This Is Sparta!

Anonymous Today we visited Mistra, a fortress that sits on top of a mountain in the Peloponnese. The hike up to the highest point, the castle, was ruthless, but totally worth it. The view from there was absolutely breathtaking. We also were fortunate enough to explore some small churches and monasteries with brilliantly colored, well-preserved frescoes.
Though Mistra in and of itself was an amazing experience, I think the most memorable part of this day trip was our short stop in Sparta. Of course, when I think of Sparta I think of ancient Greek warriors who raised their children to be killing machines. I definitely don't think of a cute little town with souvenir stands and delicious gelato, but that was exactly what we found there. But Sparta would be nothing without a giant statue of King Leonidas, so we just had to take a picture and a video in front of it. Even after shouting "THIS IS SPARTA!!!" numerous times, it was still funny every single time. The best part was definitely when some random guy driving along shouted out his window to his: "SPARTA!!"
This encounter got me thinking about the impact of history on our daily lives and on our national identities. I'm sure living in Sparta, you've got to get tired of the tourists quoting 300 all the time, and yet this passerby seemed to embrace it. It made me wonder how important the history behind the city is to its citizens? Are they proud to be Spartans? Are any of the current inhabitants of the city distantly related to ancient Greeks? Do they even care? I am so intrigued by this thought, since in America we don't have any history that can even compare to that of Athens or Sparta. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in a city with such a rich history, or how my own identity would be impacted by the lives of all those who came before me.