In February we had the pleasure of walking to the southernmost tip of mainland Greece, Cape Taenaro. A historic and beautiful place, lonely, free from pollution, noise and caravans of tourists. Here the protagonists were the feet, not the car. And the dominant elements in nature were simplicity, low vegetation and stone. A stone scattered and uneven on the ground but perfectly carved into the walls of Mani towers and houses.

We left this edge of Greece full of nostalgia, a desire to return. However, far away on the eastern horizon, another land was lying on the sea, a famous cape. It was the legendary Cape Malia, feared by Mediterranean sailors from ancient times to the present day.

– But it is also one of the most popular hiking destinations, adds our good friend and colleague Kostas Zarokostas. Here is a good opportunity to return to the south of Laconia. The only problem is that Thessaloniki falls a little far away.

It wasn’t a problem. For us, a trip to Greece is never a problem, no matter how long it is. So the decision was made on the spot. we would be with Kostas in Neapolis of the Laconian Gulf, opposite the beautiful Elafonissos. Very close to the famous tip of Maleas. But also next to the fossiliferous sites with the most important paleontological findings of the Municipality of Boeon. This was to be the biggest surprise of this trip. A journey that started in Thessaloniki in the morning and ended in Neapolis at night. 830 kilometres. Almost 11 hours!

Our first steps on the waterfront of Neapolis are clumsy, numb, as if we were on a weathered boat. The wind is blowing hard. It’s a maister arriving from the Elafonissos side, cold but life-giving. We find Kostas in a seaside bar. With a coffee we come together completely.

– And a little wine will make you feel better, says Kostas. I have a little surprise shop for you.

Kostas is old in the area, he knows the area and the people well. He has walked on many of the trails of Maleas, he has spent magical nights on the coast in a car. His latest unforgettable experience, which has tied him inextricably to the people and the place, was his unexpected hospitality in a cottage in the area of Agios Nikolaos. The same cottage where we will stay.

We leave the coastal Neapolis and ascend to the mainland. After Lachi we reach the large, semi-mountainous settlement of Ag. Narrow streets, amphitheatrically built houses, some old with nice architecture, lots of greenery in the surroundings and flowers in the courtyards. Although at night, the beauty of the place is visible. At a bend in the road our short journey ends. There is a part of the village that is sparsely built, looking more like a densely wooded ravine. In the lights of the PPC poles, the trunk and then the intricate branches of a giant holly tree are revealed first. It is perhaps the largest, most impressive holly I have ever seen. This is the size of tree we are used to seeing mostly in sycamore trees. Next to this monument of nature, on an elevated point above the road, is the Fairy.

At this time of night, on the edge of the wet, wooded ravine, I think its name is the most appropriate. Although it is already early April, the night is chilly. The Fairy welcomes us with her fireplace lit. It’s a “hanging” fireplace in the center of the room, so that the wood flames are visible to all. Along with the bodies, the souls are warmed.

On the walls are old photos. Costumes and figures of a bygone era. In one corner a jukebox. Beautiful, shiny, like the years of our youth associated with it. It works to perfection with its 45 rpm discs and all those unforgettable hits of popular and foreign music that fill us with so much nostalgia.

Stathis Sarbanis joins us. He is the man who invited our friend Kostas to the cottage of Ag. Nikolaos and cut him off to do the same for us. It is not his own cottage but that of his sailor friend Nikos Aliferis, who willingly makes it available for the hospitality of people who will write about his place.

We consider the moral value of this offer to be very great, which a little later finds imitators in the persons of the managers of the Fairy, Pantelis Meimeti and Antonis Damianakis. The delicacy and variety of Neraida’s delicacies is hard to find in any tavern in the province. The yeast bread is made from flour traditionally ground in their own mill, the wonderful white wine and raki are their own and of course the delicious “tsaiti”, the pie with mint and cheese, is handmade.

Some of the dishes remind of Crete, such as the snails stew, the “bureki” from Chania, the fried goat, while some others remind of oriental cuisine, such as the “Kappadocian pies” with pastrami, “gulbassi” (three different meats on parchment paper with garlic and spicy) or even the very spicy “melitzanabett”, with chopped lamb and red pepper. Eggplant yurt, “kayanas”, veal quenched with ouzo, honeyed shank and who knows what else comes out of the Fairy’s kitchen. For dessert comes the Cretan raki and the “ouzokarido”, a black liqueur made of ouzo and walnut. This mixture of Cretan and oriental recipes is not strange if one considers that Pantelis Meimetis has poured from the east while Antonis Damianakis has poured from Crete.

