Sea salt sun drenched days, families laughing sharing stories on street side tavernas as their plates of colorful tomatoes, sardines, calamari, and olives arrive to their tables. The distant hum of fishing boats at sea accented by seagulls calling above, the subtle aroma of limes, jasmine, oranges and of course cigarette smoke of local men commiserating on sidewalks are the sweet and acrid smells lingering in the warm Mediterranean air that let you know you have arrived in the Greek region of Messenia, a beautiful but often skipped destination on the Greek mainland. This pristine and even mythical region is usually passed up by travelers that are instead distracted the glamorous, photo-op that is the Greek Islands; but as I experienced, Messinia, Kalamata, and Costa Navarino easily rival the beauty of the Greek Islands as a bucket list worthy destination for families.