Is there an election today?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sparta and Mystras Greece

Looking up at the Citadel or "castle" at Mystras. It looked a lot closer when I zoomed in.....but it really wasn't.

Of course today is going to be a big day in United States history…however with the time difference I don’t actually have to worry about that until the morning (some would argue as a Canadian I never have to worry about it but I think we all know this is everyone's election) so I spent the day visiting the sites. I hopped on the bus nice and early and made the short 10 minute trip to Mystras. This was my intended destination yesterday but I am very glad I decided to stay in Sparta. Mystras is a tiny little place and this time of year a lot of things are already shut down. During the day it is not bad but I cannot imagine there is very much going on after dark.

This was taken about part way up.....the road. I had not actually made it to the ancient city yet when I took this.

Ok so this one is about part way up the city itself. I still have a ways to walk at this point but what an amazing view.

So why Mystras? Well Mystras is home to some amazing ancient ruins up on the hill above the current site of Mystras. I got off the bus in town to check out a couple things there and then began the walk up the hill. The bus would have taken me part way up but I decided to walk it anyways. Tour groups always seem to start at the top and work their way down (the bus drops them off up there and then picks them back up at the bottom).

Some of those other people walking down.

I did this the other way and started at the bottom, worked my way up to the top and then went back down again.

Looking up through some of the ruins. The Palace complex is the building you can see at the top. In between you can see the remains of some of the houses.

Mystras is an old Byzantine settlement which has been very well restored and preserved. So many aspects of the settlement are still there including a few churches, a palace, the sewer and water works system, a few houses and the fortress.

This is Hagia Sophia....one of the many churches in Mystras.

Of course the fortress is on the very top as it was used for the protection of the village below but it was a great climb up.

I would say that the path is cobble stone but I can’t even give it that. It probably had been improved by those who settled in the town in later years but it is pretty archaic. Big, round, smooth rocks all the way up. Not very even and a little bit slippery. I watched all these little old ladies try to walk down in their little heels. One lady actually took her shoes off and walked down in her bare feet. Very glad I did not opt for the flip-flops today….although that was the original plan.

This building was not marked so it could be the remains of almost anything.

The city is built with the same plan as many others with one main road in and out so that there are only 2 access points that need to be protected, however since it is built on a hill the main path winds its way back and forth across the hill. I must say the climb was one of the best workouts I have had in a while. Even all the hills and stairs throughout Italy could not prepare me for this. The weather was glorious today though so I truly enjoyed the stroll up.

Looking down at the lower main gate to Mystras. There is a similar gate higher up the hill below the Citadel. From the Citadel you have a perfect view of both gates.

Looking through one of the old windows of an outer wall. What a great view.

The trip up was going really well until about 100 metres from the very top when a snake happened to slither its way across my path. Now by your standards it probably was not a very big snake but by mine is was HUGE. In case you don’t know, I am EXTREMLY afraid of snakes…...even little harmless ones. Usually Dad is around and he scares it away and once or twice he almost had to carry me back down a mountain. Dad of course was not here and I was now standing at the very top of a hill having no idea where to head next. Some of you are probably wondering why I didn't just walk back down the hill but the idea of walking by the snake again freaked me out. I stood around for a while...watching the ground the whole time, and decided I had to go back down the way I came up (at least I knew that route..who knew what I would find on the backside of the mountain). I also decided that I was not going to look at rustling bushes or grass anymore because if I saw another snake I would lose it. Suddenly all those little lizards did not seem to bad.

View from the top. This is through the outer wall of the Citadel on top of the mountain. If it wasn't for the snake, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Some more of the ruins at Mystras.

I took this picture after I was down the hill.......far away from that stupid snake. The remains of Laskaris' House and its surrounding structures are behind me.

So I did make it safely back down the hill with no further run in with snakes….lizards yes, but no snakes. I made my way all the way back down to the town and caught a bus back to Sparta. Modern day Sparta has very few reminders of its history but if you look carefully you can find the remains of a few things. I headed over to the acropolis of Sparta to find the old theatre and stuff like that. Very, very little left. Just a few ruins but when you stand in what would be the centre point, you can almost see the buildings and the people that would have filled the space.

A random old thing in Sparta. I thought it was a bench but I was not sure so I didn't sit on it.

I headed back to the centre of town and found my way to the Archaeological Museum. This is just a small little place and like many in the town, closes very early (1500 or 3pm). The place is filled with lots of little artefacts that have been found in the Sparta area including statues and mosaics. There was an entire wall of little figurines that were also found. I guess they could have been toys or decorations. I was able to take a few pictures but a lot of items belongs to "personal collections" or have not yet been published so those things I could not take pictures of.

This was found in the Sparta Acropolis. It is labelled the Panathenaic amphora dated 525 to 500 BC. It was a prize to the victor of the quadriga games held during the Panathenaic festival held in Athens.

The rest of the day I spent hanging around. Sparta is really slow this time of year so easy to find a nice outdoor bar and just sit around to have a drink. I did manage to find some cheap internet. I realized that their internet cafes here are inside their billiard halls and that is why I did not find one yesterday. Not that I need to be online everyday, but the fact that I am traveling with a laptop tells you I have some difficulty disconnecting.

Quiet days like this make it really easy to sit around and think about everything. I guess that can be a good thing or a bad thing. I have definitely gotten to the point where I know my life is going to take a turn in the next few years and it may not be the turn I originally planned. I guess time will tell.

Every TV in the city seems to have election coverage on although the polls are not even close to closing in the US yet (not even on the east coast). It is all in Greek but one of the guys at Elysse has been doing some translating for me. I told mom to call me when the results are in. I guess we will find out in a few hours if we make history.

Julie