A Peloponnese Vignette

We joined the crowd to visit the landmarks: Corinth, Mycenae, Mystras, Epidaurus and Monemvasia.  But we went off the beaten track to discover Peloponnese’s hidden or less popular treasures.  Thanks to the European bail-out, Greece has finally emerged from its self-inflicted financial mess.   However, it is still the land of a carefree, and I could add careless behavior and flouting the rules is a national badge of honor.  This local trait is particularly noticeable on the road where rules seem to apply to foreigners only, and since in summer the Greeks become a minority population within their own country, this free-for-all is manageable.  Last year, Greece welcomed 32 million tourists, a three tourists per inhabitant ratio!!

In all matter of road safety, Greece compares with a third world country, and it stands near the bottom of the EU safety ranking.  Fortunately, in Peloponnese there is much less traffic than in Italy and France.  Greek drivers make a mockery of speed limits.  They constantly overtake you, probably as a matter of national pride, and they are permanently on a fast and furious mode.  Actually, I don’t blame them as the speed limits are nonsensical.  After scratching our heads to interpret the 50, 60, 70 and 80 kilometer speed signs on the same stretch of road, we gave up and drove according to our foreigner’s common sense.  We spotted just a few speed cameras.  Driving on the wrong side of a village road is not uncommon, and parking perpendicular to the curb is a normal sight on High Street.  We were informed that crash helmets were mandatory, and not wearing them carries a heavy fine.  All the same, Greek motorcycle drivers ignore them.  Therefore, not wearing them is illegal but it is widely tolerated.  Tolerance is clearly a Greek virtue.

By modern standards tax evasion is not a virtue.  However, when Greece was under Ottoman rule, it was regarded as a sign of patriotism.  After Greek independence in 1822, it lost its patriotic symbol and became a national sport.  Brussels’ bureaucrats were not amused and prodded the government to be tougher on cheats and tax dodgers.  By their estimate, some 39 billion euros a year were not collected.  The EU bailed out the country but expected to get its money back!  Since my last visit to Greece a decade or so ago, I noticed that shop keepers, restaurants and hotels had invested in electronic cash registers: it was not a spontaneous purchase.  To maximize its tax collection effort, the government devised an efficient policy: If tourists were refused a receipt, they could walk away without paying! Needless to say, we were handed receipts.  We paid restaurants with credit cards, and were advised to keep our receipt in case an inspector asked for it.  Greek trade is unquestionably losing its former oriental ways.

Greece is not as cheap as the Greeks would like us to believe.  We found gas, toll roads and fish particularly expensive, in comparison with western European countries’ prices.  Tolls were particularly frustrating, we paid some 16 euros for a 240 km drive, dear enough, but we had to stop seven times to hand a credit card to the attendant in the toll booth! My friend joked that she had become a toll maid!!! On the other hand, we didn’t mind paying more for gas: gas stations are manned and their toilets are squeaky clean.

Fish is another matter.  Actually, TripAdvisor warns travelers: “Beware of fish priced by the weight!” Restaurants display their catch of the day, and it is weighed in front of the patrons before cooking.  We found Greek fish very heavy for their size!!! Inspectors should be advised to check these restaurant scales more often. 

Rugged Peloponnese embodies slow travel, with its balanced mix of culture, food, sand (also pebbles!), sea and sun.  It was the way we wanted it.  It is much less crowded than the islands and the locals are still happy to see visitors.  Greek mythology was born in this region even if the heroes found fame on distant shores (Troy).  Slow travel doesn’t mean laziness.  According to my friend’s iPhone’s tracking app (a fancy pedometer) we walked 32 miles and climbed 200 floors in six days! We drove 1321 kms to visit archaeological landmarks and discovered off the beaten track places.  Among the “must see” sites, Mystras and Epidaurus are so vast that except near their iconic monuments, we found very few people.  Epidaurus is renowned for its impressive amphitheater, but few visitors pay attention to its unique function.  It is where the wellness and fitness concepts were invented during the 6^th century BC.  Myth has it that the god-physician Asclepios was born there near mineral springs; he was the protector of human health and personal happiness.  No wonder the place became popular with people seeking healing.  The Romans enjoyed it as well, and worship continued even after the locals had converted to Christianism until the mid-6^th century AD.  It was The Ancient Greek’s version of a Lourdes sanctuary plus a spa and work-out complex! 

