Olympia, Greece

Our second stop in Greece was at the site of the Ancient Olympics.  The cruise provided a quick shuttle from our port to the historical site.

Once we arrived, we started the tour with our excellent guide and group.  The first olympics dates back to around the 8th century BC.  Over time, the site was gradually plundered, then later buried under multiple feet of mud after local river flooding.  The site was later rediscovered, with excavations and restorations continuing to this day.

You'll see plenty of ruins along with some partial reconstructions of the Temple of Zeus, Pheidias' workshop, and Temple of Hera.

You can even go down to the stadium where the track meets were held.  On the walkway to the stadium, you'll see pedestals where previous winners had their statues placed, with foot imprints still visible.

You'll then walk under the vaulted tunnel leading out to the stadium.

Unlike modern circular tracks, the ancient Greece would have to run in a straight line then back again.  Here you can run and race on the ancient track, if desired.

After seeing the outdoor ruins, we then made our way to the excellent museum which was on-site.  The museum was included as part of our tour, and I would highly recommend everyone who comes here check it out.

 Here you'll see excavation finds from pre-historic up to Roman times. 

 

 

You can spend plenty of time in the museum, and our guide provided excellent background and commentary on all of the many pieces.  We then made our way back to the buses and the ship, with the ship leaving around 3PM local time.  Our next stop was Santorini.