We tried to rent a car in Githia, but the sole rental agent said no-deal, as Americans we needed an international driver's license. So instead we took the 7:30 am bus next morning to Sparta and nearby Mistra, bright and early to beat the heat and the crowds. The heat did beat but there were few other tourists when we reached our goal by 9 am. In fact, we were the only two people on the bus at the last stop, the lower entrance to the ruins of Mistra.

Built by the Crusaders in the thirteenth century, the fortified city of Mistra was once an important political center and home to 20,000 people. We hiked up and around the medieval ghost town, the views of the countryside growing more expansive the higher we climbed.The valley is full of olive trees, surrounded with forested mountains. The highest mountain of the Peleponnes, the Taygetus, towers just west of Sparta at almost 8,000 feet.

We took our time cooling off in the blessedly air-conditioned archeological museum, then visited the active nunnery, with pots of red geraniums and a cat posed in front of each door. A toothless, wizened little nun covered head to toe in black (how could she stand the heat!) beckoned us into her chamber to admire her embroidery and artwork for sale. We bought a small oil painting of Mistra as a memento of the day.

The day grew even hotter as we walked through ancient arches, past the ruins of courtyards, fountains and columns. We took refuge from the sun inside the crumbling walls of Byzantine chapels, some with colorful frescoes still intact. Despite sipping from our water bottles continuously, the heat got the better of me and we didn't continue on the trail to the top of the hill. Instead we took photos of the ruins of the citadel from below. Had we come by car we would have been able to park at the upper entrance, close to the citadel. Oh well, we've been to plenty of castles lately, with more to come.

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