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Tuesday 9
th May
Yesterday we arrived at a campsite in Gythian Bay on the other side of the Mani peninsular to where we were in Stoupa. The campsite opens onto the beach but after 10 minutes of being sandblasted by the strong breeze, we gave up trying to relax on the sun loungers and took shelter back on the site. It seems a great place for windsurfing. Today we cycled to Gythio, a pretty seaside town and visited an ancient theatre. There must be so many ancient sites in Greece, a big deal isn’t made of them, hence why it was overgrown and a bit of a disappointment. There seemed to be some sort of military building next door which made us a bit nervous taking photos.
Thursday 11
th May
We are staying at a campsite half way between Sparta and Mystras. We arrived yesterday and went for an exploratory cycle ride. We cycled into Mystras and bought a walking map. The lady in the shop also paints pictures of icons using the same techniques as they used in Byzantine times, including using 22
carat gold. She told me it takes at least one week to complete a small painting and longer if the picture is more complex. We then cycled down to Sparta and had a frappe in one of the many cafes that surround the main square. Modern Sparta is built close to the site of the Sparta of ancient Greece, a city where military training and excellence was all part of the social and constitutional structure. It has nothing to do with Spartacus (the Gladiator) but does have a statue of Leonides, a king, who in 480BC lead an army against the Persians. John has seen a picture of this statue and insists it is of Spartacus. We spent a while wandering around trying to find it without success.
We are still in the Taygetus mountain area and their snowy peaks tantalise us in the distance. Mystras is famous for the UNESCO archaeological site of the original fortified town. A fortress was built on top of a hill in 1249 and the following few years saw the hill fill with a palace, mansions, houses, monasteries and churches all within fortified walls. It developed into an important cultural centre
closely connected with Constantinople and was to play an important role in the history of the Byzantine Empire until it fell to the Turks in 1460.
We cycled up to the main entrance of the old town today and bought our ticket to tour the site. It’s clearly a destination for coach trips but fortunately the site is so large we felt we had the place to ourselves for much of the time. It took us about three hours to wander round. I now have another hundred photos of Byzantine churches and their frescos in various states of renovation.
Friday 12
th May and Saturday 13
th May
We have been walking the last couple of days, following well marked paths up into the mountains. The walks have been steep, hot and sweaty with magnificent views, narrow rocky paths and precipitous drop offs – great fun. We saw tortoises on both walks. I managed to get a couple of photo’s before they raced off into the undergrowth!! John has trouble believing they are wild. He seems to think they have escaped from someone’s living room. A quick check on google when we got
back helped him to understand that they are indigenous to Greece.
Sunday 14
th May
It has got hotter – too hot to walk up steep paths so we went for cycle ride instead. On the downhill bits, the air on your face feels like it is coming from a hairdryer set on medium heat. After a couple of hours it all got too much so we headed back and spent the rest of the afternoon doing our jigsaw. Luckily the campsite is shaded by trees but they are scattering their seed which is just like snow and gets everywhere. The pollen count is high and my hay fever is driving me crazy.
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