A PAUSE IN PELOPONNESE (Part 2)

Idalis:

A VACATION FROM OUR VACATION

When Kevin and I arrived to the southern Peloponnese in the town of Gythio, we were only planning to stay a few days. We had read that it was a stark, sparsely inhabited area, but it had some sights we were curious to explore. We thought that a few days in this rugged area of southern Greece would be just enough time, and it was a convenient jumping-off point to get to the island of Crete.

Kevin and I arrived at Camping Maltemi last Thursday night. It is a nice campground, 3 kilometers outside of the town of Gythio, where legend says Helen and Paris (prince of Troy) began their affair which culminated in the Trojan War. Camping Maltemi is also a working olive grove, where they produce their own olive oil and cure kalamata olives (which you do not want to pick right off the tree and eat - YUCK!). It is right on the beach of Mavrouvouni, known for its windsurfing spot. We planned on renting one of the bungalows that had a kitchen, as we were looking forward to cooking for ourselves and just taking it easy for a few days. We had read that there were five ferries a week to Crete, so thought we could take our pick. We soon found out we were very wrong! Yes, there are five ferries a week to Crete . . . in the summer! In the off season (now), there is only one ferry a week to Crete, which means that we'd have to wait a WHOLE WEEK before leaving this little town! Kevin and I looked at each other, already becoming anxious and fidgety, wondering how we would occupy our time, as we were not in the “city” of Gythio (I use that term lightly) and were “stuck” on this campground, without transport, for 7 long days! How would we survive? What would we do? Wouldn't we get bored? VERY bored? Being accustomed to (relative) creature comforts made us worry – we had been camping before - but 1) always had a car, 2) have only gone for a few days at a time and, 3) never had to communicate in Greek!

Well, suffice to say, this is what we've needed – a vacation from our vacation! There are no sights to see (okay, maybe one), no postcards to send, and no museum lines we have to wait in! We have truly enjoyed our time here. At first, it was really hard. We're just not used to having all this . . . t i m e. We've had to (blessedly!) learn how to change gears. Kevin and I get up in the morning and start our slow, fairly meaningless day. I go for a run on the beach and then face the sea as I do yoga. Meanwhile, Kevin goes out for a long paddle on one of the many windsurf boards here (that took a bit of begging!). When we're both done, we sit on the beach and stare at the Lakonian Sea. We then stroll back to our simple, little bungalow. We have fresh fruit and coffee for breakfast (thank you, Amor!) and just linger, talking and laughing. Breakfast has never lasted so long (okay, maybe in Cinque Terre it did!). Sometimes we go for a walk, play with one of the many cats on the premises, or (gasp!) take a nap. Sometimes we walk into “town” to buy bread (or more Greek wine!), but usually we've just enjoyed the scenery here – going to the beach, reading, or sunning by the pool and going down the kiddie slide! Kevin cooks every night, as camping has always brought out the chef in him! Our dinners are great, tasty and homemade, and seem to last for hours. We sit outside, talk, listen to the crickets, enjoy a bottle of wine, and remind each other how very lucky we are.

There are a few sites we wanted to explore, but because this area is so remote, traveling by bus can prove to be very complicated. So we've missed the ancient ruins and the spectacular gorges, yet we don't feel guilty about it! We think it was meant to be this way, forcing us to slow down. We did go on an excursion one day to the amazing Diros Caves, in the Lakonian Mani. They are a 14 kilometer network of caves at sea level, so most of it is only accessible by boat. It was a spectacular sight to behold, even if our bus driver both there and back was a grumpy, rude chauffeur. We have found (and read) that the locals in the southern Peloponnese are a bit like their environment – dry and rugged. But, we have also met some very friendly people here, from the lady at the local market where we buy our bread, to the men at the snack bar who let Kevin borrow the old, abandoned boards for his memorable, morning paddles.

We have truly enjoyed our time here and feel blessed to have been able to slow down, smell the roses (literally), and appreciate our surroundings and each other.