Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Mystra—The Last Byzantine Stronghold

IMG_2142 Dawn showed the makings of a good day as the Regatta docked in Monemvasia, sometimes called the Gibraltar of Greece.  While Susie and Wayne decided to stay in town, LBeau and I boarded a bus to visit the Byzantine ruins in Mystra.

After about an hour and a half drive, we made a “technical stop,” as our guide called a potty break, at a restaurant near Sparta.  The courtyard was filled with orange trees and quite a few of these were feasting on the ripened fruit.  I don’t think we grow them quite this large in Alabama.

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The ruins of Mystra lie on a hillside.  Our guide opted to have the bus driver take us near the top, so that we could work our way down the hillside.

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Along the way we visited three churches and a nunnery.

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We were tired when we finally returned to the ship, but after a brief rest and afternoon tea, we were ready for Team Trivia, where we finished second.

Yesterday’s question was “What did Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands adopt in 1977?”  The answer—Daylight Savings Time.

Today’s question is “What attraction gets the most visitors annually in Paris?”  I’ll have the answer tomorrow.

3 comments:

nanny said...

you are just having the most wonderful vacation.....I love seeing your pictures. You'll have to tell us of your favorite place!

Joyce said...

Looks like a fabulous trip!

re: the trivia question-I'd like to say The Eiffel Tower or The Louvre but I"m pretty sure the correct answer is Disney : ) We spent a weekend there one year and it was a fun taste of home with a twist of French thrown in for good measure.

Unknown said...

Notre Dame?