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Kalamata is located at the northern end of the Messinian Gulf. There we stayed for several days, among other things to see the ancient Messene.
Now we are heading south, with destination Limeni, not a harbour or a marina, but an anchorage. In the south of the Peloponnese, there is no need to get up early or to set off, because the wind in summer mostly does not come before noon. It is mostly a southwesterly wind, which then turns more westerly during the day. That means: first out of the bay under engine, then the wind starts about 5 miles from Kalamata. Southwest: So the wind again exactly from the front. That means: turn around, change of course, instead of southwest now more to the west. But because the coastline further to the south leaps back a little, it's not a big loss of height. Soon a turn is possible again, because the wind has turned further. So we can enter straight into the bay of Limeni. Travel guides compare the landscape that begins here, Mani, with Scotland: barren, harsh, windy, poor……and clans "rule" here, one lives in residential towers like in Tuscany, only harsher, more dismissive.
We have to search a bit, but then after six hours of sailing the anchor drops to a turquoise blue shimmering five meters depth on a sandy ground.
Open the railing, get out the swimming ladder - go swimming!
And the reward for the sailing day: a bay like an amphitheatre: a wide semi-circle that rises sharply, small villages on steep mountain slopes, almost alpine, cubic residential towers, rocks, and in the evening the lights of the villages - beautiful.

From the history lessons one may remember that Messene was a city-state, which was mostly at war or in competition with the eastern Sparta. There were two Messenian wars, but the school history books do not report much more. But two facts have led to the fact that Messene has become a spectacular archaeological site, comparable to Olympia, but it was a city with city walls, market place, theatre, temples, stadium, gymnasium and - probably - pulsating life, not "only" a religious place of worship.
On the one hand, the ancient historian Pausanias describes the city in great detail with all the important buildings, and on the other hand there have been incredibly rich finds and excavations of the described city in recent years, which are presented in a really sensitive and appealing way.
Messene is located 30km northwest of Kalamata in a beautiful mountainous landscape. The city is situated below the steep Ithomi mountain (800m), which offered shelter and on which the city walls ran, two city gates are still visible in remains, above a Zeus sanctuary. To the south, the slightly hilly plain opens up towards the sea, with olive trees, vineyards, vegetables and many cypresses.
The town fits perfectly into this landscape: From the stadium you have a wide view to the south, if you sit in the theatre (by the way one of the biggest antique complexes of this kind), you have a view over the city.
At the edge of the ancient city there is a small archaeological museum with the statues and elements found during the excavations, wonderful statues of Hermes and Heracles, the protectors of the youth - they were of course in the gymnasium. But Isis Pelago, the patron saint of sailors, is also represented.
The various temples, sports facilities and the market are very impressive and a must for the visitor to Greece. What is added is the overall impression with the modern village of Mavromati above - in the tavern you can sit outside in the shade and have an aerial view the view over the whole ensemble, great.

Kalamata. Of course, the city is known for its excellent dark reddish-brown fleshy olives, some say the best in Greece.
But there are many other interesting and beautiful things to discover in the second largest city (70000 inhabitants) in the Peloponnese.
Kalamata is a port city with an international port for foreign clearance, customs and all that - at the moment there is less or nothing going on because of Corona and probably also economic crisis.
But the old town is not at the port, as one might expect, but up on the hillside below the 800 year old fortress. Like everything else here, the fortress has changed "owners" between Turks and Venetians again and again.
One has a grandiose view of the whole city and into the surrounding mountains and gorges, in the west the Taygetos mountains, behind which Sparta lies, and further east the Kalatio mountains, also strategically an interesting location.
There are many small, winding, picturesque alleys above, of course with many pubs and bars, where you can eat very good and very regionally original Greek food. In the middle of the old town a tiny church from Byzantine times, which was completely rebuilt after the violent earthquake in 1986.
Kalamata is the centre of the Greek Orthodox Church of Messenia, all metropolitans have their statues here.
The newer city is essentially a chessboard structure, with axes up to 3 km long from the old town to the port and cross streets.
Even late in the evening you get the feeling that all inhabitants are on the streets and squares, in bars and taverns, including the many children.
A very unusual detail: The Railpark with lots of greenery and trees, also water areas, which goes right up to the harbour - and where many old railways, freight wagons, passenger wagons, steam locomotives and railcars are located, an open-air museum, in the middle of which is the obligatory bar, the station pub so to speak.
The marina with its marina for pleasure boats is located west of the large commercial harbour, here you can find supply of electricity, water, showers, washing machines…..and of course restaurants and cafés.
All in all a not spectacular, but still very worth seeing city in the western Peloponnese.

