Katakolon/Olympia, Greece
It was shortly after 7:00am and if you pulled the curtain back, on the window in your cabin, you could see the sun rising. The beginning of another beautiful day! A few minutes later the expedition leader’s voice was announcing the possibility of a swim off the shore of Zakinthos Island, south of Corfu. Many in our group proved to be brave enough to try the early morning water. The rich breakfast buffet, with hot coffee, was the perfect “next step” after our swim. Sea Cloud continued its way to the west coast of Peloponnese to the small picturesque port of Katakolon, welcoming many ships. It is the closest port to Olympia.
Our plan to visit Olympia was done in a wise way, because we visited while the cruise ships were leaving. In order to do this we had to forgo lunch on the ship, but Sea Cloud can always come up with a solution – nice big sandwiches with the filling of our choice were already in our bags. With fruits and cookies of course! We drove to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic games, the highlight of the past and today! We wondered through the sacred area were the games would take place; they were not just an athletic event but above all a religious event that all Greeks participated in. They would sometimes travel for months from many parts of the Mediterranean where colonies existed in order to participate in them. A sacred truce was kept by all the city states for the duration of the games.
The most imposing temple was the one of Zeus in the center of the site and the one of Hera in front of which the Olympic flame is lit today. From here, they run with it through the Peloponnese and it is taken to Athens before it leaves the country for the next winter or summer Olympics, except 2004 when it stayed for the Greek Olympics. We saw where one of the wonders of the ancient world was made…this was the statue of Zeus that almost touched the roof of his temple. We even ran through the ancient stadium that had been used for the games starting in 776 BC. This significant event continued until the early Christian years when Theodosios banned them.
After our visit to the archeological site, we visited the museum with all of the statues found at the site. A very large part of the pediment of the temple of Zeus was found almost intact; the faces of the figures almost seemed alive in front of us. The most imposing of all, was the statue of Hermes made in the 4th century BC by Praxiteles. His perfect body, almost ready to start walking, the idealistic expression on his face, his eyes still staring at us!
After Olympia we drove for a short while to visit the Mercouri winery that was 150 years old. We wondered through its large grounds and visited its old cellars hearing about the wine and the varieties cultivated….but most importantly, at the end we tested it along with local snacks.
After a full, interesting and nice day, we returned to the ship to have a great Greek buffet meal waiting for us on board. Olympia gave us a different feel about what the games originally were.
