Peloponnese 2023, part 8 (Agios Andreas, Tyros, Porto Sambatiki, Leonidio, Monastery of Elona)

I really don’t know, or rather I don’t remember, why it occurred to me to leave the main road while driving along the Arcadian Coast and to dive into the village of Agios Andreas. And yet, I definitely did it.

It didn’t help that later, while writing this travelogue, I came across a note I entered into my computer that I carry when I travel: “I got into Agios Andreas and parked there, then took a walk around the place. I wanted to take a better look at some mountains, so I strolled around longer, admiring certain details, while the jasmine smelled sweet all around.” I must have stumbled upon some information the evening before while planning my route and visits for the day that inspired me to get here.

Since I was quite confused while writing, I turned to the “21st Century Oracle,” that is, an artificial intelligence website. I received an unexpectedly detailed response to the question of what can be seen in this small village with just over 1,000 inhabitants.

Agios Andreas

So, the “oracle” said that this charming village in the Arcadia region is a place where visitors can admire traditional Greek architecture, including stone houses and narrow, winding streets. I found the roofs and their decorations occasionally fascinating.

Agios Andreas

The AI also told me that there are beautiful landscapes in the area, including hills, surrounding villages and olive groves. Well, I actually saw and captured that, too.

Agios Andreas

The local church was also mentioned, with the comment that it is “the centre of local life and reflects the spiritual architecture of the area, as well as local tradition.” As it turned out, I had seen that too while I was in Agios Andreas.

Agios Andreas

And, finally, the AI also mentioned traditional Greek food in local tavernas. I’m not sure about the tavernas, but while strolling through the village, I truly got the impression that there was a high percentage of cafés per capita here. Thus, I came to a square, took a seat at a café and had a coffee. It was a completely pleasant experience in every way.

Coffee break in Agios Andreas

As for the other “places of interest” to enjoy in the village of Agios Andreas, the artificial “intelligence” listed some silly things, so I ignored that part.

And what about those mountains I wanted to see from this village, which I mentioned in my note? Well, they extend to the west, towards the interior of the Peloponnese, and I captured some of them through the olive groves while I was returning to the main road.

Mountains seen from Agios Andreas

My next destination was also a bit tucked away inland, but I had it mentioned in my guidebook. It’s the village of Tyros, but I’ll say a little bit more about it soon. For now, I should mention that I occasionally had to stop (mostly in roadside parking areas) to capture the beautiful landscapes I was driving through, especially the magnificent blue of the Argolic Gulf. After all, this is Greece!

The Argolic Gulf blues

And then, just under 25 km from Agios Andreas, I turned off the main road again and headed inland.

On the road to Tyros

As for Tyros, there are practically two neighbouring places of the same name; I would say “upper” and “lower,” although they aren’t labelled that way. I think “upper” Tyros, the one in the hills, is the original, while “lower” Tyros has gradually turned into a settlement also known as “Tyros beach.”

I first went to upper Tyros since my guidebook mentioned it as an old town worth visiting. I wandered in and found a few interesting details, but some of the streets were very steep, narrow and quite winding. I was glad it was early afternoon, a weekday and not tourist season, so there were no other cars except mine. I don’t know how I would have manoeuvred around or how I would have backed up, since there are rarely any widening spots where a driver can easily turn around.

“Upper” Tyros

Since I was already here, I decided to head down to Tyros beach or “lower” Tyros, although I knew I wouldn’t be swimming there – the wind was strong, there were waves and I was sure the water was cold. I would have frozen after getting out due to the sudden chill from the wind. So, I just took a short walk along the shore and made a few snapshots.

Tyros Beach

On the other hand, I had already figured out where I would go for lunch, so after a very short stop at the beach, I headed to my next planned destination, Porto Sambatiki, about 10 km from Tyros. Along those ten kilometres or so, interesting details occasionally caught my eye.

On the way from Tyros to Porto Sambatiki

In order to reach Porto Sambatiki, you need to turn off the main road again, but this time towards the coast. The side road leading to the harbour was quite narrow, though it was slightly better than in upper Tyros. However, I still didn’t encounter any other cars, so everything was great.

I left my car in the upper parking area, which offered a lovely view of the small harbour, the beach and the coastline. Since this spot was sheltered, the water was calm and inviting. On the other hand, everything felt peaceful, not just the water, and I wondered if I would find an open restaurant here.

Porto Sambatiki

To start with, I made my way down to the shore and the small harbour and I was still captivated by the charm of the place.

Porto Sambatiki

Then it turned out that there was a church here, as well as a couple of restaurants right by the beach.

Porto Sambatiki

In addition, the restaurant I chose had a lovely terrace in the shade and there I found a table for myself and settled in.

Restaurant in Porto Sambatiki

Soon, I ordered “Eggplants with Feta.” Here, they grow the Tsakonian variety of eggplant, unique to this part of the Peloponnese and considered one of the best and sweetest eggplants in the world. This is a very important crop for the area, while in the town of Leonidio, an annual celebration is dedicated specifically to this type of vegetable.

Eggplants with feta in Peloponnese

I can say that this was truly the softest version of eggplant I’ve ever eaten. The dish was exceptionally tasty, although it reminded me of the Italian dish “Eggplant Parmigiana,” which I occasionally make at home. What I had here had some differences, although the cooking method was similar. So, I decided that upon returning home, I would make my own version of “Peloponnesian Eggplants with Feta Cheese.”

