Near a tiny Byzantine chapel high on the hills, above a village called Kardamyli in Greece, there is a spot where the ashes of the writer Bruce Chatwin have been scattered. It is a beautiful place. The scent of wild herbs wafts in the breeze, olive trees lend dappled shade and cicadas rattle-chatter rhythmically.
That Chatwin, a famously restless writer who forged a career out of wandering the world, chose this location for his final resting place says a lot.
He was drawn to the Mani - the middle finger of land extending out from the Peloponnese - by Patrick Leigh Fermor, an equally adventurous writer and traveller. In his youth, Leigh Fermor walked across Europe to Istanbul and during the Second World War he led the daring kidnap of a German general in Crete. He has lived in Kardamyli since the 1960s and still lives there on and off today.
The tiny fishing village has grown a lot in nearly 50 years, swollen by Athenians willing to endure the five-hour drive south from the capital and by cheap charter flights to Kalamata, an hour's drive up the coast. But it remains unspoilt. Its setting - tucked between the rugged Taÿgetos Mountains and the deep blue Mediterranean water - is spectacular.
Days spent diving into the sea off rocks, walking in the hills and sipping frappé as the waves lap over the pebbles bring to mind a modern version of Elysium, the paradise for the fallen heros of Greek mythology. Indeed, the region is littered with classical associations. To the north lies the pastoral idyll of Arcadia and dotted along the coast are the settings for various episodes from The Iliad and The Odyssey.
From Kardamyli we drive down the west coast. The peninsula is divided into the Outer Mani, the fertile yet rugged part nearest to the mainland, and the Inner Mani, a treeless landscape of scorched rock to the south, which leads down to the tip of Cape Matapan, the southernmost point in mainland Europe after Punta de Tarifa in Spain. Kardamyli is on the cusp of these two areas.
The drive to the end and back can be done in a day, but it is better to spend a few days exploring the area with Leigh Fermor's classic book Mani in your lap.
Down the coast, we arrive at Areopoli, the capital of the Inner Mani. Its name comes from Ares, the Greek god of war. It is appropriate. Maniots consider themselves to be descendants of the ancient Spartans.
Their history is turbulent and violent. Franks, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottoman Turks all found them ungovernable and preferred to leave them to fight among themselves.
Over the centuries, families have waged feuds, often lasting decades, from tall stone towers built in proximity. Many of Areopoli's tower houses have been converted into hotels, their owners thrust into a new battle for the money of tourists.
We fill up with petrol at a station reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting. Looking up the coast, the bays stack up hazily, fusing with the sky in the distance. As we drive away from the town, I find myself thinking how much the region feels like an island, despite being connected to the mainland.
Many of the villages were only accessible by sea or steep tracks until the 1970s when a series of skinny, winding roads were laid. The area retains a sense of isolation and otherness.
South of Areopoli, more tower houses jut up from the horizon. This is the country of the Niklians, the true heart of the Mani. Feudal and fierce, the Niklians settled in the area after being forced out of their homes further north in the 13th century. Kita, 25km south of Areopoli, was once a centre of Niklian power and was the scene of the last great Maniot feud in 1870.
The place is desolate and sad. Bleached grass pokes up through ruined buildings and wrecked cars. In the centre of the town, an ugly new church sits unused. Centuries of bitter fighting have reached their logical conclusion: depopulation. People leave for a new life free from the deadly baggage of inherited wars.
It's gone three by the time we reach Gerolimenas, a fishing village that makes Kardamyli look like Monte Carlo. The bay is sheltered and serene. It is one of those places that feel totally out of step with the rest of the world: tiny fishing boats bobbing in the harbour give the impression of a zone untroubled by modernity and development.
Of course, this primitivist romanticisation is pleasantly shattered by an ice-cold can of Coke plucked from the fridge of one of the small hotels. We eat freshly caught fish, grilled whole over embers with plenty of salt, and spend the night in a tiny room with the sound of waves breaking on the shingle beach.
In the morning we visit Váthia. The road climbs up to a view of a cluster of tower houses crammed onto a promontory. Like Shibam in Yemen or San Gimignano in Italy, Váthia's lithe and picturesque towers almost inevitably draw comparisons as the Manhattan of their day. Almost all are empty.
Váthia was the scene of a feud that lasted 40 years. As I climb the worn and overgrown steps up to what is an undeniably beautiful view, I cannot help thinking that with the heat and the tightly-packed buildings, long-term strife was inevitable.
The land shrinks as we drive down to the cape. Beautiful secluded bays cut in on either side of the road. There is a feeling of space running out. As with many journeys to the ends of the Earth, the end point is surprising: a taverna with garish neon signs and cheap, shabbily constructed rooms overlooking the bay.
The dry stone walling, the hue of the grass, the wooden poles for telephone lines: the bay looks and feels a lot like Scotland. Going for a swim, the water is startlingly cold. To the north, there is a cave said to be one of the most important entrances to Hades, the underworld in Greek mythology. Overlooking the bay, a mound of stones with a small, arched entrance was once a temple dedicated to Poseidon, the god of the sea.
Later in the evening, I look out into the blackness and see a series of lights blinking in the distance. A busy shipping lane passes close to the cape. Like seeing a vapour trail carved across an empty desert sky, this sign of life impinges on this isolated spot for a moment before flickering behind the headland leaving darkness once again.
rcarroll@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
More on Quran memorisation:
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
INDIA%20SQUAD
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
