[Note: Sorry for the long delay between posts - started a new job a few months ago, and things have been hectic! I'm going to try to be better this year!]
OLYMPIA - When we awoke the next day, the air was still damp from rain the day before. We were undeterred and headed straight to the site of Ancient Olympia, a quick walk from the modern-day tourist town. We were greeted by greenery and fresh spring blooms.
The site was believed to have begun as a small regional festival which included athletic contests, but in 776 BCE, King Iphitos of Elis declared the first official Quadrennial Olympic Games, which were held in honour of Zeus. For five days around the time of the first full moon in August, Greek-born males (and later Romans) competed in wrestling, chariot and horse racing, the pentathlon (wrestling, discus, javelin throwing, long jump and running), and the pancratium (a martial art). Slaves and women were not allowed to enter as participants or spectators. The games were held until 394 CE when they were banned by Emperor Theodosius I for being a pagan festival [Info from Lonely Planet Greece].
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| Swarms of Tourists |
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| Finding some details among the ruins |
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Given the setting, I couldn't help but go for a sprint. This was the site of the palaestra (wrestling school) where contestants practised and trained.
Photo Credit: Dawn LX |
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An archway leading to the stadium. Amazing that it was still pretty much intact.
Photo Credit: Dawn LX |
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| The first stadium - 120 metres. It was built to seat 45,000, and only the judges' seats remain. |
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| Kids running the 120m. |
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| Hera's altar - where the Olympic torch is lit (see photo below) |
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| Photo Credit: Dawn LX |
We then proceeded to the accompanying museums, where we found some remarkably preserved artifacts.
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| The Nike of Paeonios - statue of the Goddess Nike which was a votive offering to Zeus from the Messenians and Naupactians in thanksgiving for their victory in the war against the Spartans ( around 421 BCE). The statue was 2.11m in height. |
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| Tiny Statuette of Zeus, shown with a thunderbolt in his right hand (470-460 BCE) |
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| Tiny Statuette of Athena, wearing an aegis and a helmet. In her left hand she holds an owl, and a (missing) spear in her right hand. From the beginning of 5th Century BCE. |
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| Statue, probably of Poppaea Sabina, second wife of Nero. 1st half of 1st Century CE. |
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| How everything would have looked more than 2000 years ago. |
As the museum started to get crowded, we decided it was time to get on the road again, zooming through the picturesque interior of the Peloponnese.
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| Mysterious mountain towns clinging to the cliffside while fog/clouds flutter carelessly over them. You can't make this stuff up! |
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| See the road, cut into the cliff? Yes, that's what we were driving on. |
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| Sweet little village nestled among rolling hills, cut by a ribbon of road. Seriously, can this place get more charming? |
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| Roadside Memorials |
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The lonely road ahead
Photo Credit: Dawn LX |
We were headed to the lovely seaside city of Nafplio - described by the Lonely Planet as "one of Greece's prettiest and most romantic towns" - and it didn't disappoint.
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The first sign that we were approaching our destination - The Palamidi Fortress, which sits on a 216m high rock outcrop, dominates the skyline of Nafplio. Note the many, many steps which lead up to the fortress on the left.
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By the time we got to Nafplio, it was late in the afternoon, and we spent the remaining hours of daylight delighting in our hotel and the little shops tucked away in a multitude of alleyways.
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| Our little inn sat at the top of one of the hills with spectacular views of the city. |
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| Our cute room! |
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| The view |
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| Tee hee |
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| We found ice cream! |
