MESSINIA- southwestern PELOPPONESE- village of CHRANI
We have been thinking about visiting Peloponnese for several years, but we could not fit all the dices together.
Sometimes it was about finances and sometimes it was impossible to get vacation at work ... however, we finally came to the point where all the dices came together and the fairytale called Messinia started writing itself.
And our journey has begun, we started our trip from Belgrade to the village of Chrani in Messinia in southwestern Peloponnese.
This tour takes about 15 hours in one piece, but we took an overnight break in Kamena Vourla, about 900 km from Belgrade, so that the next day we would arrive at our destination some 500 kilometers away, rested and in no hurry.
Kamena Vourla is a coastal town- spa located in a narrow area between the sea and Mount Knemidas that rises steeply behind the town.
It has a long and wide street- promenade along which gardens of cafes and tavernas are set up.
The beach of Kamena Vourla is sandy in the combination with pebbles, it is long and wide enough.
Be prepared to set aside money for tolls on this 1400 km route, which wont be so small ammount.
You will have to pay two tolls totaling 1,500 dinars through Serbia, then four tolls, 6 euros in total through Macedonia, and finally through Greece twenty tolls totaling 49,8 euros (September 2019 one way- Belgrade / Kalamata tolls).
What is good is that the highway goes all the way from Belgrade to Kalamata, so from the exclusion we had about 50 kilometers left on the road that is not very great, to the village of Chrani our final destination where we booked a cottage on two weeks. You can read more about Fotine & Bobs Sea view country home in the post 8 affordable accommodations on your favorite destinations in Greece .
I just can say that this long trip and all expenses paid off because we were really thrilled with Messinia.
This truly incredible remote corner of the Peloponnese is beautiful and magnificent region that have so much to offer.
We've seen a lot, and a lot we haven't ... which all in all, maybe, is not so bad because it will continue to tickle our imagination and we will return to beautiful Messinia someday.
Our adventure to Messinia was a pleasant surprise for us and I recommend it to all those who have already seen a little bit more famous places and attractions of Greece and who are looking for something new.
Right after crossing the Corinth Canal, you will have a feeling that you have stepped into a different Greece. You will be amazed by different variations of this landscape that will make this journey an unrivaled experience that will remain in your memory for the rest of your life.
Messinia is a region that combines everything- history, culture, smiling and friendly people, beautiful clean sea and fantastic beaches, wetlands full of birds, hidden waterfalls, beautiful villages and even the Eiffel Tower.
This is not a joke about the Eiffel Tower!
Because when we were driving through the village of Filiatra heading to Kiparissia, it happened that we run to one unusual scene and we were surprised when we saw this replica of Eiffel Tower that Dr. Haralampos Fournarakis built after his successful career in America at the place of his birth. On what occasion and for what purposes we don't know, but it is certainly a kind of attraction.
We enjoyed and met wonderful people who live a peaceful life - farmers, honey producers, fishermens, returnees who were working abroad, foreigners who came to spend the rest of their lives in the beautiful Messinia, we saw and visited clean beaches still intact with mass tourism and strolled the seaside towns that truly have a soul.
The landscapes of Messinia are dominated by vineyards and immense olive groves, and the medieval fortresses and monuments of its towns provide only a slight introduction to the rich history of the region.
There are lots of beaches in Messinia and for everyone's taste... with pebbles or sand, organized or not, small or infinitely long, secluded...
The village of Chrani is a small and hilly village whose inhabitants are mainly engaged in agriculture. There is one supermarket, one bakery and several tavernas in the village. It has a long sandy beach that stretches along the entire coast of the village.
Chrani beach is nice and sandy, and in some parts organized with beach bars and deck chairs. There are almost no crowds.
Just before the end of the beach in the direction of Petalidi we found a nice beach bar "Caribbean" where we used to spend afternoons.
Food in this bar, in my opinion, is not some gastronomic pleasure. It is ok if you want to bite something before dinner, but if you want a decent meal it is better to go to "Socrates".
"Caribbean" is a coctail bar and you wont regret if you choose anything from their coctail card. All coctails are really superb and the price is 6,5 euros no matter which one you choose.
In the village of Chrani and in the surrounding places, life goes on slowly.
No one is in a hurry, there is no crowd, everyone knows everyone.
Just to create a picture, there is a school in nearby Petalidi, attended by 70 pupils in total (from Petalidi and surrounding villages) in all 12 grades. All children knows each other and parents knows each other as well.
Festivals that looks more like village fairs in Serbia are something special for the residents of these villages. They all come to walk by the sea, socialize and exchange a word. Here you can try souvlaki or roast piglet on a spit directly from the trunk of the van.
What's unusual about this piglet (besides being sold from the trunk) is that the whole pig is cooked first and then baked on a spit to produce a specially crispy crust.
We have been told that this specialty is typical just for Messinia.
