Our ship arrived late morning in the town of Gytheio in the southern edge of the Peloponnese Peninsula. Converse to many people’s understanding, largely a result of clever tourist marketing, “the Peloponnese” is a peninsula and not an island. We decided to venture into the small port town and grab a taxi out to one of the nearby beaches, Mavrovouni, where the water was cool and the sand was hot (bring flip flops). The beach itself is mostly locals and fairly busy so do not plan on an idyllic serene getaway. As for the taxi, we had the best driver, she was Greek-Canadian and our best friend by the end of the return trip. She charged us 10 Euro and gave us her card for the return trip. We heard others paid 50 Euro. Always agree on a price before jumping in.

After some time in the sun and surf we retreated to the beach pub for a beverage and contemplated lunch. We opted to call the taxi and head back into town. On the drivers recommendation we settled in at one of the local spots next to the marina and enjoyed more squid and octopus.

Following lunch we strolled the waterfront before settling in for a couple glasses of ouzo before making our way back to the ship for evening acticities.