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Chilling in Pylos
After our explorations, we returned to the hotel and spent the afternoon chilling out. We *almost* went into the water - it looked so beautiful and the air was so warm, but the water was just a little too cool for us. Still, it was just a perfect place to relax for a while. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13a87043f7.jpg Glorious https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e22a18c197.jpg Close -- we got our tippy toes in! https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e111b328b2.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...42d7116918.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0deec9d3f0.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a32088b68b.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...79da73aec8.jpg Those colors! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...564746f62a.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a98d4c5399.jpg |
Wow!!! Another set of spectacular photos! I am smitten with Pylos, too! If we ever return to the Pelopponese, I definitely want to stay in Pylos, at the Karalis Beach Hotel, and eat at the 4 Seasons Restaurant. The breakfast room and the breakfast at your hotel is to die for.
And I would love to visit Messene, Methoni, and Koroni! I've seen photos of Methoni previously in other reports, and I know it's a place I would love to visit. Just too many places to see. All your shots are beautiful and interesting. I especially love the photos at Methoni taken with double archways in the forefront. And I am amazed there are hardly any tourists in these places. Do you think it's necessary to hire a guide to understand what you are looking at? Or is the brochure/map sufficient? |
KarenWoo, thank you! As I've said many times, your trip was one that inspired me, so I thank you for your report and wonderful photos. Yes, Pylos was a surprise -- it's a small harbor town that is perfectly sited and so accessible to the region's sites. And the hotel was a gem.
I'm not sure what Pylos is like later in the season; we were there early enough and just after the Easter holiday celebrations that it was probably as good a time to go to avoid crowds as any. We found Methoni easy enough to make sense of with the regular guidebook I had and whatever googling we had done. Koroni isn't really an extant castle so not easy to make sense of - but not really one tourist site, either. We tend to use guides sparingly, but this is an area that doesn't really seem to warrant one, either. |
Amazing photos and sites! Methoni and Koroni look great, so sad we'll miss them, but you know.....can't do it all. You not only take great photos, but you can write, too. I so much enjoy your trip reports, thank you!
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Really enjoying following your journey and seeing your fabulous photos. Brings back good memories of our trip. The Peloponnese is wonderful and you capture it so well.
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xyz, I know, it’s always difficult to make choices about where not to go - the hardest part about planning a trip! But you’ll have a great trip - and will get great pix, too!
yestravel, I remember your trip, too, and loved following it! I’m still wishing we could’ve included Rhodes but I knew it would end up being too much for us. Like xyz99 says, you can’t do everything! |
Progol you have been so helpful in the planning of our trip coming up later this month, thanks very much for taking the time to do it.
We also prefer not to have too many long driving days and I was puzzling how to do that but now have a plan, and not just the concept of a plan ;). After Athens and a relaxing 6 nights on the island of Milos, we will pick up a car at the Athens airport, first driving to Dimitsana for 3 nights. Next we will go to Pylos (hopefully visiting Ancient Messene enroute) for 2 nights (Karalis Beach hotel, your recommendation, and I'm glad after seeing your photos). Lots to see and do within easy driving distance it seems. Then we will drive over the Langada pass, staying at a guesthouse close to Mystras, then spend the following half day seeing Mystras before driving to Nafplio for 3 nights. I took off 1 night in Nafplio in order to do this, which I am sorry about, but it seems for the best. I learned about the Bradt guidebook somewhere and see you used it too. It's really good, well written with lots of detail for anyone else interested. It's not heavy so easy to pack along. |
xyz99 and francebound, I hope you will both write trip reports when you return! I hope we can return to Greece before we are too old. There are still so many places in Greece to see. Thinking of Crete and Rhodes but would also love to spend more time on the Peloponnese! Methoni, Messene, Pylos, and Koroni are calling to me.
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francebound, it sounds like a great trip! A nice balance of different places. I’m interested in seeing pix of the Langada Pass - we didn’t do this but it does sound very dramatic. I’m glad my comments have been helpful!
