Methoni to Marathopolis

We have continued to see shrines, but not many are different. We see them for sale at home and garden stores, so a really unique one has to be handmade like the following one. It even has a small bell in it's tower.



We explored the famous castle and prison at Methoni this morning before breakfast.






This the prison on a small rocky outcrop separate from the castle.


Here is a shot looking up inside the prison. There were probably wood floors and a wood staircase going up to the different floors.



Similar to the castle in Kalamata, the Venetians built this fort and fought the Turks twice for control of it. We don't know who was imprisoned in the beautiful prison. These old Venetian forts are very spacious inside the walls with plenty of room for cottages, gardens, even small orchards. The fort at Koroni was still occupied, with people in cottages, and a monastery. We think that the forts were situated to protect ports and regulate shipping and trade.



After breakfast, we loaded up and our landlady gave us cookies for the road. Fifteen minutes out of town, Dave got a flat tire, the first flat of the trip. It was a mystery flat with the hole in the tube on the rim side. After changing the tube, we continued on to Pilos and stopped to buy some supplies.



We found our ultimate lunch bread, tortillas, much to Belinda's delight. There was a second sightseeing stop at a Mycenean tomb. It was constructed in the same manner as other Mycenean tombs, but was situated on a promontory with a gorgeous view.



Between the sightseeing and the flat, it began to get late and we were unsure of the best destination to spend the night. We had stopped on the road and a very tall thin German cyclist rode up to us and asked if we needed assistance. He directed us to a hotel in the next town, Marathopolis. After showering, we watched the sunset from our balcony.


A little later we walked to a restaurant, where we got into a long conversation with with the young man serving us. He is a student of biology at The University of Peloponnese. We talked about Greece, human nature, and world economies. Tomorrow we head for Zaharo.