This morning we woke up at the port near the ancient site of Olympia. After disembarking the ship, we boarded buses for a short ride to the place where the first Olympic Games were held, around 776 B.C. As we arrived so early, we had the entire place to ourselves!
First we meandered through the ruins were the temples to Zeus and Hera, as well as the gymnasium, pool and stadium once stood. We scanned our reconstructive maps as we looked at the rocks, trying to imagine what the magnificent temples and statutes looked in antiquity. We eventually made it back to the oval-shaped running stadium. What an experience to stand on the same starting line that the ancient athletes used many thousands of years ago. You couldn’t help but feel like a winner! Later we went to the museum which housed objects found at the excavated site, such as a small bronze animal statue, helmets, shields and armor. We also had the chance to admire sculptures of Olympic victors that were made during the classical era. It was amazing to see how the ancient Greeks came together in a unique mix of competition and peace.
We made it to the boat just in time for lunch, and ate as we sailed away from the dock in Katakolon. As always, it was spectacular but we didn’t linger for too long as it was our final day to shop! We also had a talk about editorial photography.
After a long morning it was nice to have time to catch a quick nap before cocktail hour and dinner, which was a scrumptious Greek buffet on the Lido deck. Just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, out came the Sea Cloud Shanty Gang who serenaded us with their (not so) melodious voices in three different languages. What fun it was to have a chance to get to talk to the crew that keep the Sea Cloud running smoothly! It was another action-packed day on the Sea Cloud, and boy were we glad to have time at sea the next day to rest from our week full of adventures.
