I woke up and it was a beautiful clear day, since yesterday’s rain had washed away the summer dust. Our day started with an interesting talk on “Ancient Games” by our two Greek guides Stella and Eleni. Meanwhile we anchored off the small port of Katakolon, which was taken over by some huge cruise ships. Following our expedition leader’s wise advice we prepared a box lunch and went to visit Olympia when it would not be too crowded—when everybody else was having lunch aboard their mega-ships.
Disembarking by Sea Cloud’s tenders, we boarded the buses and drove through a fertile plain to get to Olympia. Arriving at this beautiful site we started our guided tour. What a tranquil landscape! In this beautifully planted grove, the ruins came alive. We started with the sacred area where all the religious areas are: the Temple of Zeus, the Stadium where the athletes were competing, the stoa where the priests announced the name of the winner, the olive tree from which they cut the branches to make the wreaths with which the athletes were crowned. We then went to see the gymnasium and the wrestling house where the young men trained before the games started. We thoroughly enjoyed this walk through the ruins, which helps you hear the cheers of the spectators, envision the people walking around enjoying the narrations of the writers, historians, the reciting of the poets, the cries of the vendors selling food, the entertainers…and when the night came, thinking of them sleeping on the ground wrapped in their blankets. Olympia is a unique place, which inspired participants to join in and feel the ideals of the Olympic Games which were unity and peace.
The archaeological museum of Olympia is one of the best in Greece, with unique displays of ancient armor, the unique monumental sculptures of the pediments of the Temple of Zeus, the victory statue the memento from the battle of Marathon, the statue of Hermes, the molds used to make the statue of Zeus, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Returning to the ship, we cooled off by jumping in the blue water of the Mediterranean. Our beautiful day closed with a delicious Greek buffet dinner.
