Olympia

This morning we set out early from the hotel to nearby Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games which began in 776 BC and continued for a thousand years. Today the site is park-like with lots of trees and walking paths through the ruins.

Some of our group actually did some sprint races though the temperature was in the upper 30s by then. Unfortunately, they had to be disqualified since they did not run in the nude as the ancient rules required.

The museum holds many treasures but the greatest of them must be the statue of Hermes by Praxiteles, one of the very few Classical Greek original sculptures to survive.

The temple of Zeus at Olympia had a gigantic statue of Zeus in gold and ivory. The clothing of the statue was done in gold which was poured into clay moulds and then the pieces we set together jigsaw style. Some of these moulds still exist.

After the museum we were taken to a hearty lunch and taught some Greek folk dancing. I gave it a try but only mastered shouting “oompah” st approximately the right time.

Then we set off on the five hour drive to Delphi and our hotel there, another lovely resort.