It is called the “Gibraltar of the East” or simply “The Rock”. Beautifully preserved, it invites you for a time-travel through the vaulted alleyways of the medieval Greece.
Focal Length: 10 mm
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Forced by the Slavic and the Avaric invasions, the mainland inhabitants founded in 583 the town and fortress of Monemvasia on a small island, 200m off the coast. The name itself indicates the difficulty to enter “uninvited” since it means “one entrance”.
By the 10th century it was an important trade and maritime centre with an extremely turbulent future. Arabs, Normans, Byzantines, Franks, Catalans, Turks, Venetians, they all wanted a piece of the pie! This story goes on and on, almost for nine centuries until the liberation of the town in 1821 during the Greek War of Independence.
In 1971 a bridge was built to connect the island with the mainland and as the tourist industry was started to flourish in Greece, the medieval buildings have been restored creating a must-see and must-live destination.
Today all you can see from this turbulent history is coffee shops, taverns, trade shops and artisans’ workshops. The shopkeepers have invested on the romantic mood of the place so everything is set to serve this mood. Wandering around in Monemvasia, dinning under the shadow of the imposing rock, sleeping in a medieval mansion with all the modern amenities, or enjoying your drink under the moonlight is a fairytale experience, which you’ll never forget!
Once you get there I strongly advise you to find “Portelo” and begin your day with a plunge to the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea! Totally refreshing and totally amazing experience! “Portelo” which means little door in Greek, is literary a door to the endless blue and the only opening of the fortification to the sea. I was fantasizing about a shot of Monemvasia as I was swimming in front of it but unfortunately I still haven’t bought an underwater camera housing system, so we all have to wait till the next time :)
I am sure that after a lot of swimming and a lot of walking (romantic or not) you’ll get as hungry as I did. In Greece we say that the road towards the heart of a man goes through his stomach! So romance is great but don’t neglect to honour the excessive Greek cooking that you can find there in numerous variations and interpretations!
And if you happen to be there when the moon is full, like I did, you’ll have an extra bonus to your, either way, memorable stay. I took the first picture of this post right after the moon rose above the sea. A magical time and place to be and to take pictures :)
This is a 'Showcase Sunday' post, originally written in 2018. If you are not familiar with the #showcasesunday, it is an idea of @nonameslefttouse meant to revive old posts. I re-edited the first picture since I wasn't happy with the old version but the rest is pretty much the same. I do have astrong feeling, though, that you haven't read it before :)
You may find the original post here.
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