Into Sparta and Onto Monemvassia

We arrived in Sparta late in the afternoon and found a place that had a room for three. Our room was small, but the hotel was nice and centrally located. We walked around town in the drizzle, bought some cheese, soda, yogurt, nuts and fruit at a local market then went back to the room and stayed in for the rest of the evening.

The next morning we wove our way through the streets of Sparta, then drove the back roads of very beautiful countryside in Freakin’ Greece to the large rock of Monemvassia, a medieval fortress with adjacent town located on a small peninsula off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The ruins include defensive structures and many Byzantine churches. The streets are narrow and fit only for pedestrians and/or donkeys. We ate our picnic lunch bundled up in an alcove overlooking the sea then hiked to the stone trials to the top.

That afternoon we visited a charming Olive Museum in downtown Sparta, had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, hit the Internet cafe, then conked out for the evening.