Katakolon and the Greek Ruins at Olympia

The excursion began with a visit to Ancient Olympia, located at the foot of the verdant Mount Kronos. It is here, that according to legend, the gods of Olympus inaugurated the first Olympic games, transforming the city into Greece’s primary sporting and religious centre. During our journey through the excavations we admired the ruins of the splendid sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Hera (600 B.C.), one of the most ancient examples of temple architecture in Greece, as well as the famous stadium that held up to 40,000 spectators. Following the excursion we returned to Katakolon where we finished up with a taste of some of the delicious local cuisine accompanied by the merry sounds of the sirtaki, a traditional folk dance. 

Bill & Lucy in Katakolon, Greece

Katakolon is a small port founded in the first half of hte 19th century and linked to the legendary and nearby Olympia. According to the annals, which describe in detail and with some legend, the birth and history of Olympia, the city is a pastoral site chosen by the king of the gods Zeus to promote his culture among Greeks. Olympia, together with Delphi, the city dedicated to Apollo, and Athens represents the most important mythological places in traditional Greece.  The Olympic Games originated here and, according to the Hellenic tradition described byt he Greek poet Pindar, their origin is in houour of Pelope, a legendary characger, after shom the Peloponnese was named. The games lasted for weeks at a time every four years at the summer solstice. The winners during the games were awarded with public triumph, they were included in a golden register engraved in stone and a life size statue was erected. After over 1200 years of continued histiry the Olympic Games were stopped in 393 AD by Theodosius I and started again in Athens in 1896 upon initiative of the French Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

Live in Olympia takes place around the sacred walls of the Sanctuary where all the temples and religious building are situated. Olympia was discovered in 1776, but the most important excavations are recent. Zeus temple for instance was entirely brought ot light by German archaeologists who succeeded in reconstructing part of hte front and side columns collecting the statues of Greek winners, votive offerings and small temples damaged by a series of earthquakes unfortunately frequent in the past. All archaeological finds are preserved in the Museum at Olympia.

Drink of the day: Strawberry Daiquiri