A boat trip from the port of Elafonisos to the most beautiful beach in Europe, Simos
Leaving the port of Elafonisos, at a very short distance on our left we see the picturesque chapel of Agios Giannis (St. John).
Right after there is an area called Vaporaki (meaning “little boat”). It is a rock that has taken the shape of a boat after the continuous scraping of its surface by the winds and the salt of the sea. According to a legend, this rock was once a pirate ship that got stoned when her crew attempted to attack the church of Agios Giannis.
Continuing south, we reach Mavros Kavos (Black Cape). Above, it is the position Fountianika where plenty of clay pots of dark color of the Early Helladic era were found.
Then there is the cave of Karantrea, a cave in the sea.
On our way we come upon Spilitsa and then Cape Delakouvia (or Delekouvia) with its Venetian name.
Reaching the beach of Lefki, our imagination seeks the temple of Apollo in its historic position. According to Thucydides, it was built before the 6th or 5th century BC. At Cape Lefki there are fragments dating back to the Bronze Age (3500-2500 BC).
After Mytikas we are passing the last end of Elafonisos, the Cape Frango.
The eastern sea area of Elafonisos that we cross, was used many times as anchorage of the Hellenic Fleet in 1821 and especially after the unification of it under the command of Admiral Andreas Miaoulis in Elafonisos in 1822 (Anomitris J. 1984-1996).
The Cape Frango, imposing and windswept, is the southernmost point of the island, the SW edge of the bay of Vatika and the NE edge of the Strait of Elafonisos. In its slits, the pirates sneaked in like spiders and in the Cave Batzika, even to this day, we can see human bones.
We enter the bay of Frango and arrive at the Akrotiri Elena (Cape Elena) where a beautiful picture captures our gaze. It is the beach of Simos.
Apart from Pavlopetri, another submerged settlement seems to exist, south of Cape Elena, in which obsidian was found.
Sources
Mentis, K., 1994, S. Peloponnesus and its “smigopelaga” islands. - Il Peloponneso meridionale e le sue isole “smigopelaga”, Elafonisos: Library of Elafonisos/Bibliotheca di Elafonisos
