In the morning we had a delightful sail between the island of Zakynthos and The Peloponnese, heading towards the port of Katakolon where we arrived late noon. We drove to Olympia for our visit to the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The great festivals were held every four years in honor of Zeus, the father of the Gods and the humans. In the vast site fully shaded by wild olive, poplar and pine trees lay the remains of spectacular monuments that were the offerings of wealthy individuals and of powerful states of antiquity. We explored the complex buildings that were used for the training of the athletes, and for the races, while in the most predominant place of the site is the evidence of the colossal temple of Zeus in which his magnificent gold ivory statue stood, today one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
We walked to the ancient stadium where the athletes competed in running, jumping, and discuss throwing while the 40,000 spectators could enjoy their efforts, their achievements, and their victories. After our visit to the site we visited the archaeological museum of Olympia, where the majority of the original movable finds are beautifully displayed. Pottery, artifacts of metallurgy, numerous statues of stone and marble and the emblematic statue of Hermes holding tenderly new-born Dionysus—a true masterpiece of Ancient Greek art that looks so vividly divine even after 2,400 years.
After our visit to Olympia, we drove back to Katakolon and started our cruise along the west coast of the Peloponnese. On the lido deck we sampled olive oil from the various countries that we had visited along the way, with lots of healthy discussion about our favorites.
