Our second day in Greece brought us to the port of Katakolon, whose real significance seems to be that it is within 15 miles or so from the site of the original Olympics. We docked about 7:00 am, and after breakfast, our walking tour left the ship about 9:30 am. We traveled by motor coach to the Olympic site (really an archaeological museum) during which our excellent guide, Rena, gave a running narrative of the area through which we were traveling.
The area was in fact a rural, farming area, and we learned that nearly 70% of the Hellenistic peoples are farmers. (Greek was the name given by the Romans and the Hellenes dislike it.) The principle crop is olive trees, the Greeks being the third largest producer of olive oil after Spain and Italy. But we also saw corn and hay fields, crops grown for animal food.
The site of the original Olympics is a large collection of the remnants of buildings built in antiquity. The ruins of temples, gymnasiums, thermal baths, the housing of officials and the actual Olympic stadium - destroyed by earthquakes and other natural causes - had been unearthed by archaeologists in the 19th century, and now were given life for us by the descriptions of our guide. It was a forest of marble sections, littering the landscape where they fell. Only a few pieces had been restored for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Nearby is a modern museum, the second stop on our walking tour, in which is housed some of the marble figures which adorned the temples, as well as artifacts which had been unearthed from the ruins. Our guide helped us see the artistry and skill of the sculptors while describing the mythology behind the figures.
The whole experience of the Olympic site was amazing, a view into a different world where contests were held in a setting of peace, and where athletes competed not for gold, silver and bronze, but for nothing less than the favor of the gods.
We returned to the ship and after lunch attended a round-table discussion led by the resident historian on the subject of whether or not museums should return the artifacts taken from other countries. The case in point is the so-called Elgin marbles, taken from the Greek Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens and now housed in a British museum. We didn't solve the issue, but it was an enlightening discussion.
After dinner - a cured pork loin salad, baked salmon topped with crab meat, and molten chocolate cake - we returned to our cabin. Tomorrow we visit the island of Santorini, known as the "pearl of the Aegean". More to come...
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The area was in fact a rural, farming area, and we learned that nearly 70% of the Hellenistic peoples are farmers. (Greek was the name given by the Romans and the Hellenes dislike it.) The principle crop is olive trees, the Greeks being the third largest producer of olive oil after Spain and Italy. But we also saw corn and hay fields, crops grown for animal food.
The site of the original Olympics is a large collection of the remnants of buildings built in antiquity. The ruins of temples, gymnasiums, thermal baths, the housing of officials and the actual Olympic stadium - destroyed by earthquakes and other natural causes - had been unearthed by archaeologists in the 19th century, and now were given life for us by the descriptions of our guide. It was a forest of marble sections, littering the landscape where they fell. Only a few pieces had been restored for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Nearby is a modern museum, the second stop on our walking tour, in which is housed some of the marble figures which adorned the temples, as well as artifacts which had been unearthed from the ruins. Our guide helped us see the artistry and skill of the sculptors while describing the mythology behind the figures.
The whole experience of the Olympic site was amazing, a view into a different world where contests were held in a setting of peace, and where athletes competed not for gold, silver and bronze, but for nothing less than the favor of the gods.
We returned to the ship and after lunch attended a round-table discussion led by the resident historian on the subject of whether or not museums should return the artifacts taken from other countries. The case in point is the so-called Elgin marbles, taken from the Greek Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens and now housed in a British museum. We didn't solve the issue, but it was an enlightening discussion.
After dinner - a cured pork loin salad, baked salmon topped with crab meat, and molten chocolate cake - we returned to our cabin. Tomorrow we visit the island of Santorini, known as the "pearl of the Aegean". More to come...
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