Nov. 29, 2013 Katakolon, Greece (Olympia)

Nov. 29, 2013  Katakolon, Greece.   (Olympia)  

καλημέρα "good morning"   pronounced kalimera. 

Woke up to a gorgeous sunrise with a wake-up call at 7 am. 

Ship docked at Katakolon, Greece.  

I miss-read the sign to read:  grilled badger.  I decided to pass.  
A banger is a sausage, usually pork and of a lower quality, with a tendency to split open with a "bang" during frying.  That doesn't sound much better.  

We had to catch the bus at 9 am for an excursion to the ruins of ancient Olympia. 
Our guide's name is Niobe. 

Population of Greece is 11 million, of which 95% are Greek Orthodox. 

Driving through picturesque villages. 

Archaeological dig.  
Olympia was the most religious and athletic centre in Greece and it is here that the Olympic Games were originally held - every 4 years - to honor Zeus. 

The Leonidaion 
was the lodging place for athletes taking part in the Olympic Games. 
 It was constructed around 330 BC.

Temple of Zeus - before

Temple of Zeus - after 

The Temple of Zeus  was an ancient Greek temple in Olympia, Greece, dedicated to the chief of the gods, Zeus. The temple, built between 472 and 456 BC.

It housed the renowned statue of Zeus, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue was approximately 13 m (43 ft) high and was made by the sculptor Phidias in his workshop on the site at Olympia. He took about twelve years to complete it. On his head was a sculpted wreath of olive sprays. In his right hand he held a figure of Nike, the goddess of victory, also made from ivory and gold, and in his left hand, a scepter made with many kinds of metal, with an eagle perched on the top. His sandals were made of gold and so was his robe. His garments were carved with animals and with lilies. The throne was decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory. The statue was the most famous artistic work in Greece.

Zeus

Column of the temple of Zeus
The Temple is surrounded by the debris of massive, fallen columns. One of the columns was restored in 2004 by the German Archaeological Society on the occasion of the Athens Olympics.

The Pelopion - before 

The Pelopion - after
It was a structure at the ancient site of Olympia, Greece. It was the alleged tomb of Pelops a figure in Greek mythology. 

Temple of Hera - before 

Temple of Hera (wife of Zeus) - after
An ancient Doric Greek temple at Olympia, Greece. The Temple of Hera was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD, and never rebuilt. 

Hera's Altar 
Here the lighting of the Olympic flame took place. 

Nymphaion 

A water feature with fountains and basins. 

Propylon 

Entrance to the stadium, believed once to be a tunnel. 

Exit

The Stadium could hold 15-20,000 people or rather men, as no women (apart from the Priestess of the Temple of Hera) were allowed on site. Ordinary people, slaves and women had to watch the Games from the Hill of Kronos. 
The 200 meter long stadium was only discovered in the 1940s.

Races were run barefoot and the start line has two parallel lines, one for the toes of the right foot and one for the toes of the left foot:  Oops

Roman House

Greek Baths of Olympia

Immy going inside for a "Greek Bath".

 kokinolemis:   European Robin

I heard him singing, but could not find him at first. 
Well hidden with the orange leaves. 

Decorative wall. 

One of the more complete buildings on the site is what is described as the workshop of the sculptor, Phidias.  The base of the workshop building is stone, but on top of that a Christian basilica has been built-in red brick. It is a curious mix of pagan and Christian in one building, strange why they chose this particular building to convert to a church as opposed to one of the temples.  The basilica was destroyed by the earthquake of AD 551.

Inside workshop of Phidias.
 It was here Phidias created the colossal statue of Zeus.

Palaestra 
A building in ancient Greece devoted to the training of wrestlers and other athletes and is centered around a large courtyard covered with sand for use as a boxing or wrestling surface. Along all four sides of the palaestra are rooms that opened onto the porticoes.

Scenic stream on our walk back to the bus. 

I tried a purple olive picked off the tree. It made it's way out pretty fast.  Yuck.

I told Jennie the dark ones were not bitter, so she tried one.
She spit it out pretty fast.  A good chuckle for everyone.

This bright fruit is called Kumaro??  

Our guide wrote it in my book, but the Greek letters are quite different, so she guessed.  Anyone know??

No pits and very sweet.  Delicious.  

Harvesting the olives with netting under trees. 

Railway station.
Back at the dock at 1 pm.  

While we were strolling along the water, we saw several children begging.
They were very good at it, and did not take no for an answer. So sad. 

A great cup of cappuccino at an outdoor cafe. Great weather today, high 15c.The Greek word for coffee is καφέ 

Time for a neighborhood stroll before heading back to the ship. 

This little one was continuously begging the passersby. 

We were back on the ship at 2 and it left at 3:30.

After supper, it was Stardust Showtime:  SHOUT! the Mod Musical of the 60's. 

The next show was:  Country & Western Boot-Scootin' Hoedown...but Jennie said, "NO".

Love to you all.

Kalinihta  "good night"