Both, however, are fully deserving of the title of “merakles”. They have known each other since the mid-80s when Antonis, 13 years old at the time, was already helping his uncle at the Fairy, while Pantelis was coming as a client. In the years that followed, the two friends worked together on various jobs, culminating in the legendary shop of Simos’ beach in Elafonissos, which countless Greek and international media outlets dealt with him with photos and features. Since 2006 the two friends have channeled all their experience and philosophy into the operation of Neraida. We have no doubt that in their field they produce culture.

It is past midnight when Stathis and I set off for the little house in the countryside, a few kilometres south of the village. Asphalt first and then a few hundred metres of good dirt road. In the starlight, the cottage stands out, white and lonely, in an estate of young olive trees. The courtyard is covered with countless daisies and chamomiles. As we walk among them we are enveloped in a wonderful fragrance. Despite the great fatigue of the day, we treat ourselves to a few minutes in the fragrant night under the starry sky.

AT THE MERCY OF THE RAIN

I think it’s still night at first. No light penetrates through the open shutters of my room. Yet my watch shows dawn. It’s just that the morning is pitch black. Black clouds cover the sky from side to side, they have settled very low over the earth.

We drink the first coffee of the day with Kostas and Petros. Above the tops of the olive trees we gaze at the dark surface of the bay of Neapolis on the horizon. The first raindrops begin to crack with a thud on the concrete. Immediately afterwards it seems as if the sky has merged with the earth. We enjoy this outburst of nature, which is so much needed by the thirsty soil of Laconia and Greece. We have the certainty that the heavy spring shower will very quickly give way to a sunny morning with a clear atmosphere, ideal for photography.

After a few minutes the shower stops, but leaves a persistent rain on its foot, straight out of autumn weather. Hoping that everything will change during the day, we get in the car and start our tour in a southerly direction on a dirt road at the foot of Krithina. It is the most massive mountain range that dominates the Malea peninsula, with its highest peak reaching 794 metres.

Passing under the southern extremities of Krithina, a spectacular conical peak rises near us. It is the rocky massif of Zobolos (Kontovigli on the map), with an altitude approaching 600 metres. In addition to the spectacular volume of Zobolos, equally or even more impressive is the extensive and slightly sloping surface of the ground that lies below. The vegetation is nothing special, consisting of low shrubs, thyme, wild flowers and thorns. But what makes the landscape special are the countless rocks, of all shapes and sizes, scattered everywhere. It is not necessary to be a geologist to understand the reason for the presence of the rocks. It is the giant landslides in a distant geological period that resulted in the rocks being detached from the sides and upper parts of the mountain. A different interpretation, of course, would have been given by our imaginative ancestors. They would have placed here the field of the titanic battle, between the Titans and the Olympian Gods.

With raincoats and umbrellas we try to photograph this rare place, which seems to gain even more charm with the rain. We continue to the chapel of Agia Marina, just above the rocky coast.

– This is about where the crossing of tomorrow’s path will end, if the weather permits, Kostas observes. Here, as in other parts of the coastline, you will realize the richness, beauty and specificity of the paleontological findings of the entire area.

From Agia-Marina we head west towards the small settlement of Profitilia with its picturesque fishing port. It is the starting point of tomorrow’s route. Continuing west along the coastal road network, we pass over a rocky coast.

– We are in the middle of the day. “We are in the Aspes,” says Kostas. The walls of the coast are made of theraic earth and other materials that would be worth seeing.

With continuous rain we descend to the coast. Kostas doesn’t have to tell us anything. From the very first steps we have the feeling that we are in an open-air museum with countless fossilized marine organisms, which we would empirically describe as shells, sponges, scallops and clams. They are solidly embedded everywhere, in the small and large rocks of the shore and all along the vertical section of the beach walls, which look very flimsy and vulnerable to the wave, but are not. We walk with difficulty between the rocks and the thick sand that sinks deep beneath our feet.

