The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself." Dawn Fraser
Did you know that…
Palaestra at Olympics
Stadium Entrance
Ruins of the Philippeion
I got to visit Olympia as part of my Mediterranean cruise. We arrived at the port of Katakolon in Greece one sunny morning. I'd never heard of it before I saw my cruise itinerary. We were transported to Olympia by bus. Souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants surrounded the area. As expected, Olympia was crowded with tourists eager to see where the most important sporting event in the world began.
Our Greek tour guide was a walking encyclopaedia of fascinating Olympic facts and trivia. But to be honest, we had been seeing ruins the whole week and were ‘ruin-ed out’ by this time, so the fascination was not as great as it could have been.
Where The Olympics Flame is lit
Ruins of the Temple of Hera
We spent a few hours exploring the site of the ancient Olympics . A lot of archaeological excavations take place there on an ongoing basis. We saw the site where the ancient races were run, where the athletes lived, where the spectators sat and where the Olympic flame is lit before every Olympics begins. The ancient Greeks were serious about their mythology and almost everything we saw was dedicated to their mythological icons.
Archaeological museum
Relics in the Museum
It was rather hot and becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on the history lessons. Some people opted to do their tours in a covered horse and carriage, a wonderful idea except that we had to accompany our guide on the walking tour.
Horse and carriage
A parched throat and a need for caffeine and sugar led me to buy a Coca-Cola in a coffee cup – the most expensive soft drink I ever purchased. We were then taken to the archaeological museum which houses an extensive collection of Greek sculpture and the relics found at the site - it was air-conditioned thankfully - then to the modern town of Olympia for a walk.
The most expensive Coca-Cola
We saw tons of olive trees on the way back to the port and got back to Katakolon with an hour to spare before we had to get back onto the ship. It was a great opportunity to drop in at a café for some Greek coffee, with bread and fresh olives – which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Greek cafe in Katakolon
Fresh Greek bread and olives
Then a quick stop for some Greek fridge magnets for my international collection and we were back onto the ship, bound for Venice, our final destination.
The port of Katakolon
What do you think about the Olympics?
I always spent half an hour reading this web site's articles every day along with a mug of coffee.
Awesome blog! I like it a lot! Thanks and keep up the great work!
Your pictures are great. I love history and archaeology, and I would really love to visit this place ?
Thank you Pip. Visiting Olympia will certainly take you back in time.
This was a really interesting post to read; I had no idea that the Olympics themselves were actually named after Olympia- it makes so much sense though!
I didn't know until I went there either. The Ancient Greeks and Romans really were very enterprising.
This looks fantastic! Greece has been on my bucket list for long and I really hope to be able to get there. The facts you shared are so interesting - the first recorded olympian was a baker - who would have thought! This is definitely going down in my list of things to do in Greece.
Thanks Soraya. I ended up there because it was a port excursion on my Mediterranean cruise but now that I have been there, I'd certainly recommend it.
I was there in 2013 and was seriously impressed by the museum—and all the cats at the café! I think I took more pics of the cats than I did of the ruins!
The museum was way cooler than the heat outside. I sat there for as long as I could. But I'm trying to remember the cats 😉
What a great experience! I am seriously craving bread and olives now. We're going through a heat wave now and if you were anything near as hot as I was trying to walk through the park this afternoon, I admire your perseverance!
That bread and olives were seriously delicious, Katelyn. Re the heat - it was really bad and I'm not used to it because in South Africa we have quite a mild climate 🙂
Wow this is amazing! I"m so jealous, this is such a unique experience! It's incredible how far back history goes and what still remains of that history today!
Thanks Sophia. Yes it is quite amazing. I would have loved to be a spectator in those days. It must have been so different!
wow I wish to visit Greece one of these days. I love me some olives 🙂
There's nothing like those fresh olives 🙂
"Olympic winners received olive wreaths and branches as prizes" - can you imagine if that was still the case now?! I love Greece, it is one of my favourite countries, that fresh bread looks divine!!
Haha, I don't think anyone would be participating then and the games would have been dead. That bread really was divine!