Blogs from Sparta, Pelopennese, Greece, Europe

Reminder: the panoramic photos at the start of the blog change every 7/8 seconds and give a larger and clearer image than when viewed with the other photos. Also, there are more photos below the text if you want to skip the diary details; and if you double click on any of the photos you will get an enlarged, clearer image. You can return to the text anytime. Wednesday 5th June. We headed directly west from Kalamata to the coast to look at Nestor's Palace; a 3,500 year old site said to be the residence of King Nestor who was mentioned by Homer in his tale of the siege of Troy. We stopped for coffee at the village of Gialova on the shore of Navarino Bay; which itself is hugely impressive; almost 4 miles long and ... read more

For Glenn this was going to be one of the highlights of this trip to Greece. He has read extensively about the Spartans and wanted to see "where it all happened". Our campsite being midway between Mystras and modern Sparti meant it only took a short while to drive to the new town. A non descript place with the streets set out in a grid system. Shops lined the main street. Trees planted up the middle. Dreadful parking. The Greeks park far worse than the Italians. Double parking. Cars left with the doors open. Their wheels pointing into the street. It was a nightmare trying to find what we were looking for. Greeks don't understand roundabouts. Some drivers treat them correctly waiting for traffic from the left to pass before joining the roundabout. Others fly through ... read more

Il y a tellement de chose à voir ! On part de bon matin en débutant pat une petite visite de l’ensemble des 7 forteresses datant de 1710 qui dominent la ville de Nauplie. Puisque notre hôtel est réservé pour ce soir, on se planifie une bonne journée. Le théâtre d’Épidaure nous a beaucoup impressionné hier soir; Daniel, Carole et Philippe ne l’ayant pas vu, nous décidons de tous y retourner. Sans spectateurs, le théâtre nous semble un peu moins impressionnant. Nous faisons ensuite un petit arrêt à Sparte qui fût à une époque, l’une des plus puissante cité du monde; mais dont il ne reste que très peu de vestiges aujourd’hui. Puis, direction Mystra : impressionnante par ses maisons perchées dans la montagne. De nombreux bâtiments sont en excellent état; Les trois filles, Philippe et ... read more

Left bright and early for the one hour bus to Sparta. Then caught the city bus up into the hills for about 20 minutes, ultimately getting to Mystras. This is not an ancient town. It is old, but dates "only" to the 13th and 14th centuries. It actually feels like you're in France, and are wandering around one of its medieval towns (which makes sense, since the Franks originally built it). Mystras winds up a mountain, and is most famous for its many monasteries and churches with pretty well preserved frescoes. It's also awesome because the town is itself so well preserved. You walk up the mountain to the ruined castle at the top following the same winding streets the inhabitants once used. All that's missing, it feels like, are these people. One of the monasteries ... read more

DAY 96 Waking up in Sparta. The town of about 60,000 people had been built pretty much on the old ruins. So the town appears to be realitively new. There are a few ruins exposed but not really that much to spend time searching out according to our guide. So we take a day trip to the ancient city of Mystras, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Mystras is the only surviving expamle of a Byzantine palace complex in all of Greece. The complex was the seat of the despot of Moreas. There are several monasteries and many churches in the palace complex. Many started in the 1300's with the fortress being built in the mid 1200's and sits at the top of the mountain. The last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI, was despot at Mystras ... read more