– The amazing thing is that this uneven and rocky coast, which makes our steps so difficult, was last summer completely covered with sand. Only two or three large rocks protruded from it. Here’s the proof: these remnants of the net and volleyball poles that migrant children used to play on the sandy beach.

We continue along the coastal dirt road, always in a westerly direction. Before the small settlement of Korakas, we descend for a while on the rocky coast. Here stands “Anthropos”, a petrified trunk just a few metres from the sea. Scattered and stuck to the hard surfaces of the rocks, unchanged for many millions of years, are numerous fossils of marine species from the distant geological past of this region.

The rain is driving us out of the place. Jackets, trousers and shoes are soaked. The wind that blows is cold, full of moisture. We find warm shelter by the Fairy’s burning fireplace. We place the jackets on the chairs to dry. Anthony pours us some raki to warm us up, to revive us. Outside, the waterfalls of the sky have opened up.

Late in the afternoon we return to our cottage. There is no wood, the fireplace is out. The electric heater struggles in vain to give us warmth.

PROPHET ELIAS-AYE MARINA

This trail is one of the many – 14(!) in total – marked trails on the Malea Peninsula. The area is a hiker’s paradise, which immediately reminds us of that of Mesa Mani and Tainaros. Thus, the prefecture of Laconia becomes one of the pioneers in the gentle exploitation of the natural environment of the country.

The path that connects the two chapels closely follows the contours of the southernmost part of the coastline of the Malia Peninsula. According to the information on the detailed map, it is 4 kilometres long and takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to cross it without stopping.

– I’m sure you will love the trail, Kostas says. Because, apart from the permanent visual contact with the sea horizon and the bulk of Kythera, it has the peculiarity of passing by the most spectacular fossil sites of the whole area.

We leave the car near the white chapel of Prophetilia and start from Mikrolimano in an easterly direction. We follow the signs, red on a white outline. After yesterday’s all-day downpour a bright sun dominates the blue sky. Only a few sparse clouds remain. They change position with great speed, pushed by an ever-present gust, which must be approaching 6 Beaufort. The atmosphere is clear and visibility is excellent. Kythera to the south is a dragon’s breath away, further down is Antikythera. To the west, the edge of Taenaros is clearly visible. With a little attention we manage to distinguish the white dot of the lighthouse.

The path is easy to walk along the rocky coastline. The hard ground is covered with thorny bushes, grates and thyme. The signage is continuous and the path is clearly marked. We take one last look at the Prophecy, which disappears behind us for good. Boats come and go constantly. The channel between the Malea Peninsula and the island of Kythera is the busiest point in the Mediterranean. High to the north rises the steep conical mass of Zombolos, while in front of us stretches the sandy bay of Mimitsoulas, at the location of Tiganakia. We walk slowly, delightfully, noticing now and then fossilized shells clinging unbroken to the rocks.

We cross the sandy beach, littered with ylang-wood that the weather washes away. The path turns away from the coast, climbing slightly inland. Its layout is becoming unclear and the signage is becoming sparse. We follow our path out of experience and intuition rather than because we are following a marked trail. Besides, the markings on some stones are faded and indistinguishable. Because the bushy vegetation is very dense in this area, some clearing and marking work is necessary.

We do not lose the direction of course, the white outline of the small lighthouse (of Spitha), which stands a few hundred meters ahead.

The ground is suddenly filled with countless “shells”, which in the terminology of archaeologists are not sea shells but small fragments of ancient vessels or tiles. Their presence here is not accidental. We are in the area of Vromontas, where the ancient city of Vromi existed, with house and temple foundations a few dozen metres from the sea. The trail passes by a low dry stone wall. We reach Spitha, which was placed in 1921 above Cape Zobolo. We are already halfway along the trail and, apart from fossilized shells in the rocks and on the ground, we have not encountered the spectacular fossils that Kostas had announced.

Our friend, who is leading the way, stops 100 meters after Spitha, above a small rocky cove. He doesn’t say anything, content to point to the shore with his hand. A few meters above the sea surface, wedged between sharp wild rocks, some other rocks stand out.

