The campsite is on the outskirts of the city and it is
possible to get a bus into the centre but we enjoyed the 45 minute walk along
the promenade and up into the old town where the archaeological museum is
located. On the way we went through the railway park where locomotives and
carriages are displayed on short stretches of line. I must say that I
thoroughly enjoyed it – it brought out my inner child!
We had a leisurely start so it was time for lunch and we found a good tavern in
a small square with a fountain close to the museum. Suitably refreshed, we
headed for the museum where the board outside clearly stated that it was open
until 20:00. What an excellent museum it is! Modern and with very well
displayed exhibits and excellent information boards in Greek and English.
Greece’s archaeological museums were always old fashioned, very poorly
displayed, artefacts often completely lacking in labels and no information
boards. It is clear that there has been a big push to bring the museums up to
date and, even though they were often closed for many years, it was worth the
wait. At 15:40, the custodian approached me and indicated that the museum was
going to close and it became clear that the closing time was 15:30 despite what
it said on the board. There were very few visitors in the time that we were
there and, most of the time, we were on our own. I was within a couple of
minutes of finishing, so it was no great hardship. I was also able to buy an
English language guide to ancient Messene on the way out. This was a real coup
as it was the first time that we had seen any guides for sale at any of the
sites or museums that we have visited. I can’t help feeling that they are
losing out on a source of revenue.
We wandered through another part of the city back to the promenade and on to
the campsite.
Photos: Kalamata is very much a working town and a working port – here a fisherman is preparing his nets; The Railway Park; 2021 was the hundredth anniversary of Greek independence but celebrations must have been muted due to the pandemic; These flint arrow heads are the most perfect one that I have ever seen – the date from the 15th century BC; The panel said that this was a Roman pestle and mortar but I thing that it is an ashtray with a reminder that you should stub out your cigarette butts.
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