Devoting a blog entry to the Byzantine city of Monemvasia will scarcely do it justice, but I’ll try.
Monemvasia in the Evening
We arrived at Monemvasia a few hours before sunset, and we went about exploring the town and taking as many pictures as possible in the evening light. The city is on the western slope of the huge massif facing slightly southeast, so the evening sun light is fleeting. As you enter the city through the main gate (the only way to enter) there are a number of small shops and restaurants. These stop at the main square by design, and the rest of the city is hotels, churches, historic buildings, and a few private homes. Monemvasia is built on the side of hill, so any stroll involves steep ascents or descents over rough cobblestone alleys.
Monemvasia in the Early Morning
We got up before sunrise Monday morning to climb to the Upper City of Monemvasia, the heavily fortified top of the massif on which the city rests. We were able to catch the sunrise and then continue in the early morning light up to the Citadel, the very top of the massif. Along the way we passed some beautiful fall wildflowers and the ruins of a number of churches, outposts, cisterns and other buildings and then made our way down to the rampart that looks down onto Lower Monemvasia. It was a bit of a climb, but we had the place to ourselves—back down in time for a shower and breakfast.