Their colours are yellowish-white and their shape is circular. They resemble in essence cylinder sections, the inner part of which has been removed, and are not solid but hollow. We have not the slightest doubt. What we see are parts of fossilized trunks of palm trees, which a few million years ago thrived in the coastal zone of this region.

Our journey is becoming more and more exciting. A few minutes later the trail passes over a narrow, steep fjord. Its sea mouth barely fits a small boat. It’s the Thieves’ Cove. The water inside is as calm as a lake, unaffected by the winds of the gambler. At its landward entrance two boats are slowly dying abandoned, one in a state of advanced decay.

We descend a few dozen meters to the edge of the creek. Schoina and small carob trees, caves 3 to 4 meters above sea level. Inside, they have dry stone walls. Some gullies in the rocks. Two metres from the sea, a well with a ‘touluba’ (water pump).

-We used to bathe in this water during our holidays, Kostas says.

It seems that our friend knows the most hidden spots of the area.

We continue and after a while the rocky bay of “Pounende” comes into view. Here, until 1950, the famous Vatiki onions and other products of the wider region were loaded onto the trading boats. The landscape is very special with rocks of incredible shapes and many small sea caves. Also important are the numerous fossilized sea shells, a dense mass on the surface of the rock, reminiscent of a mosaic. On a smooth rocky platform, very close to the sea, the bases of two fossilized logs are prominently imprinted. But the place has something else, very important to show us. It is the remains of the walls of the ancient settlement of Nymphaeum, a few metres above the coast.

The path moves away from the sea for a while, heading north towards our final destination.

– It was a very exciting ride, I tell Kostas.

– But it’s not over, we haven’t seen the best yet.

In a cultivated field the signage is unclear, but we find it again and in a few minutes we see the white chapel of Agia Marina in front of us. Our path meets a cart track, the whole width of which is covered with flat, solid sections of rock. In less than 200 metres this road ends at the coast. In many places on the rocky roadway we find the characteristic bases of petrified logs, cut in a spiral, probably by the people who built the road.

The first thing that strikes us on the coast are some curved steps, intricately carved on a solid rock, which reach almost to the surface of the sea. We do not know by whom they were carved or when, but the stonecutter, who created this elegant work of art in the rock, has nothing to envy from the elegance and art of our ancient ancestors. But neither is nature lacking in creativity and inspiration. It proves it at every point of the coast with the impressive Petrified Forest of small and large logs, which took their stone form millions of years ago and have endured to this day.

Wherever we turn our gaze, we are accompanied by stone beauty, with such a variety of shapes and forms that it is impossible to feel saturated or to decide which form is more beautiful. Some trunks even present a peculiarity that makes them unique. Their hollow part continues quite deep into the rock, which underneath is hollow and communicates with the sea. Thus, whenever there is a wave, the water rushes violently and with a characteristic hissing sound into this natural siphon and then shoots into the air with a rush, like the well-known jets of hot springs.

Stathis comes and finds us with his little girl. The little girl is bouncing enthusiastically on the rocks. In a few years, when she realizes the uniqueness and importance of these rocks, she will love her place even more.

More than an hour we walk around the coast of Agia Marina. We could stay until night, return the next morning, study the forms of the geomorphs at all hours and in all lighting conditions. We are comforted by the thought that we may return very soon, for a complete scientific presentation of all the paleontological findings of the Municipality of Boeon. We end up on the adjacent coast “Kanataki”, a sweet cove with clear waters but also some logs embedded in the vertical walls of the rocks, which seem to turn above the surface of the sea. These are the last images of a trek that has already been recorded in our memory as one of the most exciting that one can dream of.

IN THE CAVE OF ANGELS

For so many days we have been gazing from afar at the last part of Cape Malia, the “Malea Acra” of the ancients. It is the legendary end of the Malea Peninsula, which in the Middle Ages was called Capo d’Angelo, meaning “Cape of Angels”. I believe that its fearsome turbulence was due to the winging of the Archangel Michael.

This famous cape is what we start to get to know. And with it the monastery of St. Irene, the hermit’s asceticism and the other ancient churches. Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind.

– How easy is it to spend the night in the monastery?I ask Stathis.

– Very easy if we give you the keys to the cells. But it would be better if we were there.

He glances at Stavros, his brother.

– What do you say we go with the kids?

