Day 5: Ancient Olympia
A twisty, scenic road brought us to the expansive home site of the Olympic Games. Nikki was our guide, and her vibrant commentary painted a rich picture of the games. Why they began, what they were like, how athletes trained, where they stayed and why they ended.
The games played every four years, for a staggering 1,200 years. Winners were awarded with a commemorative statue, free food for life from their proud village, and a laurel wreath crown. When the Roman’s took over, popularity dwindled. The games stopped, and statues were stolen and used as decorations in Roman Villas. That was hard to hear.
Women were not allowed at the games (also hard to hear), save for one priestess. Athletes competed naked. They coated themselves in olive oil and dirt to prevent sunburns. Cheaters who used steroids or drank bull’s blood were fined, banned for life, a statue of shame erected that included their name, village and method of cheating. The test for drugs? Doctors would taste athlete’s urine. Tough job! The stadiums marble starting blocks are still in place. Some group members did a relay.
Floods and earthquakes brought devastation, burying the site for 1,500 years. Excavations began in the 19th century. Hardly a blip in the 2,700 years since the games began.
After the guided tour we had free time to roam the ruins on our own. We saw where athletes trained, a hotel, the Temple of Zeus, where a massive gold Zeus statue reflected in olive oil was located. Excavations are ongoing.
We toured the adjoining museum. It was small, informative, with impressive artifacts. We weren’t expecting to be as blown away as we were by Olympia. There was something about the site, the story, and the tour, that resonated deeply with us all. While we enjoyed every ancient site, this one would probably land in first place if we were forced to rank!
Lunch, Olive Oil Tour and Tasting
We had a quick visit in the town of Olympia. Bundles of flowers, cute shops, lots of comfortable outdoor seating at restaurants. We ate lunch at Vasilakis, great pita and souvlaki. An afternoon cold beer (or two) for Mom and Dad after touring all morning hit the spot!
Back to the bus for a buddy check and on to the next stop, Oilympian Koufolias-Olive Oil Mill for a tour and tasting.
We learned, through the help of Dafni translating, the process of how oil is extracted from olives. Outside was the old manual press and extractor, while inside housed the modern machines that make olive oil in a fraction of the time.
There was a spread of different flavors of olive oil - orange, rosemary, pepper and oregano, bread for dipping, and fresh olives. It was a nice stop and most of us left a couple bottles of olive oil heavier!
Kardamyli Arrival, Happy Hour and Dinner
Cristos proved why he's a super driver in Kardamyli. He did a complicated back up maneuver in a tight street to get onto the road to the hotel, drove backwards up the hill 1/4 of a mile and parked perfectly! And there was something about us not using his name in town? An effort to keep the hopeful women at bay?! Our group helped him create an alias!
Our room was a suite. Bedroom, living room, dining table and kitchenette. A great place to spread out! Dafni provided an incredible array of treats and wine for happy hour on the lovely hotel terrace. She'd given everyone a paper map of Greece several days before, to map our trip. There's four of us, four maps. Three couldn't find their maps, Leo left his on the bus. So yes, things don't always go smoothly traveling as a family. It happens!
We walked down the main road for pizza. We accidentally sat at the souvlaki restaurant next door. Yikes, another oops! The waitress was gracious and said it was ok and it happens often, while we apologized profusely. We felt bad about the mix-up. The pizza we eventually got was delicious.
The day was full and long. We slept well and looked forward to day 6, "a vacation from your vacation". We had done a vast amount of touring, a break was welcome!