Visiting Mani I: Areopoli - Diros
Visiting Mani I: Areopoli - Diros
Written by Thursday, 09 December 2010 00:00
Last year we had the pleasure of spending our short summer holidays on Mount Pelion; we enjoyed its forests and evergreen slopes. This year it was time for something completely different. Having considered a variety of places we decided we would visit south-east Peloponnese with three 'targets' in mind. Mystras castle, chosen because of its magnificent surroundings and historic importance, Monemvasia castle, for the same reasons and Mani, for its rocky landscapes and characteristic architecture. The plan was to enjoy, in order of importance, photography, more photography and swimming in the sea (if and when the other two important tasks allowed it). The whole team were in agreement well in advance so all arrangements were made on time; these consisted in merely booking the dates in our diaries. We decided against booking hotel rooms etc in advance to ensure that we would be free to enjoy the scenery and anything else that came along; we would find a place to stay once we got there. This proved a very wise decision both financially and in terms of flexibility.
To avoid spending lots of time packing and unpacking suitcases as we moved along we decided to stay in Areopolis (Mani) and make daily trips to the most important locations around it. We would leave the hotel when it was time to visit Monemvasia (which will be the topic of another presentation). Our program was as follows:
- August 11: arrive in Areopolis at night, after spending the whole day in Mystras castle (we will present Mystras castle separately),
- August 12: Diros cave, Areopolis (evening , night shots).
- August 13: Vathia, Gerolimenas, Areopolis (more night shots).
- August 14: Gytheio, Navagio (ship wreck), Evrotas Delta, Areopolis (even more night shots).
- August 15: Porto Kagio, Limeni (sunset shots), Areopolis (guess what: more night shots).
- August 16: departure for Monemvasia.
Mani is an area located in the middle peninsula of Peloponnese (known as Taygetos peninsula, ending at the cape Tainaron); the area extends to almost all the peninsula. (1) In the map of the area below we have indicated, with red dots, the places where we stopped to take photos. We also visited the nearby city of Gytheion, a beach called "Navagio" (ship wreck) and the Evrotas Delta, all outside the boundaries of Mani.
Areopolis is the capital of Mani, suitably located in the middle of the region. Most houses are built following the characteristic architecture of Mani. They have thick stone walls, embrasures (through which they used to shoot the enemy in the past centuries) and wooden roofs covered with ceramic tiles. We stayed in hotel Trapela which proved to be a first class choice. We were impressed by its beautiful architectural style, the spacious rooms and the high level of service - all this at reasonable prices.
The town itself was a delight to walk through, especially during the evening and night hours; there was a magnificent blend of local colour and tourist attractions. Contemporary style bars were housed in classic style buildings, a well attended local festival was interesting and highly entertaining while the streets were heaving with activity. The opportunities to take photos were endless: tables and restaurants, traditional dances, classic houses, churches, you name it. No wonder we have tons of photos from Areopolis. We scrolled through the town almost every night and there was always something new to see or a different angle to try.
The weather was excellent with lots of sun and (rarely) some clouds which helped us take photos using the basic ISO setting in most of our cameras. The quality of the photos turned out to be more than satisfactory. We had arranged a visit to the Diros cave the next day so the weather was insignificant. Light levels were really low so all of us had to set our cameras differently, depending on the ability of each camera to deal with the low light. Some of us used full flash, others used it as a fill in tool while the rest used their cameras without a flash albeit using high ISO settings (1600, lens wide open). While we were waiting to enter the cave part of the team were changing their camera settings; others were debating whether cameras can shoot without a battery or not. Marina was quick recording the debate. Just as we were cracking the first jokes they spoiled our fun though .... they remembered they had a spare battery in the car. Oh well ....
There is only a small part of the cave open to the public. The tour covers a distance of three kilometers and is done partly by special shallow boats and partly on foot. What you see when you enter the cave is this:
During the boat trip visitors have to keep their heads low in some places; the boat goes through openings which are occasionally extremely narrow. Movement is very limited, which makes shooting even more difficult. Yet the sight is breathtaking. Stalagmites and stalactites created after tens of thousands of years decorate the full length of the route. Shapes, colours and forms are exquisite. Carefully placed lighting highlights some of the formations:
Though the trip of the cave is apparently shorter now than what it used to be some years ago it is still extremely impressive and highly recommended to all photography enthusiasts.
Photos by the authors.
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