The two brothers confer for a while, taking stock of their obligations and business. Then Stathis says:

– In any case, the work is not finished. We’re coming with you. You, take only your clothes and your cameras. We’ll take care of the rest.

After Ag. Marina a dirt road continues. In about two and a half kilometres it ends on a small plateau, which dominates the steep coast. A few wild thorns are the only trees on the rugged slope. We leave the cars in their shade and set off. It’s an exciting morning, just like yesterday. The sun and the clouds. The trail is uneven and rocky but passable. Around it thick bushy vegetation, grating, thyme, sea urchins and other thorns. Now and then low wild locusts. The blossoming phloem is dotted with small yellow or red flowers. Their complex tufted branches make them look like umbrellas. A wonderful fragrance wafts through the atmosphere. We detect it immediately. It comes from a sage-like shrub. The flowers are large, bright yellow in colour.

– “We call it a baba koufia,” explains Stathis. The central part of the flower was once dried and used as a wick for candles.

The trail is cut between limestone tectonics, very hard. In some places it is carved into the edge of the cliff. A real vertigo! 50 metres further down there are sharp rocks. Above them, the waves of the garbi crash with a booming sound. He is a companion so constant, so dear. We walk and breathe deeply the cool and unpolluted breaths of the wind. Sea, waves and boats, Grasses and path all stone, Wind strong and Kythera in the distance, Humming sea and mountain scents. This is a course! We bless our luck for bringing us to this magnificent place of wild, virginal beauty on the edge of Greece.

We reach the highest point, the location “Horse”. Narrow path, dug in stone, cliff below, smooth greyish rock, cut with a knife. Turn slightly NE. Two steps and suddenly the air is gone. It’s getting hot, as if we were in another place.

We descend for a few hundred meters to the location “Kaminos”, at sea level. A steep gorge ends here, creating a narrow, rocky cove with an opening of no more than 10 metres.

– This is where hikers cool off in the summers, says Stavros. In the whole coastline it is the only point with access to the sea.

We’re getting restless again. In a few minutes we pass the bend of Kakia Skala, a passage in the rock. Here the wind is strong again. Steep sweeps furrow the slopes. Some of them go all the way to the sea.

We arrive at the iconostasis of the Cross, at an altitude of 75 metres. The landscape is very spectacular. The area is also called “12 shops”, because 12 holes in the solid rocks of the cliff can be seen from the sea.

Downhill now with loose ground. Needs a little attention. The path turns and immediately afterwards the closed courtyard door of the monastery appears. Two minutes more and the white outline of St Irene appears high above. The steep uphill, the last little test before the end of the walk. It’s almost always like this. Perhaps to make the joy of the finish even greater.

The floor is narrow and long, completely flat, at the edge of the steep slope. A stunning balcony at an altitude of 65 metres above the sea. Poppies, wild walnut, almond and olive trees. A large clump of pine trees and a cypress with tufts of tufts. Lower down, many large prickly pear trees. High up rises the “Bardia”, a rocky mass with an altitude of 553 metres, a formidable cliff that completely isolates the place from the north.

Three cells, one next to the other, are equipped with semi-double wooden bunk beds. Their front is built with fine stonework, the doors are vaulted and made of carved limestone.

– Once it was made of brick, Stavros says. We tore them down and made them out of stone. It was a long struggle to get the materials up here.

Stavros is the President of the Association “Friends of Cape Malia”. Almost all of the construction and the work goes through his hands. In the big cell there is the kitchenette, a double bunk bed, the simple dining room and the fireplace. Next to it is a storeroom and then the priest’s cell. A small photovoltaic unit provides electricity for the lamps, the fridge and the radio that gives us music. Five meters across, on a rock, the chapel of St. Irene stands on a rock. It was built at the end of the 19th^th century on the ruins of an older church.

Temple trulaeos, tiny, with dimensions of 3,75 x 4,75 meters. On the wooden iconostasis we can see icons of the early 20th^th century, the work of the hagiographer monk Nestor Vassalakis, from Dafnes of Rethymnon. On the roof of the church the bell tower and the cistern. Opposite is the narrow and long outline of Kythera.

