As with many of our destinations, I only discover their existence a day or two before I cast my eyes on them.
Methoni Greece was a last-minute recommendation by my friend, Michalis, and I’m so pleased he gave me the heads-up. Let me back up a bit…
After we enjoyed the sights of the Greek Island, Santorini, our intention was to sail towards the southern Peloponnese, go around the bottom, and head towards the Greek Ionian islands. Time permitting, the plan is to head up the Adriatic and hit Venice along with several other stops along the east coast of mainland Italy.
Eventually, we’ll return to Sicily where our boat will be placed in a marina over the winter for necessary repairs. We have a variety of problems with our generator and main engine, so before we even think of crossing the Atlantic they need to be looked at.
Anyway, my husband, our esteemed friend, Admiral Stefano, and I discussed places we could visit on our way along the Peloponnese. Fortunately for us, my friend Michalis sent an email telling us to check out Elefonisis and Methoni, so after a couple of days in Monemvasia we headed for Elefonisis where we stopped for dinner in a lovely picturesque bay. I wanted to get out and explore but the boys explained that the winds were good for a night sail.
As Stefano says with his thick Italian accent, ‘when the winds blow we sail and when it doesn’t, we smoke a cigarette.’
The funny thing is that he doesn’t smoke! Perhaps it’s one of those ancient sayings that salty sea dogs like to give voice to? I find myself saying it to people now and they probably think I’m a moron.
Not long after eating the sausage pasta bake (click to get the recipe) I created, the anchor was pulled up and we sailed through the night to Methoni. During most night sails, I go to bed with our daughter, Sienna, so that I can make sure she feels safe.
She loves night sails as it’s the only time she’s allowed to sleep in bed with me.
I suppose it gets her excited about sailing at night rather than annoyed. Lucky for her, she sleeps through the winch noises and the engine going on and off. For me, even the tiny noise of the autohelm can keep me awake!
Methoni Greece was a sight for tired eyes.
My eyes were delighted with the views of an ancient Venetian castle, a beautiful sandy beach, and a very small quiet town. There were various patches of sand throughout the water making the sea look magical with varying degrees of blues and greens. Like so many places we visit, it was a little slice of paradise.
My husband lowered the dinghy and we all got on board to find a jetty to tie onto and go exploring.
The plan was to check out the fortress and then find a place to enjoy lunch.
As we walked towards the Venetian ruin and rounded a corner I was in awe by the sight of such a grand structure. The walls were incredibly tall and the entrance was intimidating.
Once we entered the fortress, there was a very wide walkway taking us towards the sea.
We entered the old market area and found an interesting column made from granite – a stone that is very foreign to the area. Apparently, the column was taken from a shipwreck! The history of the column itself must have been quite dynamic.
We walked toward the sea to find the structure that could be seen from the boat.
It is thought that it might be an old Turkish prison. As my husband is an ex-prison officer, his curiosity was high.
The picture directly above was taken by Stefano – he managed to get our boat, Britican, in with me, Sienna and Simon. I think it’s a great shot of us in Methoni Greece.
The four of us walked through an entrance that had a portcullis – you could see where the gate would have been.
We curved around a corner to see a walkway out onto a tiny island holding the prison. The stonework was incredible. I think back to the time when it’s inhabitants had no electricity, no machinery – just manual labor and it astounds me.
The views from the prison castle took my breath away.
From every direction in Methoni Greece, there was something beautiful to behold.
After taking in the sights from every corner possible, we started to make our way back to the little town. Everyone, including me, was getting very thirsty and hungry. The sun was hot and the air was dry.
Avoiding the more tourist looking restaurants, we settled on a Greek Taverna called ‘Rex’.
The food was outstanding. It was simple, yet so fresh. I ordered cannelloni as I thought my daughter would share with me. Additionally, Stefano ordered a green and potato salad to share. And of course, there were loads of bread to share about. We all moo’d like cows with delight. Stefano ordered stuffed tomatoes for his main and after finishing, tried to order one more as he couldn’t get enough. Unfortunately, they didn’t have another one.
I couldn’t understand why everything tasted so amazing.
At first, I thought perhaps I just needed food to recover from the night sail, but later when I went in search of the bathrooms I discovered a large garden. I think many of the ingredients used were from the garden! Nothing is better than fresh vegetables.
When leaving, we asked the restaurant owner to direct us to the Bakery.
Unfortunately, it didn’t open until 5 pm and we were going to leave the area. The owner went into the kitchen and grabbed a loaf of bread for us. He wouldn’t take any money for it. We did, however, hear his wife yelling that he wasn’t allowed to give out any more.
This type of kindness has been shown to us everywhere we go – not just Methoni Greece!
On our way back we took a tour of the area in the dingy and Stefano jumped off part way to swim back to the boat. I wonder if he would have started swimming sooner had he eaten another stuffed tomato?
Overall, Methoni is a wonderful stop if you’re traveling along the southern Peloponnese.
We enjoyed the sights, the food, and getting a bit of exercise after such a long sail.
Check Out Some Areas Other Than Mothoni – Greece & The Mediterranean
If you’d like a breakdown of all the places we’ve visited while sailing the Mediterranean please read our destination overview: Sailing The Mediterranean. Otherwise, check out more posts about our time spent in Greece.
The images you took are really amazing. Would love to visit Greece..especially that it is one of the best places to go sailing.
Thanks for the feedback Mike. Greece is definitely a great destination for sailors 🙂