Travel with Mia!

It’s been a minute since I touched down back home last July. I left Greece with a full heart and many travel stories left to tell. But between starting a new job and coping with reverse culture shock (especially to the lack of gyros), I decided to take a brief pause from writing about my travels. Now that I’ve settled back in, I am ready to bring the blog back to life with the chronicles of one spontaneous Greek road-trip.

Over an extra-long weekend last winter, I took a road-trip around the Peloponnese, the objective being to see the famous cities and ruins of Sparti, Olympia, and Kalamata. Though situated just over an hour drive from Athens, I had only ventured to the Peloponnese once until this trip — to Corinth for a Fulbright retreat. After a few days of exploring this captivating peninsula, I can say with confidence that it is a must-stop for the adventurous, the mega-fans of the Olympics, or anyone looking for a peaceful, sandy beach.

This road-trip hugged the coastline, with stops in big cities such as Patras and Nafplio, historic places throughout Olympia and Sparti, and smaller beachside towns such as Arkoudi.

Note on the map: It does not take one day to drive from Corinth to Patras… those are the walking directions. I don’t know why that was the default, but I don’t have the energy to fix it.

Day 1: Corinth to Olympia

We entered the Peloponnese through a city called Corinth, passing quickly through to budget our limited time for newer places. This stretch of the drive was beautiful, with crystal blue waters out the passenger side window and towering mountains out the driver’s. We arrived in Patras around lunch time, parked for coffee and snacks, then set off exploring.

Patras is on the bigger side of Greek cities, featuring an active port, the third largest university in Greece, and a vibrant and explosive social scene, seen most prominently in its famous Carnival celebrations every February.

Above are some photos taken from all around Patras. Most notably, the Patras Lighthouse at the edge of the port and the ruins of the Patras Castle, also known as the Acropolis of Patras.

The city of Patras from the top of the St. Nicholas Stairway, with the region of Western Greece just across the gulf.

After spending a few hours exploring Patras, we hit the road again with Olympia as our next planned stop. What we were not expecting was the drastic change in climate on the western side of the Peninsula, as well as the first sandy beaches I’d seen since leaving Oregon. Our surroundings transitioned quickly from dry vegetation to lush, green plants and grassy fields– it felt as though we had entered another country.

After ooing and ahhing at the plants for a while, we stumbled upon our unexpected stop: a beach town called Arkoudi. Though mostly abandoned for the winter, the town gave the impression of being a vibrant vacation destination in the summer months– signs in English directed tourists to different hotels, gelato shops, and restaurants. But, in the rainy winter months, there was not a soul to be found. No open restaurants, hotels, or stores. It was, admittedly, spooky.

We strolled through town, then headed to the beach for sunset. The beach was sandy, with a few big rocks jutting out into the ocean. In the distance, we could see the lights from the island of Zakinthos.

We arrived at our hotel in Olympia shortly after sunset. We stayed at Hotel Pelops, a family owned B&B in the heart of Olympia, with a twist: many members of this family have been torchbearers in the Olympic relay. In the breakfast room, they have the torches displayed to prove it. The owner recommended the best dinner spot in town, Poligefston (πολύγευστον is how it’s spelled in Greek, it translates to “delicious”), and we were not disappointed.

We dined on fried zucchini and tzatziki, gemista, baked elephant beans, and cabbage rolls stuffed with meat, rice, and soaked in a rich lemon sauce. The whole dinner was stellar, but the elephant beans stole the show and lived up to the name… they were the biggest beans I’d ever seen.

We finished dinner and rushed back to the B&B amidst a torrential downpour, making for one last wild adventure of the day.

Day 2: Ancient Olympia to Kalamata

After a wildly overpriced hotel breakfast (my only complaint), we checked out and headed to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. I was enamored by a collection of sculptures from the sacred Temple of Zeus, depicting the myth of the battle between the centaurs and Lapiths. Though I did not take any photos, I remember with awe the sheer size of this collection, taking up two full sides of the main room of the museum.

Just a short walk from the museum was the archeological site, where we spent a few hours exploring. The site was unexpectedly serene, with impressively maintained ruins perched between lush olive and oak trees. We strolled past temples to Zeus and Hera, the gymnasium where athletes trained, and the main stadium, where I pretended to throw a javelin.

Once we felt we’d soaked up enough of the Ancient Olympic spirit, we jumped back in the car and headed to our next destination: Kalamata.

The Peloponnese Road-trip: Part 2 is coming soon!