seascape photography

View From A Fortress

Last weekend, I visited the small town of Nafplio which is located in the Eastern Peloponnese, it’s not a far drive from Athens which is why many Athenians like to head here for the weekend. I have been to Nafplio many years ago, but I don’t remember too much. This time I decided that I was going to take it in more and spend more time exploring and even walk up those 999 steps that lead to the fortress of Palamidi. The climb up was a difficult one for me because I’m not an athlete. However, the view was breathtaking and it was worthwhile even though it took me three days to recover. My poor legs 😦

Palamidi fortress & its 999 steps.

Entrance to the Palamidi fortress

Steps that look like Machu Picchu

Beautiful view of Nafplio on the way up..

In the distance the ‘Bourtzi fortress’ on an islet.

..and the sea is beautiful too.

A cruise (?) ship in the distance.

Steps..

and more steps.

But, it’s worth it!

A cell where prisoners were held.

The last steps to the fortress

At the top at last. And on the other side of the door is the archaeological site of the fortress.

999 steps, but this time I’m going down.

The butterfly was a good sign.

Voidokilia Beach/Η Παραλία Της Βοϊδοκοιλιάς

Landscape of Voidokilia

Marshland

Voidokoilia

‘Voidokilia’ beach is a very famous beach in Greece and it is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Greece. It is located in Messinia, Peloponnese. The landscape is very unique with its sand dunes and marshland, and the beach that has a circular Omega type shape. It is a great place for bike riding too. The day that I went was not great for swimming. It has been a rainy summer so far in Greece. I arrived in the evening as I was just quickly passing through with no intention for staying too long, but I when I got there I wanted to stay a while longer. So, I will definitely re-visit this place when the weather is better in the near-future.

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.

The Small Town of Pylos/Η Κωμόπολη της Πύλου

Earlier this month, I took a short trip to the Southern tip of the Peloponnese. One of the places that I visited, for the first time, was Pylos. Pylos (pronounced pee-lo) is a small and picturesque town in the province of Messinia. The weather played a few tricks on us, first it was cloudy and then sunny. Later on it rained a lot, and that is unusual for Greece for the month of June. So, I wasn’t able to get enough sunlight in some of the photographs, but with a view like this it really didn’t matter.

Στις αρχές του Ιούνιο, έκανα ένα σύντομο ταξίδι στο νότιο άκρο της Πελοποννήσου. Ένα από τα μέρη που επισκέφθηκα, για πρώτη φορά, ήταν η Πύλος. Η Πύλος είναι μια μικρή και γραφική πόλη στην επαρχία της Μεσσηνίας. Ο καιρός έπαιξε μερικά κόλπα για μας, μια ειχε συννεφιά, μια ειχε λιοφάνεια και, στη συνέχεια εριξε πολλή βροχή, πραγμα που είναι ασυνήθιστο για την Ελλάδα για το μήνα Ιούνιο. Έτσι, δεν είχα πολύ φως που ηθελα σε ορισμένες από τις φωτογραφίες μου, αλλά με θέα όπως αυτη πραγματικά δεν έχει πολύ σημασία .

At The Marina/ Στη Μαρίνα Φλοίσβου

Lovers at the Marina

Aww Young Love

A family at the waterfront

A small crowd hangs out at the marina

A few luxury yachts

The very historical battleship ‘Averoff’.

The retired battleship ‘Averoff”.

The sun is setting at the marina

This was the first time that I visited the sea port called ‘Flisvos’ at Palaio Faliro located southwest of Athens’ center. There were so many things to photograph from the people, to the boats and of course the sea. I felt a bit like a paparazzo at times, but I tried to be discreet so I didn’t have any problems with anyone 🙂

Beaches of Marathon

Many people will be sitting on these chairs this summer

Empty beach chairs? Only if it’s off season.

No swimmers in sight..way to early.

Rocky Shore

These are a few photographs that I took at Schinias beach at Marathon just outside of Athens. As Greece is surrounded by the ocean, it only recently dawned on me that I hardly have any beach photos on my blog. This is scandalous.. I know.