Where Ancient Olympics Meet The Wild West, Peloponessos Options

[plato-ny]

http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/30583880/

Where ancient Olympics meet the Wild West
Get away from the tourist crowds in Greece's Peloponnesian Peninsula

Like the Rock of Gibraltar, Monemvasia is an ancient fortress town that guards a well-traveled coast.

By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

If you want to get away from it all when traveling in Greece, head for the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Studded with antiquities, this land of ancient Olympia, Corinth, and Sparta offers plenty of fun in the eternal Greek sun, with pleasant fishing villages, sandy beaches, bathtub-warm water, and none of the tourist crowds that plague the much-scrambled-after Greek Isles.

When I visited ancient Olympia recently for a new TV show and guidebook, it was worth the four-hour drive from Athens. This sight should be a required pilgrimage for modern tourists. Olympia's once-majestic temple columns — toppled like a tower of checkers by an earthquake — are as evocative (with the help of the excellent museum) as anything from ancient times.

Olympia was a mecca of ancient Greek religion — its greatest sanctuary and one of its most important places of worship. Ancient Greeks came here only every four years, during the religious festival that featured the Olympic Games. The original Olympic Games were more than an athletic fest. Athletes, who were usually aristocratic youth, would stay here to train for months. There were no losers ... except those who quit and cheated. Drinking animal blood —the Red Bull of the day — was forbidden. Official urine drinkers tested for this ancient equivalent of steroids. Today, modern visitors just can't resist lining up on that original starting block from the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C.

A few hours away is the Mani Peninsula — the southern tip of mainland Greece (in fact, of the entire Continent, east of Spain). It feels like the end of the road — stark and sparse. If Greece had a Tombstone and an OK Corral, this is where they'd be. Today's population is a tiny fraction of what it once was. Many were killed in the violent bickering that seems to be a local tradition.

In the days of old, people hid out in the folds of the mountains, far from the coast ... and marauding pirate ships. Empty, ghostly hill towns clamber barnacle-like up distant ridges and are fortified for threats from both without and within.

Only goats thrive here. While mountains edged with abandoned terraces hint that farming was once more extensive, olives have been the only Mani export for the last two centuries.

One of my favorite sights is the awe-inspiring hill town of Vathia a.k.a. Vendetta-Ville. The eighty-some houses were split north/south into two rival camps, which existed in a state of near-permanent hostility. Today Vathia is mostly uninhabited. Once-intimidating towers are now held together with boards and steel cables.

The tragic history and rugged landscape provide an evocative backdrop — making hedonism on the Mani coast all the more hedonistic. Kardamyli, a humble beach town, has a "Bali in a dust storm" charm. This handy base for exploring the Mani Peninsula works like a stun gun on your momentum. On my last trip, I could have stayed here for days, just eating well and hanging out. It's the kind of place where travelers plan their day around the sunset.

More treats line the coast east of the Mani Peninsula. Monemvasia, a Gibraltar-like rock with a stone town at its base, has ruins all across its Masada-like summit. Its little Lower Town hides on the seaward side of the giant rock, tethered to the mainland only by a skinny spit of land that holds a causeway. This remarkably romantic walled town is a living museum of Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian history dating back to the 13th century. After visiting the town, take a hike to the top — summiting Monemvasia is a key experience on any Peloponnesian visit.

Although it's famous and "on the way," skip Sparta. Nothing survives of the city that everybody wants to see, the Sparta that dominated Greek affairs in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. The town was abandoned in the 13th century, and its buildings dismantled. In 1834, Sparta was re-established by Greece's new king — Otto — and his court. A royal transplant from Germany, Otto wanted a city of wide boulevards and parks but you wouldn't know it today.

Sparta — where mothers famously told their sons to "come home with your shield ... or on it" — is a classic example of how little a militaristic society leaves as a legacy for the future.

With its multi-faceted history, welcoming people, dramatic ruins, and stunning vistas ... the Peloponnesian Peninsula has it all. Yet it is one of the least explored parts of Greece. Nearly all the tourists are in Athens and the islands, while the rest of the country casually goes about its traditional business.

(Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. E-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com, or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, Wash. 98020.)

[spaz7]

finally some1 sees how peloponneso has a good vacation feel

ive been to mani
amazing beautiful
and i was at the very last point

marmari http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.ph...0565&ref=ts amazing and beautiful... http://www.touristorama.com/entryInfo.php?...;language=greek

well worth it

This post has been edited by spaz7: May 6 2009, 05:12 PM

[biancoverde]

I like this, hes missing a few main things and beautiful places (Kalamata, Pylos, Koroni, Nafplion etc) and its good he calls out Sparta because it will just disappoint people, maybe he should still mention Mystras is a major site in nearby.

[Polynikes]

Some good tips -- except for one thing.. and I'll get to that.

From experience, I recommend renting a car from Sparta, heading down to Gytheo, driving up to Kardymili, then all the way down the Mani peninsular to the site of the old oracle. You can do a circuit back to Gytheo and then around to Monemvasia, which is sensational. If you have another spare day or 2, drive further south and catch the ferry across to Elafonisos for a day trip.

Now, this author gave one very poor piece of advice - avoiding Sparta. If you have not been, then you MUST. Visit the site of the old acropolis and theatre (roman period, but made of Spartan stones), and visit Mystras (also made from the stones of ancient Sparta.) Drive about 8 km south east of Sparta and locate the small dirt road leading up the hill to the site of the Shrine of Helen and Menalaus. This is excellent on sunset.

To conclude, I think all people should do the Mani road-trip at least once, BUT also visit Sparta, it's too good to miss!

This post has been edited by GreekFootballFan: May 7 2009, 05:27 AM

[biancoverde]

Sparta is definitley not worth time. Its of no relation to ancient Sparta. Aside from those Byzantine/Frankish sites, theres nothing. Mistras was ok, personally it was not much more than a hill and rocks, with an assload of bees.

[Red Spartan]

^^ Take it easy, lol

[Polynikes]

Sparta is definitley not worth time

I'm sorry, but that is simply your personal opinion. In my opinion, Sparta is DEFINATLEY worth the time. If you feel differently, I believe this may have something to do with your level of knowledge of this valley, the existing ruins, the river and the location of the ancient trails.

Some of the most beautiful walks I have done in Greece, have been done in the valley around Sparta. Given your response, I believe you may have been lacking in the knowledge and confidence to find the right spots.

I highly recommend that everyone spend at least 2 days in Sparti and seek out the ancient sites and appreciate this special place. I recommend you do a good amount of reading before going here - if you just turn up and stroll around at random, you will be disappointed, but that is your own fault.

[biancoverde]

I'm sorry, but that is simply your personal opinion. In my opinion, Sparta is DEFINATLEY worth the time.

Come on man. Yes of course its MY opinion. Hence a forum, discussion, shared opinions. The fact that its my opinion is a given. And you disagree with my personal opinion, because its an opinion, and then give yours as if it were fact and not opinion?????


Sparti, is a modern city with no connection to the Ancient city state of Sparta. That part is not my opinion thats how it is.
The city was built as a tribute in modern times to the ancient ones and honour the ancient heritage of the region. Theres nothing wrong with that, but its just not a historical landmark. I'm referring to the city itself, which is what the guy is referring to.

If in the surrounding area there are some nice off the beaten path sites, I won't doubt that. But for the poor idiot who walks downtown Sparti and expects to see a city with Ancient roots and culture, or just wants to see a very old Greek city it is in fact, a waste of time.

The only way I would spend 2 days in Sparti is if I had family or friends there or I was coming from Athens. But for a complete stranger likley in the USA (as its a Rick Steve's review afterall who is quite respected and established travel journalist) 2 days out of your entire trip devoted to Sparti is an utter waste of time. Especially given that the cost of 2 days in Sparta comes at the expense of 2 days in some much nicer and more historical areas. Time can be spent better elsewhere.

I'm glad you know some stuff there, you'll honeslty have to give us some more details sometime because I'd be interested.

This post has been edited by drakos13: May 8 2009, 01:22 PM