Off the Beaten Path, Gytheio, Greece

 

Southern Peloponnesus (from Wikimedia Commons)

Gytheio is a quintessential Greek fishing/commercial seaport, with a busy and active bund (if that term is appropriate to sea water), commercial buildings facing the sea, and people coming and going as they do their daily business.

According to Wikipedia,

Gytheio was the seaport of Ancient Sparta, which lies approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of it. It is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where, according to the myth, Paris and Helen spent their first night together before departing for Troy.

Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake, though its strategic location continued to give it a significant role in Maniot history. Now the seat of the municipality of East Mani, Gytheio is the largest and most important town in Mani.

My daughter and I stayed a night after our long drive through the Mani (see the previous article). I cannot recall how we found a room or inn. Possibly we stopped at the first lit sign that said "Hotel."

A welcome evening arrival in Gytheio

Room with a view, morning in Gytheio

Greek seaports always have interesting architecture along the waterfront, old, new, restored, messy. 

The obligatory mellow Greek fishing boat picture (yes, it is a cliche)

The octopus fisherman

This gent was catching octopus off the seawall. While I was off looking for breakfast or a grocery, he caught one and offered to my daughter. Breakfast, perhaps?

Ah ha, the baker's truck. That suggests a bakery, coffee, and maybe juice nearby. You can't go wrong with the food in Greece.

We only stayed one night in Gytheio. I had been here before, but I can't remember exactly when. I probably have some Kodachrome slides of the town. We proceeded north to Sparta.

I took these photographs with a Sony DSC-W7 7-mpixel digital camera.