Before going to the town of Sparta today, the only knowledge I had of the town was from what I had learned from American movies and from my AP World History class.
I knew that back in their prime, they were known for their military and discipline. My AP World History teacher would tell us how the men learned how to fight at a very young age and how basically the main role of the women was to take care of all the distractions around the community so the men won't be distracted from their military duties. The movie 300 gave the image of Sparta an even more testosterone pumped image. An entire movie of half naked men with extremely chiseled bodies parading around Greece and kicking the butts of evil-doers is probably the image most Americans have of the citizens of Sparta. Sorry to break some hearts ladies, but Gerard Butler and his crew are not walking around the streets of Sparta screaming "This is Sparta".
The present day Sparta is just like any other town in Greece. cafes lines the streets, children are running around the playground, and American tourists from PLU whipping our their cameras and doing the "Sparta Kick" while yelling "This is Sparta". The town of Sparta definitely has a small town feel compared to Athens.
Stay classy Athens and thanks for stopping by,
Khadijah
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