Gythio is situated on the Lakonian Gulf. It had a working town feel and a central location for our upcoming adventures. We had two day trips from here. One to Monemvasia and the next day to Mystras. We had a great hotel with nice views of the harbor. The food at the restaurants on the waterfront was cheap, good and plentiful.
David told us that according to Homer, the Greek author of the Iliad and the Odyssey , Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta spent their first romantic night together on Marathonisi Island. This place isn't far from our hotel. I am a sucker for romance so I had to go check it out on our first night in Gythio. As I was walking to the island I found a bakery with yummy pasteries. I love this town!
The Marathounisi Islet was worth the walk. There weren't many people around. It is a peaceful place with pine trees going down to the water. I can see how Paris and Helen found it romantic. Throughout the tour I noticed how mythology and legends intertwine with the facts of Greek history.
The Trojan War is one of many important events of Greek Legends. As we travel through Greece there have been many references to the Homer by local guides and in museums. The author Homer was a very talented guy.
Gythio used to be the Port of Sparta. This town was a major center of the Greek Revolution. If you can see in the middle of the sunrise picture there is a statue of a solider. He signifies all the greek boys and men that left from this port that went to war and never returned.
We had another pleasant place to stay in Gythio, the Hotel Aktaion . All of the rooms had a balcony with a glorious view of the harbor. The breakfast was good and I liked the art work in the hallways.
I wanted proof that I slept on a twin bed. I sleep on a pillow top king size bed at home so my kids had a hard time believing I could handle a twin. I haven't sleep on a twin bed since I was 13 years old. But, It didn't bother me. My roommate Becky was friendly and a quiet sleeper, so sharing our room was no problem at all. What mattered was the great view off our hotel room balcony(where I took both of my sunrise pictures).
This dinner was so good! We had suckling pig and barbecued chicken. Our table was as close to the water as you could get. It was a wonderful meal with lots of laughter and very good food.
The Moonlight over the ocean was so pretty that night. I can still see it in my mind. But, unfortunatley you can't because that picture didn't turn out. Our bus driver, Spiros, told me the greek word for beautiful is "orea". That is what it was that night over the ocean and my last sunrise in Gythio the next morning. They were both orea. (o ray ah)
