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Peloponnese

blue above the door metal detail in Patras
Greece

24hrs in Patras

January 7, 2019

Patras is Greece’s third largest city and a commercial hub. The city’s port is Greece’s gateway to Italy and Western Europe. Patra is also well known for its carnival parade that takes place every February. I visited Patras last year for work. It had been almost 10 years since my last visit when I took part in the said carnival. This time I had time and weather on my side to explore the city and visit the new archaeological museum. Saint Andrew church I will start off with this one since it’s the city’s landmark. The church was inaugurated in…

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Kalamata Railway park, Peloponnese, Greece
Greece

The Essential guide to Kalamata

November 7, 2017

Kalamata is a coastal town in the regional unit of Messenia, in the Peloponnese. It is known for its olives (Kalamata olives) and olive oil. Messenia is literally covered with olive trees! Last year during our Peloponnese road trip my husband and I spent an evening in Kalamata. We returned this year as we wanted to explore the city further. Things to See in Kalamata As I mentioned last year, I enjoyed Kalamata’s central square (on Aristomenous street) which is full of cafes. It does have a lot of free space as well and was full of people when we…

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Greece

Postcards from Kardamyli

September 19, 2017

Last year during my Peloponnese road trip I missed the opportunity to visit Karadmyli. Well, we did stop and walk towards Old Karadmyli. It was rainy; the signs were inadequate so we didn’t see much. So this year we returned to the area to spend more time in Kalamata and stop in Kardamyli. Related: Peloponnese Road Trip: Elafonisos & Mani peninsula   We started our day in Kalamata with a hearty breakfast at Elektra Hotel & Spa. After an hour of equal scenic and mountainous ride, we reached Kardamyli. We found somewhere to park and started to explore the village….

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Ancient Olympia, Peloponnese, Greece
Greece

Ancient Olympia to Vytina: Peloponnese Road Trip

October 10, 2016

Ancient Olympia in Peloponnese has got to be my favorite archaeological site and I’m happy that I’ve included it in the road trip. A modern-day village is built in the area, which mainly caters to the visitors of the site. We reached the area late in the afternoon after visiting Koroni and Methoni as I described in my previous blog post. I had booked a room for the night at Arty Grand Hotel in Drouvo village next to Olympia. We had a pleasant stay there and took advantage of the hotel’s pool (and pool café)! Day 6: Ancient Olympia The…

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Methoni Castle. Peloponnese, Greece
Greece

Kalamata to Koroni & Methoni: Peloponnese Road Trip

October 5, 2016

  This is part 2 of our Peloponnese road trip. This part is about exploring Kalamata and then driving to Koroni and Methoni. We reached Kalamata late in the afternoon. It was cloudy and damp from the rain, so we retreated to our hotel before venturing out for an evening stroll. In hindsight I should have added an extra day  on our trip in order to explore the city more, because we liked it very much! Day 4&5: Kalamata Kalamata, a coastal city, is located on the Messinian gulf between the and its history is traced back to the antiquity (was…

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Stoupa, Mani, Peloponnese, Greece
Greece

Elafonisos to Kalamata: Peloponnese Road Trip

September 19, 2016

I love a good road trip and it’s been a while that I actually took one! During our summer vacations, my husband and I revisited Elafonisos island and road tripped in the Peloponnese. The whole trip lasted 6 days, 3 spent in Elafonisos and the rest 3 covering various places of interest in the Peloponnese. I will split my posts about the trip into 3 parts so I can add as much information and of course photos to each post. So let’s crack on with Part 1 which is the trip from Elafonisos to Kalamata. Days 1-3: Elafonisos Elafonisos was…

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Mystras castle town, Peloponnese, Greece
Greece, Travel Guides

Exploring Mystras

October 9, 2015

Today we’re going to explore yet another Byzantine castle town of the Peloponnese: Mystras, which played an important role in the Byzantine Empire during its final centuries, until it fell to the Ottomans in 1460. Mystras location and view are breathtaking! You get to see the plains of Sparta. Sparta is the hometown of King Leonidas and the 300 warriors who fought the Persians at Thermopylae!  This Byzantine castle town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mystras’ History The city was founded in 1249 by the ruler of the Frankish Principality of Achaea William II of Villehardouin, who built…

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