Little Known Momenvasia

We woke up anchored outside the port of Momenvasia.  Because of the size of the harbour, I don't think the larger cruise ships include this on their itinerary.  Even for a small ship like ours, today we were using tenders to get to the port. 

The old town of Momenvasia is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese.  The island is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200 m in length.

The town and fortress were founded in 583 by inhabitants of the mainland seeking refuge from the Slavic and the Avaric invasion of Greece.  From the 10^th C, the town developed into an important trade and maritime centre.  The fortress withstood the Arab and Norman invasions in 1147.  It remained part of the Byzantine Empire until 1460, becoming the seat of an imperial governor, a landing place for Byzantine operations against the Franks, the main port of shipment for Malmsey wine (a sweet dessert wine originating from this area), and one of the most dangerous lairs of corsairs in the Levant.

The tender transfer was a bit tricky as the seas were a bit rough.  We found out later that there had been an incident with one person who was injured getting off the tender at the boat and he had to be put onto a stretcher and transferred to hospital.  I could see how that could happen when we returned to the ship because getting off the tender was very tricky!

Our guide met us in the port and a small shuttle bus took us to the old town.  There is one gate and, in fact, Momenvasia translates to mean “single entrance”.  Once through the gate, you enter a town that has changed very little since the Middle Ages.  The alleys are narrow and winding lined with shops and restaurants.  This castle town has been referred to as the Gibraltar of Greece.  Our tour included a visit to the Church of Christos Elkomenos (Christ Chained to the Cross) and the church includes several Byzantine icons.  Again, we wandered around the shops and I bought a couple of souvenirs.  For me, this was the last excursion of the cruise.  

Later in the afternoon, we sailed to Hydra with the option of visiting that village but, again, it involved using a tender.  After the incident earlier today, i opted to skip the visit.  I have heard Hyrdra is lovely and maybe I should have gone but I ended up having a fun evening with my friends on the ship instead.

A view of Hydra from the ship

This was our last evening on the ship.  Tomorrow, September 29th, we will dock in Pireaus and disembark for our stay in Athens.