KarenWoo, no matter how much one sees, there’s always more, isn’t there?! I’m looking forward to seeing your TR on NZ and Australia. We’re thinking about a trip there, too, though it looks so daunting with all the driving (never mind the cost of flights!). But I’ll save that for the other forum! |
Thank you progol, for a beautiul journey, and the memories of many places in the far reaches of Peloponnese that I managed to reach without a car, on two lengthy visits... having time, and a sense of adventure. You've shown me all the discoveries I have yet to make (but alas, altho I'm still amazingly healthy, my pocket is not; I appear to be outlving my pension!). Still it gives me joy to see comments from others I've helped with planning... and I have wonderful memories, in my journals and on my walls.
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travelerjan, thank you so much for such lovely words about my trip report (so far - more to come!). I’m glad this brings back good memories for you - your travels and your many posts have inspired me and many others to explore Greece, including many of its lesser known places.
I do hope you return and continue your travels to Greece - and share even more discoveries with the rest of us. |
travelerjan, I echo everything that progol has said. You helped me immensely when I was planning our May 2022 trip to Greece. Every hotel we stayed at was a hotel you recommended, and we ate at many restaurants that you recommended, too. I certainly hope that you will be able to return to Greece soon.
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Nestor’s Palace
An important center in Mycenaean times, Nestor’s Palace is featured in both the Iliad and the Odyssey as “Nestor’s kingdom of sandy Pylos”. And for those who are fascinated with Greek mythology and ancient history, this site, while not immediately exciting to look at, is exciting for its importance in the mythology. It’s also considered the best Mycenaean palace discovered. The overview clearly shows the palace and its many rooms. The king’s throne room is the most prominent, with the round hearth in the center (and not the location of the throne!). But the most exciting object is the terra-cotta tub, with its traditional Greek design visible, and the remains of the water jugs on a stand behind the tub. In Homer’s story, this is the tub where Nestor’s youngest daughter was said to have bathed Telemachus, son of Odysseus, when he stopped at the Pylos during his search for his father. Those stories make the site come alive! And a short distance from the palace, there is a tholos, a beehive tomb that was restored in 1957. |
Nestor's Palace
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It is remarkable to see that tub! Wonderful photos, honey coloured stone and blue skies. You often seem to have these sites to yourselves, a matter of good timing or luck?
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Yes, it is remarkable to see that tub! The beehive tomb was restored, but it looks like the Nestor’s Palace ruins are all original. Am I correct? Reminds me a little bit of Akrotiri on Santorini.
Do you have a favorite of the 3 ancient sites you saw in the Pylos region? How long was the drive from where you stayed on the Mani to Pylos? I wonder if there are so few tourists because this part of the Peloponnese is more difficult to get to? Would the summer months be more crowded? |
francebound and KarenWoo, I suspect that during the summer, Pylos and the region of Messenia does get busier. We were there early in the season and though it wasn’t crowded, there were definitely plenty of other tourists around. But compared to our time in Nafplio, it was much quieter.
KarenWoo, without a doubt, the most remarkable ancient site we saw in that region was Ancient Messene. It is a stunning site, really not crowded at all, probably because it’s not that near any major destination and requires a little effort to get there. But what a site! Of course, there wasn’t much in the way of competition for ancient sites here! Nestor’s Palace is fascinating for those who are really into ancient ruins but it’s not necessarily a stop on everyone’s tour. Of the castles, Methoni is truly magnificent. It was a wonderful site to explore and really has great history. Of course, we also returned to Pylos castle and that turned out to be a wonderful place to explore as well (those pix to come shortly). The drive from Akrolithi (in the Mani) to Pylos was a little over 2 1/2 hours, well within my preferred 3 hour driving limit! |
KarenWoo, yes, I believe that what you see of Nestor’s Palace is original. It’s said to be the best Mycenaean Greek palace discovered.
My husband was really thrilled to be there but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see unless one has a particular interest. But yes, the tub was very exciting to see! Hearing those stories really does help to imagine what it was like once upon a time. |
Pylos CastleAfter our morning visit to Nestor's Palace, we returned to Pylos and, on our last full day, a gorgeous day, we decided to explore the town’s castle, not surprisingly called Pylos Castle, or Neokastro. It is a large, fortification overlooking the sea, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century and, in a reverse, occupied later by the Venetians, though the Turks reclaimed in the 19th C. Its got several museums and a Byzantine church that was once a mosque. And lots and lots of beautiful views! We really enjoyed this exploration and, once again, with relatively few tourists around. The views alone made it a worthwhile stop.
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