Mani

The Mani peninsula is located in the south central part of the Pelopennese. Kalamata (of olive fame) is the gateway town that leads to the rest of the peninsula. It has a port full of fishing boats.



The place where we stayed is a bit further on. We originally had hoped to stay in Kardhamyli, but all of its hotels seemed to be closed, so we headed out of town and found the Kalamitsi Hotel. It, too, appeared to be deserted, but we persisted till we found the proprietor. The lovely rooms are like little apartments with kitchenettes. From the collection of German-language novels on the bookshelves, I gather they get plenty of German guests in the warmer months. We could see olive and orange trees, as well as the sea, from our window.



The next day we explored the old section of Kardhamyli town, which consists of a small collection of ruins and churches on a hill. There was also a winding footpath that headed uphill for a few kilometers.



The Mani coast is quite pretty, studded with little fishing towns next to the blue, blue water.

Bassae

What's in the tent? Hint: it's large. For scale, look at the guard shack to the right.



Again, notice the difference in the size of the building on the right and the tent.



OK, give up? Turns out that inside is the Temple of Apollo Epicurius. The tent protects the temple from further deterioration. It is under a section-by-section restoration process right now.



For some reason, this 5th century BC temple is located on a remote mountaintop. It's a striking location, but how in the world did pilgrims make their way there, way back when? It's not near any known ancient settlements. Maybe only the truly dedicated (and strong-legged) made their way to this temple to the god of healing.