After ending, the festival moves to another place, so you will see the same honey producers, traveling butchers, sellers of spices, sellers of various unnecessary things...etc...the next day in some other town or village.
In two weeks that we spent in Messinia, we did not met a single Serb or saw Serbian car. Most tourists are Germans, English, Russians and Italians.
I hope you can imagine at least a little bit of how we experienced this region of extraordinary beauty. More about our Messinia adventure you can read in Magical MESSINIA- PELOPONNESE- Part Two .
 |
| Paw traveller- Methoni- Messinia |
Sometimes it was about finances and sometimes it was impossible to get vacation at work ... however, we finally came to the point where all the dices came together and the fairytale called Messinia started writing itself.
And our journey has begun, we started our trip from Belgrade to the village of Chrani in Messinia in southwestern Peloponnese.
This tour takes about 15 hours in one piece, but we took an overnight break in Kamena Vourla, about 900 km from Belgrade, so that the next day we would arrive at our destination some 500 kilometers away, rested and in no hurry.
 |
| Paw traveller- Kamena Vourla beach |
It has a long and wide street- promenade along which gardens of cafes and tavernas are set up.
The beach of Kamena Vourla is sandy in the combination with pebbles, it is long and wide enough.
 |
| Paw traveller- Sea view country home |
You will have to pay two tolls totaling 1,500 dinars through Serbia, then four tolls, 6 euros in total through Macedonia, and finally through Greece twenty tolls totaling 49,8 euros (September 2019 one way- Belgrade / Kalamata tolls).
What is good is that the highway goes all the way from Belgrade to Kalamata, so from the exclusion we had about 50 kilometers left on the road that is not very great, to the village of Chrani our final destination where we booked a cottage on two weeks. You can read more about Fotine & Bobs Sea view country home in the post 8 affordable accommodations on your favorite destinations in Greece .
 |
| Paw traveller- Pilos surroundings |
This truly incredible remote corner of the Peloponnese is beautiful and magnificent region that have so much to offer.
We've seen a lot, and a lot we haven't ... which all in all, maybe, is not so bad because it will continue to tickle our imagination and we will return to beautiful Messinia someday.
Our adventure to Messinia was a pleasant surprise for us and I recommend it to all those who have already seen a little bit more famous places and attractions of Greece and who are looking for something new.
Right after crossing the Corinth Canal, you will have a feeling that you have stepped into a different Greece. You will be amazed by different variations of this landscape that will make this journey an unrivaled experience that will remain in your memory for the rest of your life.
 |
| Paw traveller- Kiparissia |
This is not a joke about the Eiffel Tower!
Because when we were driving through the village of Filiatra heading to Kiparissia, it happened that we run to one unusual scene and we were surprised when we saw this replica of Eiffel Tower that Dr. Haralampos Fournarakis built after his successful career in America at the place of his birth. On what occasion and for what purposes we don't know, but it is certainly a kind of attraction.
 |
| Paw traveller- Chrani Messinia |
 |
| Paw traveller- beach of Chrani |
There are lots of beaches in Messinia and for everyone's taste... with pebbles or sand, organized or not, small or infinitely long, secluded...
The village of Chrani is a small and hilly village whose inhabitants are mainly engaged in agriculture. There is one supermarket, one bakery and several tavernas in the village. It has a long sandy beach that stretches along the entire coast of the village.
 |
| Paw traveller- Caribbean beach bar |
Just before the end of the beach in the direction of Petalidi we found a nice beach bar "Caribbean" where we used to spend afternoons.
Food in this bar, in my opinion, is not some gastronomic pleasure. It is ok if you want to bite something before dinner, but if you want a decent meal it is better to go to "Socrates".
"Caribbean" is a coctail bar and you wont regret if you choose anything from their coctail card. All coctails are really superb and the price is 6,5 euros no matter which one you choose.
 |
| Antigona- Paw traveller- Caribbean beach bar |
No one is in a hurry, there is no crowd, everyone knows everyone.
Just to create a picture, there is a school in nearby Petalidi, attended by 70 pupils in total (from Petalidi and surrounding villages) in all 12 grades. All children knows each other and parents knows each other as well.
 |
| Paw traveller- Petalidi |
What's unusual about this piglet (besides being sold from the trunk) is that the whole pig is cooked first and then baked on a spit to produce a specially crispy crust.
We have been told that this specialty is typical just for Messinia.
After ending, the festival moves to another place, so you will see the same honey producers, traveling butchers, sellers of spices, sellers of various unnecessary things...etc...the next day in some other town or village.
In two weeks that we spent in Messinia, we did not met a single Serb or saw Serbian car. Most tourists are Germans, English, Russians and Italians.
I hope you can imagine at least a little bit of how we experienced this region of extraordinary beauty. More about our Messinia adventure you can read in Magical MESSINIA- PELOPONNESE- Part Two .
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