After a full day at sea we arrived, in the early morning, at our first port of call in Greece, the harbor at Katakalon. With a short bus drive we approached the ancient site of Olympia. The origins of the Olympic Games date back to Mycenean times, but the first official quadrennial Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. Coinciding with the first full moon of August, the games were held in honor of the almighty Greek God, Zeus. You can still feel the enormous size of the temple.

The games were not only for athletic competition but also a large festival. The games continued on through the Roman Period, though they lost their prestige and importance. Finally in AD 394 the games were held for the last time and in AD 426, Theodosius II decreed that the temples of Olympia be destroyed.

The modern tradition with Olympic Games started in 1896. On our visit at the site we also had the opportunity to visit the museum.

After a short lunch on board the Caledonian Star we spent the afternoon at a winery outside Katakalon. We were introduced to wine making and also had the chance to taste this very good Greek wine. Some of us also took advantage of being close to the sea and had a nice swim in the Mediterranean. By late afternoon we arrived back at our ship. Time to sail for Delphi.