Κορώνη (Koroni): Part 2

This is how the stairwell looked like, or it just simply doesnt looked like anything.

No flash

W/ Flash

The only light we had was the focus-helping light of mt camera that stayed on for less than a second. Better than cameras' flashes that are not viable... Down there I got astonished about the place! A huge and large and tall and geometrical tower in a dome like room. Traces of "picnics" were everywhere and there was lots of sand even being like 20 meters above the sea.


We then found that there is a normal and harmless entrance besides the dangerous and totally dark stairs...

Walking north, with the huge green field on our right (with goats, chickens and a donkey around), we found Jeronimo and the entrance of this side of the castle/fortress that leads to that big open green space. There are pieces of the walls just having a bath in the blue/green sea. Massive pieces of medieval walls just down there, probably for a looooooong time... Why they dont get them and try to use them to reconstruct the place? Is it so hard? I dont think so... Is it viable? I am not an archeologist...


After this we tried to retrieve a carpet that was swiming in a beach right close to those wall pieces. We went into the green zone and there we can realize how big that damn fortress is. If it is that big from that point of view, I assure that into the west it is a lot bigger than this!


So, we tried to go down to the sea, but only rocks, difficult paths, Greek "sea-side silvas"... We found some caverns and we went back to the fortress. Then one or 2 more rooms in the walls and then we searched for a place to eat. Passing by some houses (yes, inside there), one car and one bike, some goats and one roulotte, we found another tower and we had our lunch there, with a great view to Koroni.

Then we went to visit the monastery inside the fortress and a tower where a lady was saying the καστρι was. Not a big deal, the monastery area very very white, you cannot enter with shorts or mini-skirt or sleeveless or showing more than half of your arms, you cannot make noise (supposely) and probably you cannot produce your offspring either...

Then we tried one of the beaches of the zone... Only the "wavy" beach is a beach... This one on the north part of the town is a big σκατά! It has something in the sand that I have no idea what it is. Looks like pieces of some tissue mixed with the wastes of a carpenter's shop. It could be a good beach, with fantastic water... But as usual, in Greece...
We slept there a bit and then we slept in the bus back home.

From Kalamata to Koroni
From 11h to 21:30h
For 4.80€ x 2

Photo count: 620
Photo artifacts found: 15

Κορώνη (Koroni): Part 1

Κορώνη was called by the Venetians as Corone and the Ottomans in their times. In greek this means flower garlands, and it looks like it doesn't mean "crown" in italian (corona). Anyway, and despite the true meaning, for me it means Greece.

We (me, Jeronimo, Ece and Laszlo) took a local/regional bus. Fortunately we entered in the first stop, so I expect the other people who stayed stand just enjoyed the sardine experience. Unlike in Portugal we enter the bus without paying and we start the trip right away. A few stops after a man starts to collect the payments. At least they know the numbers in English and are smart enough to understand I wanted to pay 2 tickets, one for my friend too. Of course I could have said "Ghia Koroni parakaló. Mu ké tu" (this is the sound of the thing, i dont want to risk transliterations...eheh). Probably he would understand I suppose... Anyway we met an old man in the bus who is living in South Africa after working there many years. Very nice person and he even gave us a bus schedule with all the links and times from Kalamata!

Then, after 1h45m we finally reached destiny. I really am no good....for a bus driver! The streets looked sooo narrow when we are inside the bus! And the balconies on the houses didnt help... But he managed to go down to a plaza one street near the sea. Guess what was in the middle of it?! A church! Very good!... Now that I am here, let me count them... hmm... 1... 2... 3... 4... and a Monastery! For a city with 1668 inhabitants... Yes I think it is apropriate! I just need to tell this to the mayor of my home town so he can start to save some money to build 3 or 4 more churches. In Amares, the town, all! This is Greece.

Advancing... We started to look for the castle of course. On our way there we found a great view over a sea with waves! Yes, waves, more or less like in Portugal. Not ondulation like in Kalamata where the sea looks lazy and is just moving to say that he is there.

We then walked into the castle/fortress and we decided "right". There was a cemetery and a bird wandering above my head of which I took exactely 15 photos. Those helped me to discover (at home) that my camera's sensor had some dirt... A bit further in the walls and a good view again.

The water looks great at least! (you will know why I say this further on)

The nest thing of interest was a tower just a bit to the inside of the previous location. Lookde very at first view, it looked well preserved. We went uo the wall and we saw the tower from there. At the first view it looked that the only way to reach the tower would be to jump down to some wooden planks and then walk carefuly towards the tower... I found two balls somewhere and then I did it. Reached the tower I just found an entrance/exit that passed just below the stairs we took to go up the wall!... Saintly stupidity... I called the others (by this time we had already lost Jeronimo somewhere as usual), we found some stairs leading down in a totally dark tunnel and after a while we decided: Let's go!

To be continued...

I miss...

- my dog/cow;
- my friends;
- the nights in Concelho and Sintomas;
- my bus travels;
- my mom's food;
- my room and my house;
- genetics;
- portuguese humour;
- my speakers;
- Vila Real;
- my airsoft things;
- ...ed our Carnival parade and will miss the 25th of April;
- driving;
- riding a motorbike;
- my DVDs;
- my drawings;
- love;
- you;
- you;
- you;
- you;
- my closet;
- cinema;
- my city;
- my misunderstandings;
- coffee for 55 cents;
- my father's complaints about the politicians;
- my garden;
- portuguese yoghurts;
- Limiano's halfs;
- talking in Portuguese;
- portuguese ladies;
- laughing about the "olive oilers";
- shopping;
- my bridge;
- my sun and my pool;
- etc...

Easter

Today/tomorrow is the Sunday of easter in Portugal and other catholic countries. In Greece, as for other orthodox countries, the easter weekend is one week later. Nevertheless people started with their traditions here!
Two things from now:
- painting the walkways outside their houses and stores with a kind of white paint, sometimes with strange and stupid drawings;
- blowing up petards in the middle of the streets. Not "Carnival" little bombs but really noisy and strong petards! Stupids...

In the Sunday of easter here I think we will get into their traditions with the help of Sibel (our theoretical mentor and good friend) by visiting the church and then having dinner at her house. Yes yes, visiting the church! It will be nice, I havent seen the Kalamata's Metropolis church from inside yet! :p Maybe I can flash them a bit... eheheh

PS: I am really relieved.... Finally I will have an easter period without having to go with the annoying catholic traditions...