Back to Heaven Thur Sep 8

We toured the Caves of Dirou today in a little boat. Very awesome and cool! It has been very hot here, usually 90F. Our destination is Mystra, ancient city ruins high in the Taiyetos Mountains near Sparta. To get there we drive along the beautiful coast to Kalamata, stopping to check out the villages of Stoupa and Karmydyli. The latter would be a great place to stay; we had a nice lunch on the sea.
Once we turned inland the road became very mountainous, this time with lush vegetation, and a challenging drive for Bruce as he maneuvered the hairpin turns as we climbed toward the sky. I worked hard too, clinching my toes into the floor boards and trying to keep my mouth shut. The road was busier and Bruce developed a theory about the greek people. They are always in a hurry on the roads but once they arrive, say at a restaurant, they are no longer in a hurry! This time our GPS take us right to our inn, The Mazaraki Guest House. Our room is a chalet, second story, very clean, with a fireplace due to the elevation and an amazing view from our balcony. We sat enjoying a glass of wine, overlooking Sparta and were serenaded by the nearby church bell every half hour.
We walked up a steep hill to a restarant with great food and fed our scraps to the resident cat.
He looked and acted like Ziggy, maybe in his second life. What a great choice, Greece!!