Rick Steves Athens & The Heart of Greece
Καρδαμύλη
Kardamyli Day 6
It's a beautiful day and a FREE day for us in Kardamyli! One of the perks of a Rick Steves tour, we are given a day in the middle of the tour to relax, take a breath, do anything we want, no agenda today! Kardamyli is the perfect place to do all that, or nothing at all!
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When Apostolos mentioned that he would be taking a stroll through backyards to the old fortress town Kardamyli this morning, I decided to take him up on it. And many of the group did, too!
Walking through the backyards, you can see the practicality of the people who live in Kardamyli. We saw their gardens, their outdoor baking ovens, their chicken coops made from salvaged items. The locals don't just throw things away and order new things on Amazon... it was refreshing to see and I loved it!
We were enchanted with all the flowers! The old stone buildings and cobblestone pathways made the perfect backdrop, And have I mentioned the scent of wild Jasmine filling the air? It was intoxicating!
Beautiful cobbled pathways everywhere you turn. Kardamyli is small enough that you don't need to be worried about getting lost. Just keep meandering and if you are lucky, you'll find a nice coffeeshop for a Greek coffee!
It was a surprise encounter when Apostolos met his local friend, Christos, as we were walking past his house. Oh, the things he shared with us of his life! His mother lived to be 119 years old (she attributed her long life to having a drink every day); Christos worked in Australia for many years; he ran a marathon where the prize was a pair of shoes; his father donated blood (he had a rare blood type), his was the first blood donation in this region.
Also, you may notice the picture - the man with the long fingernail. Well, it just so happens that the US government offered his father $75,000 for his little finger with the long nail... he didn't sell it...
Our walk ended at the site of the old town of Kardamyli, built at the end of the 17th century. Before the fortified tower-houses were built, people lived in the mountains that surround Kardamyli for protection from pirate raids; they didn't return to the seaside until the tower houses were built to offer safety.
The strength of the Mani Peninsula came from the clans that formed through these fortifications (towers). In Kardamyli, the most powerful clan was the Troupakis-Mourtzinos: from their fortified tower-houses in Old Kardamyli they ruled over the area for two centuries. The Mani Peninsula was the only part of Greece that never completely fell to the Ottomans invaders and played a leading role in the Greek War of Independence in 1821, when Greece was finally freed from the Turks.
The fortification in Old Kardamyli consisted of a few houses, olive mill, blacksmith shop, cistern, church and a tall stone tower.
Mural in Kardamyli, anniversary of Greek Independence 1821-2021
The fortification on top of a hill allows for complete surveillance of any activity happening either on the water or on the main road.
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There is a trail that climbs up from the old town to the hilltop church of Agia Sophia. Leave yourself plenty of time (and plenty of water) to make the hike. I went a short distance up the trail and had this fantastic view.
The history of Kardamyli goes way back, way before the pirates and the Ottomans! The village is first mentioned in the Iliad by the ancient poet Homer 8th century BC: Kardamyli was one of the seven cities offered by Agamemnon to Achilles to persuade him to rejoin the fight against Troy (this ancient Kardamyli was located way up on a rocky top fortress above Old Kardamyli).
One other interesting fact we learned was that Kardamyli was the main seaport of Sparta, given to Sparta by the Emperor Augustus; supposedly there still are remains of the ancient road through the mountains.
It's all so very Greek!
As you walk up the trail from Old Kardamyli, you come across these two tombs carved into the rock. They date from the 3rd-2nd century BC According to legend these are the tombs of Castor and Pollux (Polydeukes in Greek) – the "Gemini twins" and brothers of Helen of Troy.
Back from my outing, it was time for lunch! There's no lack of restaurants here in Kardamyli. We chose one that had inviting seating (sofas) under a big shady awning right on the water. People were playing backgammon and enjoying the beautiful day.
Ron and I did what most husbands and wives do - we decided to share a sandwich for lunch. BIG MISTAKE!!!
The sandwich we ordered had something called Syglino on it, along with tomato, lettuce, olives olive oil and feta cheese.
IT WAS DELICIOUS!
I could have eaten the whole thing, but no, I had to share it!
I'm pretty sure Ron was wishing he didn't have to share it with me!
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(We had to look it up - Syglino is a special cured meat of the Mani peninsula. Following an old traditional recipe, pork meat is cured with salt and smoked with aromatic herbs over a wood fire; the salted meat is then boiled with wine, orange peels and spices such as cinnamon and cloves. The meat is preserved in large clay pots using only extra virgin olive oil or ‘glina’ ( pork fat).)
Yes, we shared our dessert, too...
Ron needed a swim, so we walked to the nearest beach - the Ritsa Beach - which is just beyond the Church of St Mary. It's a pebbly beach, so Ron brought his water shoes along. I got a very nice souvenir of a nearly perfect round stone!
For the price of a couple beers you get a beach chair under an umbrella. Ron had a nice relaxing hour or so enjoying the water. Then it was back to the hotel to rest and get ready for dinner.
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