There are 2 Spartas. Old Sparta is a ...how you say.... lesser ruin that is actually not even included in the actual tour although there is more there than I would have guessed. The fabulous Maria tells us that it’s become a bit of a gag as other tour participants in the past have jokingly raved about how it was the best part of the tour.
We got to pop in after lunch in new Sparta. Which was flooded (if I recall) and what is visible is actually the Roman rebuild of it. King Leonidas was the man of the hour photo included. This was a fairly equal society in that women actually were encouraged to be fit and active and educated (improved the gene pool for the men who were ALL expected to be trained to be part of the military and serve lifelong). The phrase was come home with your shield or on it. Our King is immortalized by King Otto (more on him in a minute) and while the shield is too small the sword too long the hair too short and he was supposedly aged 60 when pictured (vavavoom) it’s a sense of it.
The stones from Roman old Sparta were used to build Mistras, a strikingly beautiful Byzantine on the hill in the dark to Middle Ages and then the stones from Mistras were used to build New Sparta in the 1800's by our friend King Otto. A German. Who did the only sensible thing and laid out a proper grid system with straight streets and all things efficient and proper. The first straight streets I have seen in this country!
Oh and what else? A GEOCACHE in an old olive tree! Life it is truly good.
We got to pop in after lunch in new Sparta. Which was flooded (if I recall) and what is visible is actually the Roman rebuild of it. King Leonidas was the man of the hour photo included. This was a fairly equal society in that women actually were encouraged to be fit and active and educated (improved the gene pool for the men who were ALL expected to be trained to be part of the military and serve lifelong). The phrase was come home with your shield or on it. Our King is immortalized by King Otto (more on him in a minute) and while the shield is too small the sword too long the hair too short and he was supposedly aged 60 when pictured (vavavoom) it’s a sense of it.
The stones from Roman old Sparta were used to build Mistras, a strikingly beautiful Byzantine on the hill in the dark to Middle Ages and then the stones from Mistras were used to build New Sparta in the 1800's by our friend King Otto. A German. Who did the only sensible thing and laid out a proper grid system with straight streets and all things efficient and proper. The first straight streets I have seen in this country!
Oh and what else? A GEOCACHE in an old olive tree! Life it is truly good.
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