KATAKOLON - OLYMPIA
Saturday, September 27th, Katakolon/Olympia (Greece)
Tendered in, then took a bus to Olympia for the “Olympic Spirit” tour.
Cold and windy. Huge site. “Ran” in Olympic Stadium. Zeus’ Temple, destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th century, was very impressive; it’s toppled columns laying like dominoes.
Stopped at the Olympia Archaeological Museum where we saw a model reconstruction of the entire site, portions of the original pediments, and “Winged Victory”. Visited the museum’s outdoor café where Lisa had her first baklava in Greece, and the rest of us kept her company with ouzo.
After the tour we walked through Katakolon - what there was of it. A tiny town of 700 people, it did have a nice waterfront café where we had some wine and wrote postcards.
Jo and Darrell headed back to the ship for their spa appointments. MJ and Alan searched for stamps, which they found at the “super”market.
Tom and Terri ate early, their waiter serenading them with Elvis songs. The rest of us ate later, overindulging in desserts. As Darrell put it, “Our desserts are like the tenders. As soon as one pulls out, another pulls in.”
After dinner, MJ, Alan, Darrell, and Jo caught the end of the “Backbeat Beatles” in the Princess Theater; and after a little dancing in the aisles on their part, moved to the Explorer’s Lounge to watch Lisa in the ballroom dance competition. Wow! Graceful, elegant, poised. Alan had an eye-opening experience, “When did my baby grow up?!” Ended the night in the Vista Lounge, where Darrell was able to catch the rest of the very enjoyable “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” show.
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Heras Altar - this is where the olympic torch is lit for the modern olympics. | |
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Hermes | |
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Nike | |
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Stadium Track | |
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Arch entry to stadium | |
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Temple of Zeus housed a large statue of Zeus holding Nike in his hand. | |
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Statues in the Temples | |
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Statues in the Temples | |
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Layout model of Olympia | |
Last Updated: 01/15/2010