Olympia, Greece – July 25, 2024

Last updated on August 26th, 2024 at 06:33 pm

[This is a rough draft to get started. We’ve done a lot of traveling so far, and are behind in sleep, so we’ll keep this updated as we have a chance. When this isn’t here anymore, you’ll know that we’re finished with the page!]

Pictures from Olympia

Video from Olympia

Katakolon is huddled around a pretty little harbor dotted with colorful fishing boats. Nearby, the fertile valleys of the western Peloponnese are a bounty of olive groves, vineyards and orchards, and lead to the legendary city of Olympia. The well-kept ruins here transport visitors back to the days of the earliest athletes who competed for nothing less than the favor of the gods. The remains evoke the glory of the Games, and the Olympia Archaeological Museum features statues that once overlooked the site.

We left Santorini later than scheduled which meant we are scheduled to arrive in Katakolon around 10 am, so our tour of Ancient Olympia was delayed until 10:20 am. Katakolon is a small seaside village, the site of a Byzantine fortress with a population of about 600. It is a tourist town as cruise ships dock here due to it’s proximity to Ancient Olympia. There are two other cruise ships in addition to ours visiting Ancient Olympia today. We met our guide on the dock next to the bus and began our 45 minute drive to Olympia. Our guide informed us of a strike of the guardians of the ancient Olympian site until 12 noon, which meant we would have our free time first and enter the ancient site after noon. We looked in a few stores and found a pair of blue opal earrings Joyce liked as well as a small cloth bag of lavender that will make an interesting Christmas tree ornament.

After our free time we stopped at the bus to drop off purchases and then walked to the entrance. There was quite a line for tickets as all groups needed to enter after noon. We moved from shady spot to shady spot as much as possible.

Olympia dates back to the 10th century BC. It was not a city, but a sacred site celebrating Zeus. Olympic Games were like a festival. It was recognized by ancient Greeks as a site of significance religious importance. Around the time of the beginning of the Olympics, Greeks expanded settlements around the Mediterranean. Also Homer and the Ilia and Odyssey date to this time. Olympics, held in 776 BC, was celebrated every 4 years for 1100 years in the same time of year as now. Originally the games were limited, began with running, added wrestling, boxing, discus, javelin throwing and were only open to Greek men. Athletes competed in the nude, women couldn’t participate or watch. A truce was declared among the warring city states so athletes could safely travel to the games. The reward for winning was an olive leaf wreath, woven from branches of an olive tree on site rumored to have been planted by Hercules. There was no monetary reward,  but winners often were given free meals in their home city. The stadium was build in the 4th century BC: 600 feet long, marked by 200 Hercules’s strides. All runners positioned at the end running toward the temple of Zeus. About 100 BC games ramped up and were open to all Roman citizens. The Golden age of Olympia was between 4th & 5th century AD. The Olympic calendar became the common calendar for Ancient Greek city states. The site was abandoned by the mid 6th century AD. Ancient Olympia was silted over by the nearby Cladeus River, and was discovered and excavated on 19th century.

Olympia is one of best places to see Greek temples. Fewer than 200 temples were built in all of Greece. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was built in 5th century BC, and destroyed by an earthquake in 6th century AD, one of 7 wonders of the ancient world. The oldest temple at Olympia is to Hera, wife of Zeus. The Temple of Hera is where modern games torch is lit every 4 years before the flame makes it way to the next site of the Olympics by plane, boat, etc. and various runners. Temples likely began as wooden structures. Doric architecture transferred wooden buildings into stone. We saw three column of differing heights with different capitals. Our guide told us these were likely created at different time to replace deteriorating wooden columns.

We returned to the ship around 2:30 pm which was when the World Café usually stopped serving lunch. As we entered the ship we were assured serving hours had been extended until 3 pm, so we went to lunch. We must have looked tired and hot as our server made sure our water glasses were quickly refilled almost as soon as we emptied them!

After lunch, Alan took a nap and Joyce went to the Explorer’s lounge to read and blog. She also decided to take advantage of the Silver Spirit Beverage package to order a lemonade with lavender and coconut water to sip as she read. To be honest, it wasn’t that good. The ship left Katakolon a few minutes before 5 pm and the upper space of the Explorer’s Lounge was an excellent place to watch the ship move slowly out of port.

We went to dinner in The Restaurant. We arrived with several other people, so there were no table for 2. We ate at a sharing table with two couples, Jay & Dianne from Wilmington, NC, and Dave and ? from the Detroit, Michigan area. The conversation was pleasant.

After dinner we headed to the Star Theatre for the evening’s entertainment. We were treated to The Abba Song Book by the Viking Sea singers. It was very enjoyable and we sang along with several of the familiar songs.