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| Gythion City Scape |
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| Not bad for a leisurely lunch... |
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| Road Side Shrines |
Helen of Troy and Paris spent their first night here, to be
specific on Cranea Island just outside of town, and I don’t blame them for
choosing it. Definitely a romantic hide away for lovers on the run,
honeymooners of today could make a worse choice than this quaint town on the
famous Island of Sparta.
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| Spartan dinner for a fly |
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| History moves slowly here.... |
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| Paris and Helen of Troy slept here.... |
King Leonidas of Sparta fought the Battle of Thermopylae
with three hundred of his Spartan trained warriors against a couple of hundred
thousand enemies (read ancient history – details escape me). He almost won, but
was betrayed by a spy who revealed a goat path by which the enemy could breach
Leonidas impenetrable mountain pass to attack the Spartans from the rear. King
Leonidas and his warriors were massacred, but they are remembered and
celebrated to this day for their bravery.
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| Choose your squid....delicious, when grilled! |
Greco Roman history confronts one at every corner, at every
valley, at every sea shore. Temples to Athena, Gates of Castorides (the one of
Castor Oil??), Mansion of Giannis Ritsos (Greek Poet) and countless more sites
‘with a story’ make this island a historian’s delight.
For the traveller, who is jaded by relatively recent Greco
Roman History (only 2000 to 2500 years ago), there are archeological sites,
that date back 4500 years to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods…never a dull
moment. For the traveller, who desires ‘newer stuff’, there is Byzantine,
Medieval, Ottoman, Franconian history and evidence….the Peloponnese has
featured prominently throughout the millennia in human history and human
everyday life.
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| Earthquake Damage |
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| Enjoying Earthquake Ruins the Feline Way |
A gourmet will find Gythion on Sparta delightful! Simple
pleasures of fresh seafood (especially squid and octopus), local wine with a
backdrop of beautiful vistas make a visit here all but a ‘Spartan’ experience.
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The Love Island of Paris and Helen
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