The Ghost City Of Mystra
By W. Ruth Kozak
This journey began with a dream: my deceased mother
pointing to a spot on a map and saying "This is Mystra. You must go there."
Mystra, a ghost town near the Peloponnese city of Sparta,
dates from the Byzantine period. Usually I prefer exploring the Classical or
Bronze Age sites of Greece. But who can ignore a mother's guidance? I packed my
tent and began the five-hour trip to Mystra at the bus terminal in Athens.
The highway hugs the sea coast north of Athens and crosses
the Corinthian canal, a deep slash cut through the rocky Isthmus that joins the
Aegean Sea and the Gulf of Corinth. Passing ancient Corinth you have a view of
the distinctive mountain, Acrocorinth, where once the famous
courtesan-priestesses of Artemis plied their trade from the Goddess' temple.
Leaving the Gulf shores, the road winds inland through
harsh, stony terrain and mountains covered with holly-oak and scrub pine
forests.
My first stop is Sparta (Sparti) Located on the Lakonian
Plain and surrounded by high, snow-capped mountains. Irrigated by a river and
mountain streams, the Plain is lkush with orchards, citrus and olive groves, and
vineyards. Spartans were noted as the most dauntless warriors of the old world
though not much remains of the ancient site. I have time to visit the Museum and
walk the flag-stone pathways where oleander and wild flowers bloom among the
ruins.
A troupe of children follow me to the Sanctuary of Artemis
Orthia, near the river, begging me to take their photos. I thought of the
Spartan youths who, on reaching puberty, came to this shrine to honor the
Goddess in a rite of passage. At Artemis' altar they were flogged until their
blood splattered the stones. Some did not survive the beating, others who did
proved themselves worthy and went on to become warriors, like Leonidas the
Spartan hero of Thermopylae, whose statues stands outside the Stadium nearby.
Local buses run hourly from the central bus depot in Sparta
to the village of Neo Mystra, six kilometers away. The driver drops me off at
Castle View Camping, a ten-minute walk from town.
Neo Mystra is a picturesque little village of quaint stone
houses with red-tiled roofs, twisted lanes lined with fragrant rose gardens, and
magenta bougainvillea spilling over white-washed stone walls and balcony
trellises. Yellow flags bearing the doublt-headed eagle of Byzantium fly from
every wrought iron balcony, and each lamp post is stamped with this golden
symbol.
In the center of town, at the cross-road, I come upon an
ancient oak tree, its thick trunk entwined with roses. It has grown around the
spigot of a spring where cold drinking water still gushes. I fill my water flask
here before venturing up the hill to the hold city, just as pilgrims might have
done in medieval days.
Built on the slopes of Mount Taygetos, the Spartan's sacred
mount, the ruins are two kilometers up the mountain. One of the most important
cities of Byzantium, Mystra once had a populations of 45,000 and was occupied
until 1830. Villas, monasteries, restored palaces and churches are strewn up the
steep, uneven mountainside. The gabled houses had balconies and decorative
arches and are the best preserved examples of Byzantine city houses. On the peak
of the hill, Castle Myzithras rears up like an imposing warrior on guard.
It is a bright, sunny May morning. I saunter along narrow
streets and pathways and wander through arched lanes. Except for an occasional
tour group of Greek seniors, the medieval city lays petrified and still, the
silence disturbed only by the trilling of birds, humming of bees, and a faint
sound of music echoing up the hillside. Wild flowers bloom everywhere. I feel as
if I am on the edge of paradise.
Later, I sit in the courtyard of a monastery savoring the
feeling. Gradually, a composition I used to play on my mother's piano comes to
mind: In A Monastery Garden. I realize that this setting with its roses, potted
plants, flowering shrubs and burbling fountain is exactly as I used to imagine
as a child. Inside the chapel, I sit on one of the little wooden seats along the
wall and think of my mother whose presence I have felt all day, and I thank her
for guiding my way here.
IF YOU GO
Late May, early June is best for wild flowers.
Castle View Camping, Mystra, Laconia GR 231 00. Tel
0731-93-303. Safe, well-kept campground with rental bungalows, camper spots,
tent spaces and all amenities including a convenience store, bar and swimming
pool - bargain for $10. I usually had the pool to myself.
Taverna Bourlakas, near the old oak in the town square. Has
a terrace on the side and tables on the street. Gracious, friendly. Reasonably
priced.
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