We leave the idyllic landscape of Elis with its wide plains, hills, olive groves, vineyards and villages. We drive further south, to Laconia, which was shaped by Sparta. From here comes - exactly! - the term laconic. Oldest explanation for this somewhat short-winded way of speaking, again from antiquity - Philip II of Macedonia to the laconic ruler: "When I have defeated you, I will burn your cities, destroy your army and your women will be widows!". The answer: "If."
The landscape becomes more rugged. Steep cliffs plunge vertically into the sea, white and reddish-brown cliffs, covered with grass and maquis, form a harsh, and in combination with the blue-turquoise sea, of course, a wonderful picture.

The town of Pylos is built on a hill and has a large Venetian fortress from the 16th century in front of it. It is situated on the edge of a wide bay - one of the best natural harbours in the Mediterranean - which is lined by towering cliffs - the Bay of Navarino, as Pylos was called in Venetian times. The Nestor Palace, which was excavated here, dates from far before. Nestor is the hero of Greek mythology, the King of Pylos, famous for his wisdom and eloquence, and also appears in the Iliad of Homer, in the Trojan War.
In 1827 a naval battle took place in Navarino between the Turkish fleet and a fleet of the English, French and Russians. This battle put an end to the Ottoman-Turkish domination and led to the independence of Greece, therefore in the central square a monument to the "three admirals", a similar one on a tiny island in the middle of the bay. This is something that is always noticeable in Greece: The fight for supremacy, also over Europe as a whole, between the (Western) European countries and the Ottoman Empire/the Turks, since the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire and then the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. Actually, these conflicts were started in Western Europe by the Crusades in the 11th century. Partially, the lordships/occupations changed in a 100-year rhythm, the Venetians built fortresses, the Turks took them over and finished them……and vice versa.
Pylos is a small cheerful town with a central square with many pubs and bars. Short ways lead to the fortress and therefore to wonderful viewpoints over the bay. The Venetian fortress is a spacious building with long walls high above the sea, a church and a large meeting place. The church has, as many Greek churches, its model as a round building with towers in front of it in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul; one was also pragmatic at that time: the church was partly used as a Christian-Greek-Ortohodox and partly as a mosque.
An attraction a little outside is the Oxbelly Bay, also called Golden Beach, a kilometre long sandy beach that separates a lagoon at the northern end of the bay.

We are located in the marina - no utilities (electricity or water or diesel), also no fees, but quiet and cosy, also picturesque, directly below the rock face on which the houses of Pylos rise.

12 km south of Polos is Methoni, the southernmost tip of the western Peloponnese, here we are already in Messinia. An incredibly gigantic fortress, again partly Venetian, partly Turkish, limits and protects the bay. Huge long walls and an incredibly picturesque tower, partly used as a prison, partly as a lighthouse, partly as a military hospital, closes the ensemble to the south, ending in the turquoise sea, right next to the beach and cafes and bars, Methoni is a real small seaside resort.

