castle

Nafpaktos/ΝΑΥΠΑΚΤΟΣ Pt.1

The beautiful small town of Nafpaktos is located between the Rio antirio bridge and the Gulf of Corinth in the West of Greece. It is a medieval town with a long history. There are many cafes and tavernas lined up on the shore as well as a Venetian castle and port.

In ancient Greece the Dorians settled in the town, and they built ships here. Hence the name ‘Nau’paktos in Greek; ‘Nau’ (pronounced Navf) relates to ships. The English language has borrowed the ‘nau’ and English speakers use the word ‘nautical’ when relating to sea navigation and ships.

Η πανέμορφη μικρή πόλη της Ναυπάκτου βρίσκεται ανάμεσα στη γέφυρα του Ρίου αντιρίου και στον Κορινθιακό κόλπο στη Δυτική Ελλάδα. Είναι μια μεσαιωνική πόλη με μεγάλη ιστορία. Υπάρχουν πολλές καφετέριες και ταβέρνες παρατεταγμένες στην ακτή καθώς και ένα ενετικό κάστρο και λιμάνι.

Στην αρχαία Ελλάδα εγκαταστάθηκαν στην πόλη οι Δωριείς και έχτισαν πλοία εδώ. Εξ ου και το όνομα «Ναύπακτος» στα ελληνικά. Το «Nau» (προφέρεται Navf) σχετίζεται με πλοία. Η αγγλική γλώσσα έχει δανειστεί το «nau» και οι αγγλόφωνοι χρησιμοποιούν τη λέξη «nautical» όταν σχετίζονται με τη θαλάσσια ναυσιπλοΐα και τα πλοία.

Argos Town/Αργος

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The Castle of Larissa on a hill 289 metres above the town of Argos.

The Larissa Castle of Argos dates back to the Helladic Period (Bronze age) and played a crucial role in the Greek Revolution 200 years ago due to it’s very strategic position.

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A statue in honour of mothers.

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After visiting the ancient site of Mycenae in the Peloponnese, I made a quick stop to the beautiful town of Argos. Argos is just 20 kilometers from Mycenae and it is considered the oldest town in continental Europe as it can be dated back to the Bronze age. It has over 20,000 inhabitants and it very lively and well maintained.

I had no time to visit the castle but I will return in the future to take pictures from the castle as it offers stunning views of the town below.

Methoni Castle/Το Κάστρο της Μεθώνης

Methoni Castle

The Cape of Methoni

Another archway of the castle

Inside the castle grounds

Archway interior of the castle

Spectacular view of the sea and castle grounds

View of the town of the town of Methoni

High above the town of Methoni

Broken upper wall of castle

Methoni Castle

Inside the castle grounds

Archway interior of the castle

Another archway of the castle

The Cape of Methoni

Methoni Castle

Broken upper wall of castle

High above the town of Methoni

View of the town of the town of Methoni

Spectacular view of the sea and castle grounds

The bridge to leading to the castle

Creepy hidden passageway

My next stop on my tour of the southern Peloponnese is a small town called ‘Methoni’ which is located in Messinia in the west coast part of the Peloponnese. The town of Methoni is famous for its’ medieval castle (Game of Thrones style) which might be in ruins now, but it is still awe-inspiring. The climb to the top offers a spectacular view of the sea and of the town with its red tile roofs. The site was known in Homeric times as it was called ‘Pedasus’. Homer called the site “ampeloessa” (of vine leaves) in the Iliad. In 1209 A.D the Venetians built the castle as it was the ideal spot for trade. Due to its strategic location between Venice and the Holy Lands, Methoni was conquered by many people. The castle was conquered by the Franks and the Venetians and even pirates and then it went into the hands of the Turks in the 18th Century and then back into the hands of the Greeks in the 19th Century.

When I went there was no one there so there was no entrance fee and I roamed freely with just a few tourists scattered around. I took a lot of photographs and it was very difficult to choose the right ones for this blog. Some photographs I felt were better in black and white, but I didn’t want them all to be black and white, even though it was cloudy that day, there was some good light and the colourful landscape showed up well in the photographs.