Oops, I did it again. One of those classical travel errors. I thought we had made it to Monemvasia, but I found out today, we are really in Gefrya. A little false advertising contributed to the mix up. No worries though, we can just walk across a bridge to get to the city I was searching for.
The sunshine was back out when we woke up. (Excuse me, when I woke up. Molly never wakes up voluntarily.......) I knew I wanted to go find the real Monemvasia. So, this wonderful village is in a walled area on one side of a great big rock, which dramatically rises out of the sea. It is seperated from Gefyra as the result of an earthquake, hence the current bridge.
The anticipation of finding it was exciting and when we did, you enter the village thru a tunnel. No cars. It was like a magical place with cobblestone walkways, picturesque views, red tiled roofs and narrow stairways. We stopped for coffee, just to sit on a fairytale patio overlooking the bluest ocean ever. I am sure hords of tourists come here all summer. I loved our day, without crowds, perfect weather, the village virtually all to ourselves.
Like many places this time of year, the off-season, a lot of construction and renovation is going on in preparation of the next tourist season. Monemvasia was no different. Some stone buildings were being renovated and the only movement around was mostly construction workers. Because there are no cars, supplies are moved in and out in wheelbarrows and on donkeys! We were surprised to hear the clip clop of hooves, followed by a man leading two donkeys carrying in cement materials.
Next we climbed up to to the top of the rock hill to see the upper city. This area is all ruins (I am back at it) of an old fortress and Byzantine church perched precariously above the lower village. The views were spectacular! Not a soul was around. It felt like Molly and I had the world to ourselves that day.
