After cheek kisses goodbye from Stella we got on the road to Mystras. Mystras is a smallish village with ancient Byzantine ruins, and it is only four kilometers from Sparti. There is nothing ancient and interesting in Sparti despite its famous past but Mystras is a charming albeit small town.
Because it was Sunday we needed to get to the ancient site as soon as possible because it closed at 3 pm. We drove the 2.5 hours from Kardamili to the upper site and began our exploration. The upper site is the multi level fortress/palace and the lower site includes several small monasteries with well preserved frescos that are really beautiful. In 1249 a Frankish prince built a castle here before the 4th century Mystrás became the seat of the Despotate of Moreas, and in 1448 the last emperor of Byzantium was crowned here.
The day was hot (36.5 Celsius) as we have come to expect so after hiking around and viewing the sites a Mesimeri was in order. We had passed our hotel on the way to the upper Mystras site so it was a breeze finding it when we wanted it... Always a desirable thing! We checked into our room, turned on the AC and indulged in that nap.
We have both really slowed down the last few days. Weeks and weeks of strenuous exercise have begun to take their toll on me and the daily nap, while I feel guilty "wasting time" in Greece, has become a necessity.
After our nap we went for a walk around the small town. It was a pleasant walk without much to see. We ended up on a park bench near a military hero's statue. We enjoyed just "being" on our next to last evening in Greece.
Dinner was at the hotel restaurant where I was very pleased to be given assistance by the waiter regarding Gluten Free, vegetarian options. He made a special effort to know about my preferences that he had noted on our reservation. It was especially nice the following morning when we had breakfast and they brought me gluten free "biscuits" (cheese crackers.. Yum!). The owners have a friend that is the local baker and he made them just for me!
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