PELOPONNESE EGGPLANTS WITH FETA CHEESE

2 smaller eggplants
1 big red pepper
1 big onion
2 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
200 g feta cheese
spices from the recipe and to taste

Slice the eggplant into thin rounds and cut the pepper into medium-sized pieces, then coat everything with a mixture of salt, pepper, thyme and oil. Grill until both vegetables soften, but do not char too much.

In a deep skillet, sauté finely chopped onion until soft, then add finely chopped garlic and then also diced tomatoes. Cook everything until it turns into a sauce, seasoning with salt, pepper and thyme to taste.

In an oven-safe dish, layer: a layer of eggplant, half of the peppers evenly distributed, a layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Repeat this process.

Bake for about half an hour at 190 degrees C.

Peloponnese eggplants with feta cheese served in dishes I have made myself

After the wonderful lunch, I couldn’t resist and went for a swim. The water was lovely, the air temperature was around 29 degrees C and there was no strong wind, so I dried off quite nicely. It was important for me to be dry before getting into the car to avoid any damage.

Porto Sambatiki

As I headed back to the car to continue my journey, I took a moment to capture this lovely place that I had truly enjoyed.

Porto Sambatiki

I also captured it again when I returned to the main road and continued southwards.

Porto Sambatiki

From here to Leonidio, my final destination for the day, there is less than 10 km. However, Leonidio is not on the coast; it is located a bit inland. To reach it, the main road eventually leaves the coast at a point near Lakkos and winds into the interior, practically entering the impressive Dafnon Gorge. This is also where the Arcadian Coast ends.

End of the Arcadian Coast in Lakkos

Entering Dafnon Gorge

The town of Leonidio is a lovely, tucked-away and peaceful place, and I came here with the intention of spending one night before continuing my journey the next day. First, I drove to the apartment I had booked, where I took a shower and rested a bit. Since I had plenty of time, I enjoyed lounging in a hammock in front of the apartment. It felt nice to be completely relaxed.

Relaxing in Leonidio

At some point, I decided to take a walk around the town to see where I had actually arrived. I stuck to the main street, which is a part of the road I took to get to Leonidio. The sights were exceptionally beautiful and pleasant to the eye.

Leonidio

Since I really enjoyed the relaxation, I decided to stop for a beer first before continuing my walk. The beer was excellent – cold and local.

Continuing to relax in Leonidio

Then I set off on a walk around the town and was actually fascinated by how charming Leonidio is, with plenty of lovely details and impressive red cliffs rising on the northern side of the village. While there are cliffs on the hills south of the town as well, those on the northern side, seemingly emerging from the vegetation-covered slopes, look particularly beautiful. Recently, the town has become a popular destination among climbers who enjoy vertical cliffs and there are also numerous hiking trails around the surrounding mountain elevations.

Leonidio

These cliffs are the outer edges of Mount Parnon and here in the valley of the Dafnon River, there is a relatively flat area extending towards the sea with exceptionally fertile soil. The pleasant climate and fertile land have led to a well-developed agriculture in the area. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the region is especially known for its delicious variety of eggplant, so every August, Leonidio hosts the “Tsakonian Eggplant Festival.” Additionally, the town is also famous for its Easter celebrations.

Leonidio

At the time of my visit, in September 2023, the river was not visible, only its dry riverbed.

Leonidio

In Leonidio, you can see not only natural beauty, but also very picturesque buildings from past eras.

Leonidio

The essence is that my walk was very lovely and pleasant, so I decided to stroll around again the next morning. After all, there was no reason to rush. The plan for the next day was to cover about 100 km, with a few stops along the way for sightseeing. And that’s exactly what I did.

Leonidio

Although I don’t understand Greek at all and only know a few common words, it is interesting linguistically that the local version spoken in Leonidio is the Tsakonian language. This language originates from the Doric dialect of Greek. Because of this, it is considered the oldest dialect in the world and it is spoken and written by only around 2,000 people living in this region.

Leonidio

After I had wandered enough around Leonidio, I packed my things in the trunk of the car and continued westwards following the main road. My next destination was a monastery, but I should mention that near Leonidio, there is not just the one I was heading to, but another important one as well. I figured one monastery for the day would be enough.

So, I didn’t visit the monastery called Moni Ajiu Nikolau Sincas, which actually means “Monastery of Saint Nicholas at the Fig Tree.” The unusual name comes from the story that a fig tree grew in the cave where the monastery was built. In any case, this women’s monastery was first mentioned in 1622 and is located on the mountain cliffs at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level, accessible by an asphalt road starting from the centre of Leonidio.

Instead, I left Leonidio on the main road leading to Kosmas. However, I quickly had to stop again, as I was once more taken aback by the beauty of the landscapes. The road leading to the aforementioned Saint Nicholas Monastery runs through the plantations visible on the southern side of the Dafnon River valley.

Surroundings of Leonidio

From here, I also took photos of the mountainous areas I was entering.

Surroundings of Leonidio

Once again, there were hardly any other cars on the road, so at one point, I was able to capture the steep gorge through which the winding road ascended.

Surroundings of Leonidio

I wondered if I would be able to see the monastery I was heading to from the road, but fortunately, there is a nice parking area alongside the road, so everything worked out well. This is the Monastery of Elona, dedicated to the Assumption of the Theotokos.

Monastery of Elona

I drove to the parking area by the monastery and from there I first captured the surroundings, specifically parts of the Parnon mountain range.

Parnon mountain range

It’s about a 5-minute walk from the parking area to the monastery along a wide path. There are a few steps here and there, but not too many, so getting to the monastery is not a problem at all.

Monastery of Elona

After all, if a visitor gets a bit out of breath, the surroundings are so spectacular that there’s always a good excuse to take a break for some photography.

Monastery of Elona

Menu