April 28, 2025 - Greece
Kardamyli
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From Olympia, we drove south along the Peloponnese west coast with the Ionian Sea on our right. Then we cut across Messenia, past Kalamata town where the delicious Kalamata olives get their name, to the little town of Kardamylia on the Messenian Gulf.
Per Rick Steves, Kardamyli is the gateway to the Mani Peninsula and its best home base.
Our AirBnb was this castle-like building on top of a mountain overlooking the town.
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The AirBnB looks big but it really wasn't, with two small bedrooms and a small family area & kitchen. But it was fine for our purposes.
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| You could see the Messenian Gulf and endless olive trees from the patio. |
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We didn't feel like driving back down the mountain to town. But the little hamlet just down the hill a little had a single restaurant, so we walked down there for dinner. We found it -- I don't recall that it even had a sign -- and talk about local! I don't think it even had a menu, but the waitress was friendly, and the food was fine, and the locals didn't give us a hard time. We would end up seeing the waitress down the hill a couple of times next day.
Here we are hoofing it back up the hill.
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We encountered farm animals along the way. Multicolored chickens.
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| Friendly goats. |
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| Pretty sunset from our place. |
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The next morning dawned sunny and bright.
Today was pretty much a day of rest. We took it easy: walked around the small town of Kardamyli -- 230 year-round residents -- checked out a beach, had a nice dinner.
Here is a nice view of Kardamyli, taken from an overlook as we drove down the mountain from our AirBnB.
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| A closer-look. |
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| Having a relaxing breakfast on Main Street. |
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Then we went on the Rick Steves walking tour of Kardamyli.
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| Kardamyli was not always accessible by roads, so this pier was the main entry point to the town. |
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| Panoramic view of the harbor. |
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| "The old smokestack marks the site of a once-thriving olive-oil factory. The oil was shipped from this pier. The factory has been deserted since the 1950s when a rival company from Kalamata bought it in order to close it and become the region's sole olive-oil producer." ... Rick Steves |
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Walking along Kardamyli's back streets.
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| By a monument in the main square. This one is a bust of a general who fought in the Greek War of Independence (1821–1832). |
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From Main Street, we headed up the hill to the fortified compound Old Kardamyli.
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This settlement, marked by a fortified tower, was established by the first families to return to flat ground at the end of the 17th century (they had been forced into the hills in the Middle Ages by pirates).
In this era, defense was secured by privately owned towers and the fortified houses of the local rulers. The tower was the last refuge of the defenders.
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Looking out a Tower window towards the Gulf.
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A painting from back in the day. Look at all the towers! I remember all the towers we saw in the hilltop towns of Italy.
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| Model of the Old Kardamyli complex. |
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| The little Church of St. Spyridon, just inside the compound, on the right. |
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| We drove south of town to check out one of big pebble beaches. |
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Lynnette showing off her bright pink toenails which she had done just prior to the trip.
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Big rocks, little rocks.
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Relaxing on the patio, drinking some Greek wine. We had dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in Kardamyli. Jenny picked out the fish she would have for her dinner. Many cats were lurking about, hoping for some seafood.
So concludes a nice relaxing day at Kardamyli.
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