After our morning explorations of Papingo, we headed south to Preveza, a seaside city located on the southwestern tip of the Mainland. For us it was the halfway point to Olympia.
We settled into our hotel and then headed out to find lunch. We almost immediately found ourselves on the nearby shopping street, beyond which we discovered a food court of sorts, a network of alleyways inhabited by numerous restaurants. The Mermaid caught our eye and luckily it was open since most apparently closed around 2:00. We entered just as a downpour started. And then the wind picked up. The staff tightened all the blinds and continued with our meal service. We enjoyed the tasty seafood and the affable service. So much in fact that we chose to return another time.
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| Lunchtime starters (Broad beans and Roasted peppers), an ice cream "billboard" entices us to have dessert. |
While Preveza seems to be quite a thriving town, the shopping hours there were hard to understand. Overall I guess they were 9-2 & 5:30-8:30...except many are closed Sundays and maybe an evening or two! Needless to say, we got little shopping done in Preveza. It's their loss.
Despite never catching stores open, we found this display of sneakers and high-heels eye-catching. We are not sure how you would clearly indicate which of the shoes catches your interest...
A few landmarks of Preveza include the Venetian Clock Tower, the castle of the Pantokrator built by Ali Pasha under the Ottomans in early 19C, and the harbor.
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There's not much to do in Parga other than stroll along the waterfront, take photos of the colorful houses and nearby islands, shop at the boutiques, study the many menus to choose the best place for lunch or catch a few rays on the beach. In other words, it is your typical romantic resort town. We were in the mood for "little fishies", aka anchovies, sardines or smelts and chose accordingly.
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| Parga: The beach, View of the castle from the beach, view of town from the castle. |
Near Parga, the Acheron River reaches the sea. The Acheron is one of the rivers, including the River Styx, considered mythical entry points to the Underworld. Apparently the rivers converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, which is also referred to as the Styx. What better place to erect a Necromanteion, an ancient temple dedicated to necromancy, aka communicating with the dead. Of course this felt pretty special for folks who live in Mexico where the Dead mainly communicate with us on Dia de los Muertos.
The remaining buildings date back to the end of 4C BC. The main sanctuary was surrounded by rooms for preparing to meet with the Oracle of Death. Below the sanctuary, was the Palace of Hades & Persephone with 15 arches. It was through here that the souls emerged for consultation. The sanctuary operated continuously for about two centuries. With the conquest of the area by the Romans, it was destroyed in 167 BC.
Now, the real question is: Is it really just a fortified farmhouse of the 3C BC era? At least a handful of archaeologists think so. But we prefer the Necromanteion story.
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| Shots of the Necromanteion, the coastline accessible by switchbacks, and the local marsh (could it be the great underworld marsh known as the Styx?) |
With a little more time we might have visited the Acheron Springs noted for the beautiful aqua waters which would be fun to play in on a warmer day (the waters are noted to be quite chilly).
Closer to Preveza is the Zalongo Monument, a touching memorial to the early 19C roughly 60 local women and children, who committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, rather than submit to slavery under Ottoman rule. Completed in 1960, it is as tall as a five-story apartment building and stretches across the equivalent of two city blocks. It is a spectacular piece crowning the 2600 ft clifftop of Mount Zalongo. All the more impressive considering that the building materials were taken up the cliff by human and pack animal labor.
Despite its difficult location, the monument receives 30,000 to 35,000 visitors a year, who brave the 410-step footpath. Count us among them.
Even closer to Preveza is Ancient Nikopolis, "the city of Victory", founded in 29 BC by Caesar Augustus to celebrate a military victory. By early Christian times the city had been reduced to almost a sixth of its previous size, and strong fortification walls, known as the Christian (Byzantine) Walls, were then built. It is said that the Church of Nikopolis was founded by Paul the Apostle. The city was abandoned by the Byzantines in the 13C.
Unfortunately the grounds and museum were unstaffed with access blocked due to Covid but we caught a few glimpses of the ruins. The most impressive were the extensive Christian Walls and The Odeion, a small theater.
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| The Odeion (a small theater), the "Christian Walls", local traffic, and impressive wildlife. |
While in Preveza, we enjoyed dining at:
- Rebetiko Steki (in the food "court" )
- Alati Seafood & More (on the Harbor)
- Me Zev (in a cul de sac just up from the clocktower)
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| Dishes from Preveza including salad with roasted cheese, fish being deboned, baklava, and a chocolate tower |
We decided that a stop in Olympia enroute to Pylos (at the southwestern end of the Peloponnese Peninsula) would be sufficient. It was a long driving day but we all prefer to minimize the number of overnight stops.
As is well known, Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Founded in the 8th century BC it hosted the Olympic Games from 776BC - 393 AD (that is more than 1000 years). Among the notable remains are the temples of Zeus and Hera. The former once held the monumental gold and ivory statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Nearby, is the workshop of the statue’s sculptor, Pheidias. (Pheidias is also noted for his sculptural work on the Parthenon.) Also still visible today are some of the ancient sports facilities such as the stadium, the gymnasium and the Palestra (wrestling school) where athletes trained.
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Replica of one of the Pediments of the Temple of Zeus, toppled columns of the Temple of Zeus, columns of the Palestra, Statue of Roman Emperor Hadrian, model of the site |
After visiting the site and the museum, we continued on to Pylos. The town has enchanting views over the water throughout the day. The same views were also available from the balconies of our seaview rooms at the Karalis Beach Hotel. If you are ever in the area, please note that this was pretty much the winner hotel of our trip. The rooms are beautifully and comfortably decorated and the breakfast and breakfast service were excellent. We all agreed that we would have liked to stay another day or two here.
Pylos has the largest natural harbor in the Peloponnese. Called Navarino Bay, it is fondly remembered by Greeks as the ultimate (winning) clash of the Greek Revolution.
Navarino Bay is flanked by two castles/fortresses, Pylos Castle (Neo Kastro or new castle) and Old Navarino Fortress. Below are the photos from Pylos Castle. The Old Navarino Fortress will have to wait until next time.
At the very tip of the peninsula, Methoni (referred to as Pedasus by Homer) has been recognized as a strategic location throughout history. It was first fortified in 4C BC and occupied by the Romans, and then by the Byzantines in 6C AD. The castle was built by Venetians in 1209AD. The Bourtzi, a small islet to the south of the castle was built after 1500. It consists of a two-storey octagonal tower, surrounded by a low wall, ending in a circular dome. Each floor has a parapet with battlements, and there was a (extremely valuable) cistern on the ground floor.
We could have stayed in the Pylos area a few days longer just for the views, dining, and the service at the Karalis Beach. But more touring called to us.
On our way to Kardamyli we visited two other ancient sites.
The Palace of Nestor is the best preserved Mycenaean palace discovered. It is the primary structure within a larger settlement, once probably surrounded by a fortified wall. It was a two-story building with store rooms, workshops, baths, light wells, reception rooms, a sewage system and a bathroom complete with sink & tub. The palace is referenced in Homer’s “Odyssey” & “Iliad.” On the way into the site is a Tholos, a tomb in the shape of a beehive (a typical tomb of the Mycenaean era).
Ancient Messene was the most prominent city of the entire region during the Hellenistic and Roman Periods. It was founded in 369 BCE after the defeat of Sparta by Athens.
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| Typical views of Ancient Messene including view from restaurant above and a marble statue from the temple of Artemis |
After lunch overlooking the Messene site we made our way to Kardamyli.
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