Mystras, the last of the byzantine empire strongholds to fall to the Ottoman empire. It's amazing to see that it could fall because of its location on the top of the hill over looking the entire valley. I think I remember hearing someone say that those Turks must have been determined because it is a hell of a hike up to the top of the Castle. The views were breathtaking; the best I have seen so far in my opinion. We visited the town of Sparti after our trek up to the top of Mystras, and there we learned that Sparti and Sparta are the same town. Yes Sparta from the movie 300; the one where Leonidas and his 299 other Spartan warriors held off the Persians long enough for the rest of Greece to assemble the army to combat Xerxes' army. I can't imagine how many times the citizens of Sparti have heard from tourists "THIS IS SPARTA!!", and to my amazement a couple of the locals driving by actually were playing along as well. We had gathered for a picture in front of the Spartan King's statue and they yelled it as they were driving by. So we did our little movie schpeel for another greeting for the Wang Center, and then gathered for the long bus ride home. I was still thinking on the bus of how significant the land that we were just on was. The Spartan stand, numerous wars of many of the empires, and the fall of Byzantium. When you put it all together it is one significant place in the middle of nowhere Greece.
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