22 March, Sparta

The ruins of Mystras, constructed during the 13th and 14th  centuries AD, were our first stop this morning. Through most of its history, Mystras was a Byzantine city, but it was also populated by Greek and Jewish communities. The people who lived here over all those centuries must have been mountain goats. We scrambled up steep, rough, stony paths and hundreds of steps to the very top of the ruins, all the time dreading the inevitable descent, because we much prefer the up path over rough terrain, to the down. Near the top, we noticed signs to another exit, which would allow us to avoid the horrors of the downward path. What we hadn’t realised, was that it was, to quote the Beatles, “a long and winding road.” We figured it was at least 2.5 km, but still a better option to the alternative.

The ruins of Ancient Sparta are nowhere near as extensive as other city-states that have created the history of Greece. The culture itself has given the English language the word “spartan,” meaning living  very basically. Spartan boys were raised in harsh communal conditions from the age of seven, living in camps, training to be soldiers, until the age of 30. With such a strong military focus, it is not a mystery that the Spartan civilization has not left as much behind as others have.

Today we drove for more than an hour, following Google Maps and covering no more than 20 kms, up narrow, country roads and dirt tracks, seeking the Acropolis of Ancient Sparta. At 400m from what we thought was our goal, we met a car coming down the track the GPS had guided us to. Waving us down, the group of fellow Acropolis seekers told us our goal was not up the rutted goat track they had just negotiated, so we abandoned our quest. 

Later in the day, roaming around the modern town of Sparta, we noticed a sign, just around the corner from our accommodation, directing us to the Acropolis. It was 400m away! But, just as we arrived, the gates were locked. Maybe tomorrow.

24 March, Galaxidi

Got to roam about the Acropolis of Sparta this morning before hitting the road. There was no entry fee and next to no people about, so we had the site to ourselves. This is a mostly undeveloped archaeological site, which we enjoy, in some ways more than restored or renovated sites. General shapes of buildings can fairly easily be identified, with a bit of imagination and some knowledge of history. Here, as with many sites in Greece, layers of civilizations, Spartan, Roman, Christian, Jewish and Byzantine, have left their mark here. The theatre is currently in the early stages of restoration and/or reconstruction and some of the original seating has been exposed.

We first visited Ancient Olympia in 1976, then again, with our kids, in 1987. We have a posed picture of the three of them lined up on the blocks preparing for a “race.” We took a similar shot today, but were cautious about standing on the actual blocks as there was a guard loitering and preparing to blow his warning whistle. The massive Temple of Zeus has had only limited restoration and several of the massive outer columns lie in pieces where they originally fell. This site was fairly crowded and we were grateful that we had chosen to visit outside the peak tourist season, which doesn't commence for almost three months.

Today we planned a visit to Delphi, not realising that this weekend was a long weekend for Greece's Independence Day. Unbelievable traffic snags forced us to abandon our plan and head off for Galixidi.

Spending most of the day today on a variety of roads has sharpened our awareness of Greek drivers. Firstly, we have to say that Greek roads have improved significantly since our first visit. What is still a shock for us is the insanity of the majority of Greek drivers.

The picture on the left is of European standard speed limit signs. On the right are the Greek speed limit signs. We thought they were the same. Wrong. Those on the right, we now realise, are minimum limits, not maximums. The Greek speed signs state the minimum speed a driver is permitted to do in that area. Travelling at or just below these limits will enrage fellow drivers, who will sit millimeters off the non- compliant motorist's back left bumper until they can use the twin speed limit signs to identify the highest risk location to pass. These signs are predominantly for 50 km and 60 km limits, produced in enormous numbers and distributed randomly along roads, sometimes within metres  of the far rarer 70 km and 90 km signs. The execution of this manoeuvre is terrifying to witness!  

In a serious attempt to curtail Greece's horrific road toll, a new system has been instituted along a 60-80 km stretch of the E55. Dividing poles run up the centre of the highway, preventing passing except in defined passing lanes. The frustration is palpable. As a section of divided road looms, the pack tightens up, motors rev loudly and then, off they go, creating a two lane Le Mans. The vast forecourts that front toll booths are likewise informal raceways as drivers jockey for lanes. More thrills are generated as there seems to be a rule that maximum speed must be maintained right up to the barrier.

Early start tomorrow. Back to Athens to return the car and then take the Metro to Piraeus for the ferry to Mykonos.

25 March, Gallery Suites, Piraeus

Greek Independence Day today. Last night after dinner portside in Galaxidi, we walked for a while with a children’s “Light Parade.” Children and their parents walked from house to house with the kids holding flaming torches, stopping below balconies, where resident children addressed the crowd with short, patriotic speeches. We couldn’t understand it of course, but judging by the crowd reaction, it was stirring stuff.

Up at 5am today to drive back to Athens and return our hire car. We had covered some of the road yesterday and knew it was winding and would probably be slow going. As it turned out, we had the road and, later in the morning, the motorway, fairly much to ourselves, so our little Suzuki Swift flew along, getting us to the terminal an hour before return time. Not the most high tech car we have driven, but it was a hybrid and clocked a respectable 4.4 lt/100 km which, even though fuel was 2 euro, (AUD $3.4/lt) worked out well overall. 

There was another major parade in Piraeus today and various other ceremonies throughout the city. A fly-by with helicopters and a very out-of-tune band, thrilled the local crowd. We heard, as we left the Metro, after our trip from the airport, that trains and trams were not stopping at Syntagma Square, so we imagined there were more celebrations there as well.

We are in a very nice hotel just a couple of hundred metres from the ferry terminal, making our 7:30am departure for Mykonos tomorrow easy.