Schinochala and Voidokoilia

Schinochala (Σχινόχαλα) and Voidokoilia (Βοιδοκοιλια)

All smiles in front of our spitaki

Holding up the house--a lovely present-day caryatid

The clock is winding down for our time in Messenia, and although it takes a mighty effort and strong motivation to make any distant excursions in this heat (high 90s), we took a special trip on Wednesday.

Driving past Pylos, we took the turn toward Gialova, which is the home one of Greece’s newest and most luxurious resorts—Costa Navarino. With its thirty-six-hole golf course on the dunes and a luxury hotel (reported to offer a suite that costs over 20,000 euros per night), this place draws the likes of the British royals and princes from Kazhakstan, the soccer great Beckham, Angelina Jolie, and others. The resort was clearly not our destination, but one of Messenia’s iconic waterfalls was--the El Dorado of our morning adventure.

We lost our way several times, and finally with the help of an olive farmer, out pruning his trees, we found our way to an unmarked path. We left the buggy under the partial shade of an olive grove and headed off on an unlikely track that descended from the extreme heat of late morning to a much cooler Hobbit forest of nut trees, vines, and the sound of moving water.

Here are a few photos of Schinochala.

Next we set off to Voidokoilia, the emblematic saltwater cove just beyond the Gialova lagoon--the largest freshwater lagoon in the world and home to a bird sanctuary famous for its springtime migration of pelicans and storks from North Africa.

The big beach at Voidokoilia

Glossa, an adjact clothes-optional beach--for the so-inclined

The so-inclined, PG-13 version

Entrance to Voidokoilia--famous from Homer's description

The ancient citadel and the cave where Nestor hid his cows from wrathful Apollo

Sea maidens near the Mycenaean tholos tomb

High above the large cove is the ancient castle of Pylos and the Cave of Nestor, said to have been the place where the Mycenean King Nestor (c. 1600 bce) was said to have hidden his flock of cows, which were threatened with extinction by a wrathful Apollo at the start of the Trojan War. Remember children: always slaughter an ox for the gods before any major undertaking.

In the evening, following the essential siesta—our Mediterranean yoga—we drove to the mountain village of Chrysokelaria for a meal of fresh lamb chops—or were they goat chops? All we know is that there were over twenty-five chops on the platter, and it took the three of us two hours (and several carafes of wine) to finish.

Ice cream at midnight, bed by 1:30 a.m. Another relatively early night.

Videos of the Flamenco performance (with world-class guitarist, vocalist, and dancer) in the town of Koroni. And a video of the waterfalls at Schinochala.