15 November 2017 –– Katakolon, Greece

Unfortunately we arrived at the port this morning to drizzle and overcast clouds.  We went through a lot of heavy rain, thunder and lightning at sea last night, but the seas were not that severe.

Rain or no rain, we met our tour guide, Nioba, at 9:00am and proceeded to drive 30 minutes to Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C..  The countryside was very picturesque with a myriad of olive trees for as far as you could see.  There were orange groves, pomegranates, and grapes.  Very quaint!

By the time we arrived in Olympia, the rain subsided to intermittent drizzle that did not deter our will to push forth.

Nioba was an excellent guide as we entered the ruins of Olympia, giving us a very detailed account of the history and each of the sights we saw and their significance.  We wouldn’t do justice to go into any great detail, but we were thoroughly awed by what we saw and heard.  Some of the deep excavations uncovered artifacts dating back to 2200 B.C.!!!

Entrance arch to Stadium

13 meter high column -- Temple of Zeus

Back of Temple of Zeus

Site where Olympic Flame Ceremony is Held

Temple of Hera

Site where artifacts dating to 2200 B.C. were found

After the guided tour we walked through the area at our own pace and ended up at the National Archaeological Museum where a lot of the artifacts and more history of Olympia and the Olympic Games is displayed.  We may not be experts in Greek Mythology and history, but it was well worth our time to see, learn, and explore!  

And now to Athens!!!  We have now hit our halfway point -- only 24 days to go!! :-):-)