OLYMPIA GREECE

 We never skip dinner, but after curly roads and a hearty lunch at a Highway rest stop, somewhere on the way to Olympia, we just could not Rally for the buffet dinner at the hotel. We relaxed and the next am we’re up bright and early to go explore Olympia. It was quite magnificent! It’s a huge unearthed complex and one needs a guide  to really get the most out of all the crumbled ruins. This area in Greece was where everything notable happened. This is where the “gods” ruled, the games began, and the stadium held thousands of MEN to watch the beginning of the Olympic Games and other physical endeavors, and sacrifices. Many earthquakes in the past have toppled the giant building blocks of stone, but one can still “imagine” the magnificence of the Huge area. We walked over 3.5 miles just covering and exploring the vast complex. Then an educational tour of a fabulous museum which houses thousands of pieces of relics and statues. Some of the statues are still fairly complete, while others are pieced together. Of course, Zeus, Nike, Hermes, and all the big legends were prominently displayed. Everyone is naked, until the Romans showed up and  up and began sculpturing clothes on the statues.  Women were not allowed in the “games” as the athletes were always naked when they competed.

After a long morning of walking and learning we adventured into the small town of Olympia and had a nice Greek lunch and tried to practice a couple of Greek phrases. The locals are friendly and love it when we try and eek out a few phrases.
I would like to say at this time, that Greece is fairly affordable. Meals and wine, beer, etc and very reasonable priced as are grocery items and gift shops. Food is….well…Greek food and most people know it’s heavily based on vegetables, yogurts, anything with olive oil and lots of olives. We haven’t had much lamb, but I have been surprised on how much pork is served, and rarely do we see beef. At least in the inland areas.






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