September 17, 2024

Olympia, Greece

A sunny day, in the low 80’s.

 

 

 

Sunrise over the Peloponnese 

 

We were up a bit earlier today as our tour boarded busses at 8:30. Still, we took our time eating breakfast (salmon again, Bob).  Then off to meet our bus and our guide.  We had a 30-minute ride from the port of Katakalon to the Archeological Park at Olympia.

 

 

Shirley and our Guide at the Olympic Archeological Park checking out the functions of the Quiet Vox system.  This is how the guides communicate the tour narrative without disturbing other tourists or other Viking tours. The Tour number (22) is the same as the bus number is the same as the channel selection on the quiet vox device. There is an ear piece that hooks over one ear.  Some of the group use their own headphones that plug into the Quiet Vox .  One man had a blue tooth device that plugged in the Quiet Vox  and then connected to his earbuds. There is always someone with the better way. 

 

Column of the Temple of Zeus.  This was the largest building since reduced to rubble by several earthquakes. The restorers erected this massive pillar as a representation of what was. After four days of games, the last day was reserved for the crowning the winners here in front of the Temple of Zeus.

 

Paul in front of the temple of Hera.  This is where the altar of fire ceremony is held.

 

 

Shirley at the (remains of the) Altar of fire. This is where they ceremoniously light the Olympic Flame by catching and concentrating the rays of the sun.  They do this a day before the actual (televised) ceremony and get fire but hold it in case there are clouds or rain on the actual day. Then they simply smurf the held fire onto the televised fire in case of difficulty on the actual day.

 

 

Shirley at the starting line. Each block had a wooden stake separating the runners.  Then a cord was stretched across and in front of the runners – one line at the knees and one line at the waist.  The cord was dropped all at once signaling the start of the race.

 

 

Paul ready to run.  From here to the end was one stadium.  The races consisted of out and back (2 stadia). The grooves in the marble were for the naked contestants to brace a toe for a better take-away.

 

 

The Pythagoras cup.  There was a line inside the cup and if the greedy drinker poured more wine than was prudent, physics would take over and the liquid would all drain out.

 

 

Shirley buying oak honey after tasting many varieties.

 

Shirley’s take: Started my day with Smoothie of the Day—pineapple cucumber—very refreshing, plus my yogurt and honey.  When I return home, I will have delicious oak honey from Greece to add to my plain Greek yogurt.

 

Our guide Angela was very knowledgeable.  She also works as an archaeologist and got her degree from the University of Athens.

 

Katakalon is a small fishing village.  In the 19^th century they exported raisins.  Now agriculture and tourism comprise the major economy.  This is a very fertile area and olives and/or olive oil are the main exports. I learned a lot about olive trees.  They do not produce fruit for the first 5 years and then only every other year, as they need a year of rest.  Olive trees can continue to produce for thousands of years.  Olive trees are never cut down, but they are pruned regularly.  Olivewood products are made from the branches so nothing is wasted.

 

We saw a lot of what I know as evil eyes from my previous visit to Turkey.  Here the blue eyes represent Athena and take the evil away.

 

We visited the ancient Olympic stadium area.  First, we saw the altar where the flame was lit before the games.  The Olympics were stopped by Theodosius in the 5^th century, but the practice was begun again with the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The Olympic flame must be lit by the sun and sometimes the weather is not cooperative, so when they have the dress rehearsal a flame is saved just in case it cannot be properly lit on the actual day.

 

Outside the stadium are 16 bases that once held bronze statues of Zeus.  This is known as the Walk of Shame.  Cheating of any kind was not tolerated.  If an athlete was found to have thrown a game or cheated in any way, he had to pay for a bronze statue of Zeus, was banned from the games for life, and his name was inscribed on the base that held the statue.  I can say “he” because women were not allowed to participate or even enter as a spectator.  The only woman allowed in the stadium was the priestess of Demeter.

 

A popular sport was pagration or pangration, a combo of boxing and wrestling.  Two rules applied in the sport—no poking in the eyes and no biting.  The athletes fought until one either said “I quit” or died.  For the long jump, runners carried a weight which they dropped as they were about to take the leap as that was thought to make them jump further.  Twelve local men were judges and would select the winner—no 2^nd or 3^rd place.

 

After our wonderful visit, we returned to the ship for lunch.  Today’s soup is Fish Seafood Minnestrone.  It contained shrimp, mussels, and fish and was quite good but did not outrank my favorites so far.

 

After a nap  and a 4-wheel promenade (in very windy conditions) we repaired to the Explorer Lounge where we met our new friends Tammy and Marsha for a libation and bon voyage (they are leaving tomorrow). Then dinner at Manfredi’s, an upscale Italian themed restaurant for minestrone, seared tuna, and tiramisu (while Paul had the caprese salad, a marinated rib eye and a caramel dessert).

 

Viking had this cruise in 3 offerings – Venice to Athens, Venice to Istanbul and Athens to Istanbul.  So half the ship is leaving tomorrow and will be replaced with another 470 passengers. We thought that the whole package is best because of the difficulty in traveling to Europe – expense and jet lag and acclimation time for instance. But, for some, expense unknowns and time available to take off makes their choice a shorter cruise.  For us, 21 days is the limit to be gone.

 

Why?  It makes it hard to get used to making our own beds, doing our own laundry, having to pay for nice lunches and dinners, and being entertained 24/7 once we return.  You hear about retirees who opt for full time cruising instead of a retirement home costing about the same.  It is a lifestyle that gets a bit old for us.  I am reminded of the Shel Silverstein song – “After you’ve been eating steak for a long time, beans taste fine”.  That being said – it’s great for a while !

 

Steaming in the Ionian Sea on our way to Piraeus we see a few cruise ships going our way as well as the ferries that ply these waters.  I think maybe Piraeus will be crowded as this is a really good time of year to visit Greece – mild temperatures being one of the assets.  Our guide was telling us of the oppressive heat this summer many days in excess of 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and no rain in July or August.

 

I have been remiss in not recording the temps while we were in Venice and down the Dalmatian Coast – Mostly in the 60’s and 70’s and overcast.  Like long pants and two layers. Which brings up packing for these long trips.  Only so much can be learned from temps and weather condition forecasts.  It is good to bring a variety and to plan on a layered strategy. I think we did well this trip (so far – knock on wood).

 

Tomorrow we have another early day.  We will visit the Acropolis in Athens.  Good night!

Sunset from Our Veranda 

Time lapse of the moon over the Ionian Sea. (Something Odysseus may have seen on his way back to Ithaca)

Oh and 9724 steps Anna!