                                                                           Caves of Diros

Peloponnese’s signature city state was Sparta, Athens’ nemesis and the Peloponnesian War victorious city.  Now, it is not worth a visit as the ruins are unimpressive.  The city was badly damaged by an earthquake and in 371 BC its army was severely defeated by Thebes, another ancient Greek city state.  Today, what is left of Sparta are myths and expressions such as to live as a Spartan and being laconic (Sparta is located in the Laconia region).  During its heydays, Sparta was a warrior society ruled by an iron fist.  Little is known of Sparta; its ancient story was written centuries after the fact by people who were mostly sympathetic to Athens. 

The writings of Aristotle and Plutarch are at the origin of many of the myths about Sparta.  The former blamed Spartan gynocracy for its demise; by Ancient Greek standards, Spartan women were too promiscuous, too rich and too independent.  Sparta is rumored to have resorted to infanticide and eugenics to enhance its warrior race.  We paid a visit to the small village of Tripi at the foothill of Mt Taygetus, above the ruined city of Mystras.  Tripi’s claim to fame is a myth: unfit, weak and deformed babies were tossed into a pit near the village.  Bones were recently found in the location, but from adults.  During the Roman domination of the Peloponnese, Sparta was a free city and according to historians attracted rich Roman tourists, curious to observe its exotic social customs.  At the end of the Roman period, Sparta was the shadow of its former glorious self.  Its inhabitants drifted to other places and many settled in the area where Mystras is.

After visiting these stimulating tourist hotpots, we drifted down the little-known Mani Peninsula, on the southern tip of Peloponnese.  The peninsula is renowned for its picturesque ports like Githeio, Aeropoli and Gerolimenas, but our interest was to see the famous tower houses in the villages of Koita and Vatheia and the Caves of Diros.  The peninsula was ruled by Sparta and the fighter temperament of the population was put to successful use centuries later during the Ottoman offensive: the Maniots[1] were never totally subdued by the occupants.  The region became a permanent guerrilla and banditry ground where the locals fought the occupants and each other.  Families and clans built these impressive towers which are now being restored to honor their undaunted spirit and for a more prosaic tourism purpose.  Some 600 towers remain in the region.  The name Mani may come from le Grand Magne, a mythic fortress built by the Franks in the 13^th century.

My knowledge of the history of Peloponnese was basic at best:  Hellenistic period, Athens/Sparta rivalry, Roman occupation, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman occupation and 19^th century Independence.  This Frankish period was totally unknown to me.  Many of the Latin knights who joined the 4th Crusade became distracted by their mission to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims.  In 1204, they ransacked Constantinople and carved the Byzantine Empire for themselves.  The Franks, as the French were called took the Peloponnese and established the Principality of Achaea (Morea), as the region was known at the time.  During the 13^th century, Peloponnese was French, run by the Villehardouins, a family from Champagne consisting of two Geoffreys and two Williams.  Their realm was not a peaceful one, and they spent their time and energy strengthening or building impressive fortresses.  This building frenzy can be admired in Monemvasia, Mystras, Arco Corinth, Chlemousti (Clermont), and Kastro Larisa near Argos.  We climbed to the first three.  One after the other, they fell to Greek despots and finally the Ottomans.

Sadly, the adventurous Princes of Achaea have been forgotten in France.  In the city of Troyes, a street and a student residence are named after them.  This blog is an homage to their daring history.

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[1] During the ottoman occupation, many Maniots migrated to Corsica where they founded the village of Cargèse.  In the 1960s, working on my geology thesis, I spent many months in this village without knowing the origin of its population.  Coincidence!