greece (day 4) - monemvasia and nafplio
i woke up early before the sun in monemvasia. the sea slowly got brighter through the hazy sky. none of the cafes are open before 8 or 9 so while it’s still dark, i usually just sit and upload photos onto my computer or watch instagram reels :)
a bit more about monemvasia: it was founded in the 6th century by relocating spartans, but in antiquity before it was inhabited, it may have been a minoan trading post. throughout the middle ages, it was an important commercial center, and due to this status, it was often raided by pirates, a variety of european groups, and arabs. through the 15–18th centuries, monemvasia flip flopped a couple times between venetian and ottoman control until greek independence in the early 19th century.
i had yogurt, poached eggs on bread, salad, and coffee for breakfast on a rooftop cafe. there are lots of strays around greece, and the one sitting next to me kept trying to eat my food. it later jumped down and started fighting with a group of other cats in the alley below. in greece at almost any moment, i can hear the sound of cats screaming in the distance.
after breakfast, i hiked up through monemvasia’s fortifications to see the upper town and the holy church of hagia sophia. there are also these giant fences to keep falling rocks from hitting the lower town.
the holy church of hagia sophia is basically on the edge of a cliff, and when i was taking a photo of the church, i was also standing on the edge of a cliff. it was wild up there.
the top of monemvasia is a plateau covered in ruins.
after my trip to the upper town, i walked around the main town a bit more and had some fresh juice, fruit, and yogurt before departing for nafplio (via the scenic route).
i'm staying in the interesting (and touristy) part of nafplio: the old town. i’m mainly staying here to see a couple nearby sites tomorrow, but fortunately my room has a view of the harbor and a fun spiral staircase.
i enjoyed some cretan amphora-aged wine, a variety of dips, and a local pie, and called it a day.
