The trade off for a calm passage around the Cape, was no sailing breeze. The coastline was mountainous but had a surprising number of villages scattered the whole route to Monemvasia. There was a very remote lighthouse before the Cape, and a Monastary just after it, with the remains of older stone structures indicating long term occupation of the desolate point.
The anchorages available were very limited, so it was a big relief to find a spot at the quay. Sandy and Doug had arrived earlier and gave us a hand getting tied up. The rest of the arrival party was provided by 2 big turtles who swam around the boat as we got things put away. Although the water was very clear and a few other cruisers were swimmimg in the harbor, we opted to take the dinghy around the “rock” and do a bit of snorkeling to cool off. It was possible to circumnavigate, as there was a bridge allowing dinghy passage back into the harbor from the other side of the causeway. I think it was Todd’s idea to hike up to see the sunrise from the cliffs atop the old town the next morning. It really was the best (coolest) time of day to do it so we all agreed to set off at 5.30 am.
After navigating the winding stone streets in the lower town, then the switchback of stone steps to the upper old town, we were rewarded with a 360 degree view. The church of Agia Sophia was the best preserved in the upper town, along with many partial buildings, houses, cisterns etc. We were happy to have done the hike early though because it was high 90’s by 10 am!
In the middle of moving and haven’t had time to comment, but I’m so enjoying your posts! Thank you for taking all of us with you through your photos and excellent, detailed posts! Learning so much!