Guesthouse Mazaraki Mystras

... I had been worried about changing everything mid-trip like this. <br><br> The front cogs are much bigger than my last, so that means that it&#8217;s harder to pedal. Worst day possible for this change as this was the day we tackled the start of the big mountains. I felt like I was back in Ireland at the start of the trip - before my muscles had developed. I haven&#8217;t pushed my bike since the first day in ...

I&#8217;ve reconsidered. I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;d want to be here cycling in the heat of the summer. The sun and 17 degrees is hard enough for me today. Heading out of Finikounta, we traversed the first of the mountain ranges and it was quite tough. If it was any hotter, I think I&#8217;d die. Perhaps there is a reason why we&#8217;re here in November. <br><br> Getting to the top, there were amazing views of the ...

When we returned to our rooms after our successful expedition to High St George, we were ready for a siesta. Naps and showers ensued as we whiled away the time until about 5pm. We then set off again for Megalopoli with the aim of acquiring tiropittes and general supplies on our way to tracking down the other local castle of St George, near the ancient site of Lykosoura. The 'Big City' was sleepy and only just emerging from siesta - it slowly ...

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and drove up to Palamidi Castle up above Nafplion. You can also get to it by climbing 999 steps. This Venetian fortress is made up of several separate self contained bastions. We spent a good couple of hours here and didn't see all of it.<br><br>We then drove about 45 minutes to the archaeological site of Mycenae. We explored the site and ...

... night and burned many buildings in Limeni and Areopoli. In fact, three tourist perished in the hotel just below where we were staying because they were unable to escape the fire. The area is recovering, but it is sad to see so much damage to the natural areas.<br><br>It was too cool to swim in the sea so we spent many hours driving around and exploring the Mani peninsula. We drove all the way to the southern most point of mainland Greece. The Mani ...

... and it is easy to see that they were part of a formidable series of defences that started with the huge land and sea walls around Lower Town. The top of the rock is relatively flat (compared to the steep drop to the sea below) and larger than it seems from the bottom. Chris who was very sceptical about the guidebook's statement that over 50,000 people once lived here, can now see that this might have been correct. It's a large number of people and the key to their survival here ...

... means you can run the fridge with the engine off, constant cold drinks. She also sails really well, after last year's boat which was much more spacious but less of a performer, we found ourselves getting everywhere first! We were even called into service as deputy lead boat when one of the others had a fouled propeller, so the lead crew jumped onto Mistral rather than spending much longer untying 'Thalia' and we were off to do a tricky but ...

... and 40,000 people living here. It is on a very rocky hillside. One thing we have learned in Greece everywhere we go is up and then down. Lots of climbing. Mystras started in 1249 and was destroyed in 1825 by the Egyptians. The few remaining inhabitants abandoned the city. Today the only inhabitants are about 9 nuns who live in the Monastary in Mystras.

... became quite large and it was divided into west with Rome as center and east with Constantinople as center. The area of Mystras was given to the French crusaders in 1204. Control of the area was under several rules including the Ottomans, Turks. The churches of Mystras are regarded as the finest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. We visited two of these sites.

... didn't want to be photographed. On the walk outside the convent, there were cats lying here and there on the paving stones like old socks, trying to escape the heat. We, on the other hand, kept climbing! We saw a similar display further up, only this time grasshoppers were all over the place. Cute ones, too! Fat and juicy, with longer legs and prettier colours than our grasshoppers back home. Now we're back in Sparta, and I think I've written quite enough for one day. Kali nihta!