pedelon travels by eBike PEL OP O +++ Blood feuds, pirates and a blue lighthouse at the entrance to Hades +++ These trees doNNESE not tolerate a lesser sky, these stones refuse the strange step, this landscape is as hard as the silence (Jannis Ritsos) +++ Spartan double kings and war heroes in honey +++ The Divine, it is on the abyss +++ Rough as their nature is the story of the Mani +++ I do not want wreaths in the apron or red eggs in the basket, only justice for my son, the leader of the Maniots – stab to death all the Turks and burn their castle. (Death suit around 1780) +++ Holm oaks and oleanders, olive trees and scrub, withered by the summer sun +++ Byzantine power under Franconian walls +++ Where the mountains separate Laconia from Messenia, Zeus and Leda have fathered the Dioscuri +++ Mycenaeans , Dorians, Achaeans, Spartans, Macedonians, Romans, Slavs, Byzantines, crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans in the shadow of the defense towers +++ where oranges flavor sausages and lemons belong in tomato sauces +++ Our tour through the Mani, the middle peninsula of the Peloponnese, in 7 days, a maximum of 14 people, two double overnights. Hotels ***** E S E Gastronomy *** P O N N L O P E Culture **** Sparta Kalamata Nature ***** ! Mystras Travel dates 2020 Kardamyli Arna GPP1: Sunday, 19-apr-2020 to Sunday, 26-apr-2020 Gythio GPP2: Sunday, 26-apr-2020 to Sunday, 03-may-2020 GPP3: Sunday, 03-may-2020 to Sunday, 10-may-2020 Areopoli GPP4: Sunday, 10-may-2020 to Sunday, 17-may-2020 by eBike GPP5: Saturday, 19-sep-2020 to Saturday, 26-sep-2020 by bus Exo Nimfio Gerolimenas GPP6: Saturday, 26-sep-2020 to Saturday, 03-oct-2020 10 km GPP7: Saturday, 03-oct-2020 to Saturday, 10-oct-2020 Vathia Traveling price 2020 Price per person in the DR for 7 nights with half-board, eBike, entrance free, transfers, guided tours: 1930 € Peloponnese 2020 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 1 pedelon travels by eBike Single-room surcharge: 460 € Does not include lunch, drinks and your personal expenses as well as travelling there and back. Flight Destination airport Kalamata from/to Munich (as available): 480 €/person Flights from other German airports or from airports in Austria or Switzerland on request. Car There are continuous motorway connections to Venice, Ancona or Bari. From there, there are ferries to Patras in the Peloponnese. From Munich you need between 24 and 36 hours driving time, including the ferry. Car parking is possible during the bike trip at Kalamata airport (90 € for 8 days). Participation conditions The arrangement contains the above services. Our terms and conditions apply. After the booking confirmation, the “pedelon travel information” is sent, which provides useful information regarding your travel to Kalamata or Mystras and other tips for the journey. Peloponnese 2020 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 2 pedelon travels by eBike PELOPONNESE With the eBike in an unrealistic realm of rocky bays, bare mountain pyramids, huge sea and glistening light. Endless expanses of rock, thorny deserts, olive groves in archaic solitude. The second southernmost mainland point in Europe, on historic routes to Cape Tenaro past monasteries, Frankish fortresses, Mycenaean tombs and picturesque harbor towns. Every little turn will surprise the traveler with a picturesque Byzantine chapel, a hidden waterfall or a secluded bay with a wonderful tavern. The Peloponnese transforms the astonished cyclist into a pilgrim, a traveler, an explorer. Best hotels in historical ruins, traditional cuisine in authentic taverns and restaurants. eBikes on the Peloponnese, the Mani, an unforgettable experience. Our guests will be picked up at Kalamata Airport on Saturday at In the “Mazaraki Guesthouse” the rooms are available as of 2.00 6.45 pm, at 4.05 pm on Sunday. The Aegean Air flight leaves pm. The newly opened luxury guest house is located near Mystras Munich at 10.10 am (Saturday) and reaches via Tessaloniki the and is a successful blend of historic buildings and modern design economic center of the southern Peloponnese in the evening at (swimming pool). If you want to stretch your feet before dinner, 6.30 pm (Greece has no summer time). If you want to arrive from you can walk 1.5 kilometers to a spectacular vantage point with Germany without changing planes, you can fly directly to Athens. stunning views of the region and historic Mystras. We pick up guests there at 3.15 pm and bring them in about two On the journeys GPP1, GPP3 and GPP7 the pedelon guests stay hours drive to the start hotel in Mystras. On Sundays a non-stop in the excellent Pyrgos de Mystra, a stylish mansion built in 1850. flight starts in Munich at 1.40 pm, arrival time in Kalamata is Today it serves as a charming four-star hotel. then 4.05 pm. Aegean Air is a member of the “star alliance” and was voted with its modern fleet to be the best European regional For dinner with local specialties in the immediate vicinity, you are airline in 2017. invited to the excellent restaurant “Chromata”. Already at the be- ginning of the journey, here the prejudice is convincingly refuted that the Greek kitchen is rather monotonous. 