As we approached Megalopoli we stopped briefly to change drivers and as I walked around the car, I saw a high peak in the distance that appeared to have a fortress atop, see above, and so we decided to trust to good fortune and explore. The flower in the foreground is Valerian and appears to be similar to Foxglove Digitalis used in heart medication. We learned the Karitanians use the flowers and leaves to brew a relaxing tea.We retraced our steps a short distance and found the sharp left turn leading up to the village just below the castle. We parked and began a climb up the several hundred feet to the The Frankish Castle of Karytaina which was built in the mid-13th century on this steep rocky outcrop by Geoffrey of Briel. Geoff was a knight of the first order but a bit of a bad boy, too. He took the wife of one of his feudal tenants to Italy for a bit of shopping and fun.
See the stereograms above and below.
As we descended we stopped at a cafe for espresso and met Vickie, a Greek woman. She learned her English at the foot of a tutor for four years. She told us the village was inhabited by about 100 old people and that all the younger people had left. Tourism was very slow. Her job was to work the cafe 10 hours each day for a wage of 25 Euros a day. She works 30 days a month and her 18 month-old daughter is cared for by her mother. She lives with her extended family on their farm where her husband grow vegetables and raises goats and sheep. They grow and make everything and contribute any money to support her sister who is at the University. She and Anna quickly bonded, and I think Anna especially liked Vickie's enthusiastic celebration of them both being "Greek women".
What a terrific find!
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