Day 3 finds us arriving after an overnight sail to the port city of Katakalon. After docking we boarded our tour bus with Bob and Betsy and Dick and drive through the beautiful Greek countryside to the site of the original Olympic games. The site is a very interesting archaeological site that still hosts the lighting of the Olympic flame prior to each Olympic Games. We selected a "3-D" tour and were glad we did. There is extensive knowledge about what ancient Oympia actually looked like based on ancient writings, mosaics, and reconstruction. We were given tablets with a map of the site and corresponding numbers the tour guide would give us. We could then select the number, point the tablet at that site, and see an artist's depiction of what the buiding looked like, both inside and out. It really made the ruins and piles of stone come alive, and we all marvelled at what this ancient civilization was like. We could turn in a complete circle and it would show us everything all the way around us. Quite a piece of programming!
One of the temples as seen on the tablet
A depiction of the inside of the temple
The entrance to the site. Good thing the signs are also in English, otherwise it's all Greek to me!
Betsy was SO excited - she found an olive wood walking stick. And she wasn't arrested for removing an artifact from an archaeological site!
Another artist rendering
Bob and Betsy, and Dick photo-bombed them!
The site is very large - 5,000 acres. It was the training ground for the original Olympics, which were open only to Greek-born men. The first Olympiad took place in 776 BC. They ended in 394 AD under Roman rule. The modern Olympics were started in 1896.
A bath house
Temple to Zeus and site of the gold statue in his honor. It was pillaged and no longer exists
Note the holes in the rock. These originally were used, along with metal rods, to connect the blocks. When the temples were burned the metal melted and the buildings eventually fell down.
Column from the temple to Zeus
The archway entrance to the actual stadium grounds
The starting line for the running competitions. The runners would all place their toes in the grooves, to ensure everyone had a fair start. Early starting blocks!
3,000 year old starting line!
The site of the Olympic flame. Not very impressive, is it?
Temple to Athena
Inside Athena's temple
Side wall of her temple
Another happy little olive tree
Headed for a little shopping - Olympia is where the tablet decided to extend its stay! Hope it enjoyed itself!!
The wharf in Katakalon
Lunch on the wharf. Riviera is in the background
Coke in little glass bottles
Authentic Greek Gryo. Note there is no pita bread!
Mike on our veranda, relaxing and waiting for dinner
Our beautiful Riviera!
Next stop, Messina, Italy.
Thanks for the pictures! Please post any pics of the beautiful blue water and cute little islands.
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