Athens and the Heart of Greece in 14 Days:
Sisters of Mystras
The Site
This was an amazing site to see the daily life of Greeks in ancient Sparta! The amount of churches and houses that were tucked into this small area was astronomical! The views from this area were amazing, and our local guide explained why cities were built in certain locations. For example, this city was built to have eyes on the valley for battle purposes. The churches in particular were very cool. The amount of surviving artwork on the walls is crazy!
The Awe
The sisters who lived on the site were very welcoming. Our guide has known them for years and brought them some goodies from all over Greece, and you could tell that they appreciate the Rick Steves tour coming! I have been to many museums where a portion is closed off for some reason that is not made public, but it is nice that our guides are so close with these venues that they know what is being renovated or closed and why.
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Lasting Memory
The vastness of the landscape is what sticks with me most from this location. Our local guide was able to explain where so many things were from where we were standing. After we would drive hours between location, it would be shocking to think about how far people used to walk or ride on horses between all of these important and ancient cities!