Kyparissia is situated at the southern end of a crescent-shaped bay, 27 nautical miles from Catacolon, in the ancient landscape of Eli.
It has a small idyllic harbour with a huge breakwater to protect against storms, you moor alongside, very comfortable.
The seemingly most inconspicuous places sometimes reveal hidden charms, as here too. Coming from the sea, one sees a city that rises up a steep mountain, with the typical greek mostly square cube-shaped houses. The tour guide says that it is a Byzantine city. One has to work hard to get the charms of the city: estimated 300 meters of altitude at 32 degrees. But then you are on the Byzantine fortress and have a wonderful view over the whole bay, the harbour and the sea.
20 meters below the fortress, glued directly to the wall: a kind of lounge/bar with a gigantic view and good draught beer.
A little further below, but still high above the new town and the harbour: a wonderful picturesque street with a church and many pubs, bars and shops. The houses are colourful and all have similar gable shapes, a very balanced street scene with pleasant proportions.
And as one has already made the effort to climb up here, one stays for dinner, which one can enjoy with a direct view to the sunset.
And as this is not all the charm of this wonderful little city, at approximately 9 p.m., some really original Greek folklore music starts, completely unplugged: a double bass player, a guitarist, a bouzouki player, three-part singing - wonderful, impressive!
It remains to mention that right next to the harbour there are beautiful sandy beaches with clear water and roaring surf - what more could you want?

Katakolon is a tiny town on the west coast of the Peloponnese, 25 miles from Zakynthos. The first thing you notice is that the port is an international customs port for clearing in from abroad, with restricted area, duty free and all that. Why? Cruise ships dock here and their guests can visit the old Olympia from here.
We moor with stern line and bow anchor - another somewhat exotic detail: There is water and electricity at the pier, very pleasant, every evening someone comes and writes down the names of the boats and their home ports - but never someone collects anything.
The little town is geared for day visitors, small boutiques with jewellery, leather, olive wood items, also some restaurants. It is located at a wide bay, 200m from the harbour you can find beaches with fine sand, the water is shallow, you can still stand comfortably 150m from the shore.
Katakolon is located on a headland that one has to drive around if one comes from the north. Behind the place, the way approximately 100 height meters through a pine forest, there, one can enjoy the wonderful view from a restaurant. By continuing to walk alongside the small road in order to descend at the end back to the city, one is immediately in the middle of the Greek agriculture: small flat houses, very simple, goats, sheep, chickens, olive groves………all in all, a nice worthwhile country day.

We are located in Katakolon on the west coast of the Peloponnese, in the landscape of Elis. From here a kind of S-Bahn goes once a day via Pyrgos to Olympia. In the tiny village Katakolon even cruise ships dock because of Olympia - luckily not today.
After a 45 minutes drive we arrive at the pretty little station of Olympia, five minutes walk from the ancient sites. It is impressive and fascinating: the sheer size of this temple and sports complex, which was one of the most important cult sites in Greece. It is impossible to grasp all the individual temples and to whom they are dedicated. A special charm is given to the place by the ancient olive trees that stand in between. Huge columns, pictures that we know from history books.
In a wide landscape, between two small rivers, the old Olympia is situated between light hills. One can imagine how sports were practiced here, in 776 before the turn of the century the first Olympic Games. The excavations are still going on, probably it was already before 776. Especially the stadium is fascinating: 192 meters long, the stands right and left made of grass, only in the middle a stone box, for the referees and dignitaries. It is said to hold 45000 spectators, they will have stood.
Which contributes to the fascination of the place: there are almost no people there. Because of the corona, only a few people come here at the moment, not to mention the hundreds of cruise tourists.
Beside a museum of the history of the Olympic Games that we did not visit, there is an antiquity museum in which there are findings of Olympia, huge statues of Zeus and other gods, frieze pieces with fighting scenes, but also Roman emperors.
The museum is once again a highlight, as it does not only show the findings from the classical Greek period, but also art and utility objects from the pre-Greek era as also from the following Roman era - thus, an overall picture results that goes far beyond the pure classical image of Greece - who knows that the Roman emperor Nero watched the Olympic Games here in a palace that was specially built for him?
The decline of Olympia was initiated by the fact that Christianity became the state religion in the Roman Empire and that other religious customs were subsequently banned. So this holy place decayed, earthquakes also contributed to it.
Nevertheless, Olympia is still today an intense experience of antiquity.