East of the temple we start a smooth dirt path under the pine trees. 250 metres later we reach the edge of a cliff, the improvised winch with the wire rope. It was built to make it easier to bring up materials for the monastery from the sea. Immediately afterwards, we begin the miracles. And first the tiny ruined chapel of the Holy Forty Martyrs.

Although ruined, the ancient monument is stunning. “From the first building phase of the oldest temple, part of the semicircular arch of the sanctuary and the north wall, built with clay masonry and the use of bricks, survives. The interior of the arch is surrounded by a built stepped crypt, in the middle of which a bishop’s throne is formed with carved limestones. Its existence could lead to the conclusion that the church dates back to Early Christian times’ (1).

Immediately afterwards we descend some narrow stone steps, under a small defensive tower with a strategic view of the entire horizon. We turn a few metres to the left and find ourselves on the cobbled floor of the second, larger church of St George. It is the extremity of the Cape Malea.

The feeling of the ruined temple is overwhelming. St. George is considered, from an architectural point of view, one of the most important monuments of Laconia. It is believed that the date of its construction is in the middle of the 13th^th-14th century. The length of the temple is 13 meters long and its width is 5.90; unfortunately, over the centuries there has been a lot of damage. The south side has fallen, as well as the entire vaulted arch. The east side and most of the west side has also collapsed. Only the north side survives, up to the point where the arch begins.

On the north side of the wall a door leads to a chapel with a white dome and tiny dimensions: 2.2 x 3 metres. The interior is decorated with frescoes, which, despite the great wear and alterations, exude excellent technique and are dated by Professor Draydakis and his colleagues to the first third of the 15th^th century. (2).
It is impossible to leave this great place at once. The monumental ruins of St. George in this extreme wilderness have riveted us. A few dozen meters lower down, the gale rages, with an intensity of up to and over 7 Beaufort. The sound of the waves on the rocks is divine. We are lucky, that in such conditions we know the place wild, robust, as the legends through the centuries want it to be. It explains perfectly why most of the trekkers who make it here are transformed into pilgrims who return again and again.

Near sunset we return to the monastery; our first concern is to collect wood for the evening fire. It’s not exactly wood but dead bushes that abound in the area.

The sun reigns unseen behind the mountains. Its reddish glow lingers for a long time on the surface of the water. As darkness falls, the first flames spring from the fireplace. Stathis begins to peel the potatoes, Stavros prepares the meat on the grill. They fill the glasses with Stathis’ double-distilled tsipouro. It’s been years since I’ve tasted such an aroma. They drop the chopped potatoes into the pan with the virgin olive oil. And then the grill with the meat on the fireplace hearth. Stavros begins his fishing stories. About longlines, probes, squid jumping into the boat. The night unfolds magically. Just as magical is the image of the starry sky.

Around midnight, full, tired and sleepy, we retire to sleep, each in our own private cell. We have light for the night from an oil lamp. True luxury! True beauty!

At five-thirty in the morning the flame of the lamp is still flickering. I step out into the morning dew. It is still dark. The gulls have fallen, no sound reaches from the shore. My thoughts go to the xanadu of St. George. That’s where I’d like to greet the sunrise.

– You’re finally awake, Stavros says behind me. And long before the sun came up.

We arrive at the balcony of St. George at dawn. Opposite the lights from the villages of Kythera. In the direction of the east the red becomes more and more vivid. We wait with our eyes fixed. Suddenly, the desolate horizon line comes alive. It’s a ship. Its dark long silhouette moves slowly towards the expected sunrise point. Five minutes after 7 o’clock a bright golden-red buoy emerges from the water. At that very moment the bow of the ship passes in front of him. It is a spectacle of rare beauty, which continues for several more seconds, as the sun rapidly leaves its hiding place in the depths of the Aegean Sea and emerges like a flaming ball on the stern of the ship.

EPILOGUE

Professor Evangelos Velitzelos, Director of the Department of Geology and Palaeontology of the University of Athens, has been leading the research and promotion of the special paleontological importance of the area for about 10 years. He was kind enough to send me a summary of the new scientific data that have emerged in recent months from the research he carried out together with his distinguished colleagues from Bucharest. These findings are so important that they have aroused the interest of qualified European scientists. We, for the moment, are content with this first acquaintance with the region. We hope that we will soon return with a comprehensive scientific article about this unique paleontological region of Laconia.