Retirement Odyssey - Part 2
We left Monemvasia and drove to the "modern" city of Sparta. Nothing of the old militaristic city remains as it was abandoned in the 13th century. In 1834, king Otto, a fan of ancient Greek history, decided to reestablish a city on the ancient site, not surprisingly Bavarian in style.
After driving through Sparta, we reached nearby Mystra, a mountainous village crowned by a hillside that features five of the most wonderful late Byzantine (1200-1600) churches in Greece, each with amazing frescoes in varied stages of preservation.
Our bus dropped us off at the top of the site where we met George, our wonderful guide. His father was an Orthodox priest, so he has an amazing knowledge of the stories portrayed in the frescoes we viewed as we slowly worked our way down the sometimes slippery paths to the bottom of the site.
The middle church of Pantanassa is home to 6 very elderly nuns (see photo) who tend some lovely gardens around their convent church AND produce beautiful needlework which they sell to visitors. Proceeds go to social service agencies in Mystra. (we bought two colorful items.)
Our bus met us at the bottom of the hill, below the Cathedral of Mystra (built in 1270) and took us to lunch at a typical, non-touristed taverna in Sparta. We took a brief walk down the main commercial street and met the bus at the statue of King Leonidas, the Spartan hero who died with all of his army of 300 men, staving off the advance of a Persian army of many thousands.
Next, we concluded our travels in the pretty seaside town of Nafplio, the first capital of the new Greek Republic in the 1830's. We are staying in Pension Marianna, perched on the hillside overlooking the harbor, just below the imposing Palamidi Fortress, high on the hill top. This is the same place the E's stayed in 2011!
Once unpacked, we toured the city and ended up with a very informative wine (and ouzo) tasting with Dimitri Katronis. After the wine, cheese, olives and bread served to us at Dimitri's, we decided we only needed some simple souvlaki (chicken and veal) at Mitito Souvlaki to finish off the evening. It was a tough stair climb back to the pension.
Walked - 3.6 miles
stevenrdieterich
27 chapters
16 Apr 2020
A Mountainside of Churches
October 10, 2017
|
Mystras, Sparta and Nafplio, Greece
We left Monemvasia and drove to the "modern" city of Sparta. Nothing of the old militaristic city remains as it was abandoned in the 13th century. In 1834, king Otto, a fan of ancient Greek history, decided to reestablish a city on the ancient site, not surprisingly Bavarian in style.
After driving through Sparta, we reached nearby Mystra, a mountainous village crowned by a hillside that features five of the most wonderful late Byzantine (1200-1600) churches in Greece, each with amazing frescoes in varied stages of preservation.
Our bus dropped us off at the top of the site where we met George, our wonderful guide. His father was an Orthodox priest, so he has an amazing knowledge of the stories portrayed in the frescoes we viewed as we slowly worked our way down the sometimes slippery paths to the bottom of the site.
The middle church of Pantanassa is home to 6 very elderly nuns (see photo) who tend some lovely gardens around their convent church AND produce beautiful needlework which they sell to visitors. Proceeds go to social service agencies in Mystra. (we bought two colorful items.)
Our bus met us at the bottom of the hill, below the Cathedral of Mystra (built in 1270) and took us to lunch at a typical, non-touristed taverna in Sparta. We took a brief walk down the main commercial street and met the bus at the statue of King Leonidas, the Spartan hero who died with all of his army of 300 men, staving off the advance of a Persian army of many thousands.
Next, we concluded our travels in the pretty seaside town of Nafplio, the first capital of the new Greek Republic in the 1830's. We are staying in Pension Marianna, perched on the hillside overlooking the harbor, just below the imposing Palamidi Fortress, high on the hill top. This is the same place the E's stayed in 2011!
Once unpacked, we toured the city and ended up with a very informative wine (and ouzo) tasting with Dimitri Katronis. After the wine, cheese, olives and bread served to us at Dimitri's, we decided we only needed some simple souvlaki (chicken and veal) at Mitito Souvlaki to finish off the evening. It was a tough stair climb back to the pension.
Walked - 3.6 miles
1.
Reach For the Sky
2.
Chien Mechant; Wash Day
3.
The Riviera; Last Stop in France
4.
Nice ..... 42 Years Later
5.
A Changeable Day in Monaco
6.
Another Lazy Sunday
7.
A Big Change of Scene
8.
A Long Walk In the Eternal City
9.
A Trip Back In Time
10.
Our Trip To the National Museum of Rome
11.
Metro Strike; Long Walk Through the Heart of Rome
12.
Smooth Transition; The Final Frontier
13.
Older Than the Ancient Greeks
14.
Getting To Know You
15.
Acropolis and Ancient Agora
16.
A Visit To the Oracle
17.
Over the Mountains, Across the Sea
18.
Dawn of the Olympics
19.
The Return of Summer; Our "Day Off"
20.
Mani Peninsula
21.
High and Low On the Rock
22.
A Mountainside of Churches
23.
Way Back Into Time
24.
The Healing Place & A Resting Place For Us
25.
Beach Boys Day Off
26.
Back To the Future
27.
Epilogue
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