After having seen Athens and Corinth, I couldn't resist visiting one of the other great city-states of ancient Greece: Sparta. Sparta needs no introduction. It's a star player on the History and Discovery channels and that schlocky pseudo-historical film 300. While I wanted to see the ancient ruins where brave warriors once strode, my main reason for going was to explore nearby Mistra, a Byzantine ghost town with a castle that rivals Acrocorinth.
Sparta is a three-and-a-half hour bus ride from Athens. The route passes along the Aegean shore, through the Isthmus of Corinth, and into the Peloponnese, the peninsula that makes up southwestern Greece. Passing Corinth, the road ascends into rough hills that were being buffeted by a snowstorm.
Luckily the roads were in good condition and I made it on time. The clouds were breaking over the Vale of Sparta although it remained bitterly cold. My first stop was at the Fifth Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities to learn more about how the economic crisis was affecting archaeologists' ability to explore and preserve Greece's past. The Ephorates are divided by region, in this case Lakonia, roughly the central and southern Peloponnese, and also by period. There's a Fifth Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities too.
Archaeologists Lygeri Nikolakaki and Ageliki Mexia greeted me in their cramped office overflowing with books, reports, and maps. They spread out several maps in front of me to demonstrate just how rich their area was in medieval remains. Castles, churches, monasteries, and medieval towns dotted the landscape. This area was called the Morea in late Byzantine times and was one of the few centers of wealth, art, and learning during the waning days of the empire in the 14th and 15th centuries.
One region caught my eye--the Mani peninsula. The Ephorate has recorded some 2,000 Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments on the peninsula, and the map showed hiking trails crisscrossing the area. The Maniots were always semi-independent, fierce fighters and pirates who never fully submitted to the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, or Byzantines. Their culture remains distinct even today. As I was researching this trip I was already planning another one.
Author: Sean McLachlan
Source: Gadling.com
Just 160 MPs backed the government's candidate for president, Stavros Dimas, in the first of three votes on Tuesday. Dimas had been expected to draw at least 161 of the 200 votes he needed but indpendent lawmaker Panayiotis Melas voted «present.» He was one of 135 lawmakers who voted «present» - there is not a «no» vote in the presidential ballot.
Five MPs, including two former Golden Dawn deputies, were absent. Four of the absentees were independents, one from SYRIZA.
The next ballot will be held at noon on Tuesday. The threshold will be 200 votes again. It will fall to 180 for the final ballot on December 29.
To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com
For 7 years running, you have been invited to select the best European destination. From Amsterdam to Zadar, select which tourist destinations you'd like to be featured the most in 2016!
After Bordeaux in 2015, we encourage you to select your favourite European destination for 2016. The process is simple. There is no need to register ~ with just one click, your vote is in!
The European Best Destination 2016 is an event organised by the European organisation "European Best Destinations".
Birthplace of philosophy, democracy and drama, the city of Athens is not only an open-air museum of world-class cultural heritage attractions but also a contemporary metropolis with an urban personality. Named after the most benevolent Greek Goddess, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and inspiration, Athens has always been at the cultural fore.
With equal measures of grunge and grace, Athens merges the past with the present in the most slender way! A city of paradoxes and great contrasts, in the country that first invented the courtesy and generosity towards people who are far from their home, hospitality (xenia).
An intellectual beacon of the ancient world with spectacular Mediterranean landscapes bathed in the renowned light, Athens is a sophisticated cosmopolitan hub with delicious gastronomic delights, electrifying nightlife, creative vibes and a booming art scene.
From the iconic Acropolis, rising above the city, to charming up and coming neighborhoods and contemporary art galleries, the city of the Classic Marathon and the Olympic Games is a majestically quirky clash of past and present.
One of the world's oldest cities with a recorded history of 3,500 years, the Greek capital is constantly undergoing urban renewals to keep up with the evolution of time. Athens lives up to all the hype!