1st day: Mystras – Sparta – Mystras, 49 km After a rich breakfast with regional products such as mountain honey from the Taygetos massif and organic jam from the hotel’s own garden, it‘s a short transfer to Mystras, the famous Byzantine ruined city. Its story began with the construction of a hill fort by the Frankish crusader Guillaume de Villehardouin in the 13th cen- tury. The Frankish reign did not last long, Byzantine regained its provinces, and Mystras became an important economic and spiri- tual center of the Byzantine Empire. Numerous churches, chapels Peloponnese 2020 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 3 pedelon travels by eBike and monasteries are witnesses of this era. The end of this heyday trees, there will be a longer break on the quiet main square. From began with the Ottoman takeover and culminated with total de- the terrace of an old tavern you have a magnificent view over struction during the Greek War of Independence in 1825. After the valley and the here amazingly lush vegetation of the area. Fir a detailed visit, the the pedelon eBikes will be adjusted and the and black pine forests, apples and walnut trees thrive here at an elevation of 750 meters. A pleasant contrast to the often barren, karst coast of the Mani. Nearly traffic free and mostly downhill are the last kilometers to the “Aliston Hotel”. The comfortable and very tastefully decorated four-star house was born from the ruins of a former estate and is isolated in a large olive plantation that belongs to the house and produces high-quality organic olive oil. Dinner will be in the very good restaurant of the hotel. tour guides will explain its correct uses. Then our ride will take 3rd day: Gythio – Gerolimenas, 49 km us slightly downhill to Sparta. The lively town can look back on a After breakfast, Gythio is reached in less than half an hour. In the great past. In antiquity, it was the capital of the Laconia landscape small lively harbor town are many colorful fishing boats, and the and for centuries the strongest military power of ancient Gre- taverns around the bay are well visited throughout the day. The ece. The Spartiates formed as elite fighters the backbone of the Spartan army. Its military strength allowed Sparta to exert great influence on the fortunes of Greece for a long time. Unfortunately, there are hardly any remaining remains to visit from this golden age, so that a short stay is enough to explore the well-preserved amphitheater and the remains of the old center. After lunch, it is two hours back to Mazaraki Guesthouse, mostly on lonely streets in a hilly area with stunning views of the fertile plain of Lakonia. For dinner, you will meet in a restaurant well frequented by locals in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. octopus hung on dry linen hangers in the harbor are just as typical a symbol of Gythio as the ancient theater. Gythio can look back on an eventful history as a war port of the Spartans. Later, the 2nd day: Mystras – Gythio, 58 km Romans used the place for their exports. For larger commercial or cruise ships, the bay is now unsuitable because of the depth, so In the morning, Mystras is left on small back roads, olive groves that the port is now, besides small ferries, only used by fishing bo- and small picturesque villages are the constant companions at ats and private yachts. A short transfer takes the cyclists into the the foot of the Taygetos mountains. The name of this legendary inner Mani. More and more residential towers – the landmarks ridge goes back to the ancient nymph Taygete, the daughter of the of the Mani – meet the cyclist towards the southern tip of the Atlas. The highest point of the Taygetos massif is the 2404-meter peninsula. Some are up to 20 meters high, all with a square floor plan, with a wall depth of up to 1.5 meters. They are unique in the whole of Greece and symbol of the self-will of their inhabitants. Due to the external threat of the Franks, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans, clans defended the Mani together on the outside, but inside, bloody feuds were fought. Until the Greek War of In- dependence, which was supported by the maniots, there was no state control and no schools on this strip of land.