the view will reward you.

 

What can you do?

In Greece we have this wonderful luxury of combining flavors with images. It’s a luxury, but also a way of life, and in Monemvasia you can combine both wonderfully.

 

Maryhop got hooked on the rocky Monemvasia
and she feels like she never left.

The exploration continues.