Pylios, Aug 19/09

Pylios, day 2 August 19, 2009

We decided early morning is a better time to explore so we headed out to see the 'castle-fortress' at the far end of this nice seaside town. The housing here is very influenced by southern Europe styles.

Along the way we stopped again at the hardware store looking for some rope. As soon as the owner saw Jim and I he greeted us happily again and quickly got the yellow juice out for us - and for Marg and Dave as well. So hospitable. Then Jim asked him to cut us 5 metres of rope. He did so and then refused payment for it. Amazing. His 12 year old daughter was with him and she also had a good degree of English capability.

The castle was only another 2 blocks beyond the hardware store. We got the senior's rate of 2 euros each. Hah. We walked the ground of this Turk built fortress (1573), took excessive photos, wandered into the church. At this point the inside is being completely redone so there was nothing to see.

We had fun exploring but it didn't have a lot to offer (obviously we're getting spoiled).
We did see a great collection of pictures of things like the historic battle of Navarino,and people and events of the Greek war of Independence and other items. This whole display had been donated by Rene Puaux (a French reporter 1878-1937).

We were back to the marina by noon, had lunch and then motored across the bay to a beach and swimming area. The winds were up and the water was wavey but it was fun to swim against it. After a couple of hours of relaxing we motored back to the dock where we filled up with water and prepared to head north early Thursday morning.

The white cover on our boat is a lovely shade which we use often when we are parked. It keeps us from cooking completely.

We spent the evening in town. It is so relaxing and enjoyable to watch the locals (and many Greek tourists). The outside/waterfront cafes are full and the soft drone of people talking and laughing is great to be part of. Again went for another gyro, a tasty supper and much cheaper than other restaurant fare.

Each town offers a special memory. This one, our hardware owner friend, the cheap and delicious gyros, probably the best fruit and vegetables yet, and free internet.