Olympia

LOur visit to the Sanctuary of Olympia was outstanding.  This was the Mecca of Greek religion and one of its most important places of worship.  People did not actually live here and it was set aside aside as a monastery and a pilgrimage site.  Ancient Grreks only came here every four years for the athletic contests held to honor Zeus. As many as 40,000 Greek men gathered from all over Greece with the first Olympics held in 1150 BC with the last ones held in AD 393.  The museum was outstanding with an incredible collection of statues and artifacts dating back to 600 BC.  The workmanship and condition was unbelievable and it was a privilege to see these wonderful pieces of art. Led by a very knowledgeable historian she helped bring this ancient civilization to life.  Touring the site itself was an experience with the two highlights definitely being the Olympic Stadium where hundreds of years before the time of Christ the true heart of the Olympics began.  The second memorable site is the Altar of Hera where before each Olympic Games to this day the Olympic Torch is lit.  The next time we see a Olympic Torch relay it will certainly have new meaning.

Leaving Olympia we travelled down to Kardamyli,a charming little village on the Mani Peninsula.  In the sixth century AD the residents of this village were forced up into the hills by attacking pirates and built themselves fortified compounds which contained everything the community needed to sustain life and keep themselves safe.  We hiked up the hill and. I visited one which was really interesting.  The lookout tower gave them a panoramic view to watch for approaching enemies.  The rest of our time in Kardamyli we strolled the beach and the delightful Main Street and restaurants. A nice rest from our hectic pace.

In the ancient Olympics their was only one winner and it was standing under this statue of Apollo that the athletes received their wreathed of olive leaves.

An incredible statue from 400 BC which adorned the temple of Zeus

This seven foot tall statue from 340 BC by Praxiteles was discovered in the Temple of Hera.  Called Hermes this statue was mesmerizing. His anatomy was perfection and his work served as an example to many great artists over the centuries 

Statues of Greek armour from centuries BC were so intricate in detail 

So incredible that these statues have survived over 2500 years

Temple of Zeus was the first of the Golden Age Temples and not much smaller than the Parthenon 

 

Everyone thinks this is where the Olympic flame is lit and all gather round madly snapping pictures.  In reality this is part of an old fountain.  In Greek ancient sites one is not allowed to pose for pictures.  For example we saw a tourist pretending to hold high the Olympic flame in front of this fountain and one of the site guards made them erase the pictures.

Local women dress up in priestess garb to light the Olympic flame

This is the Altar of Hera where the Olympic flame is actually lit for each Olympic Games.  A curved cauldron shaped mirror is used to focus the rays of the sun to ignite the flame which is carried into the stadium before it is flown to the country where the games will be taking place.  The next flame will be lit October 24th for the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea.

Original Olympic Stadium with the judges box on the right and the seat on the left for the Princess of Fertlity who was the only female allowed to view the games.  This stadium was built in th fifth century BC.

Eric coming into the finish line at the ancient Olympic Stadium. Gold Medal Performance as he was the only participant.

The entrance to the stadium through which all the athletes came. Holes in the rocks served as lockers for their clothes as all participants performed in the nude.

Remains of the Temple of Apollo

Gymnasium ruins, the largest building on the site

Ruins of the Phillppeion built by Philp of Macedon to mark his triumph over the Greeks

Communal water supply for the village 

A Maniot fortified village up the hill in Kardamyli on the Mani Peninsula 

The church within the compound 

The fortified compound would have everything with which the family needed to survive including live stock and gardens 

Pathway up to old homes

View from the tower

This is a parking lot in a small town. The trees are olive trees and I assume the tires are to protect them from cars hitting them

Olive trees live for hundreds of years and as long as they are pruned properly they will keep producing 

The Mediterranean though very rocky in places is crystal clear

Eric enjoying a traditional Mani pie and of course a glass of local wine

A really fun olive tasting at what you can see was quite the eclectic place. The owner was into organic growing and made all sorts of soaps and creams as well as olives and pure olive oil. The olives were delicious 

Yani telling us how he came to get into this business. He was a professor in Australia and came home to look after his sick Mom and took over the family business 

An array of some of his products.

Delphi

Leaving Athens behind we set off to see more of Greece with our first stop being at the Hosias Loukas Monastry which is considered to be one of the finest examples of  Middle Ages Byzantine Architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Founded in the 10th century by the hermit St Luke it has been a pilgrim site for hundreds of years as the tomb of St Luke is here and the relics it contains are believed to exude Myron which is an oil of sorts and produces healing miracles.  The mosaics in the church and tomb are absolutely beautiful and in wonderful condition considering they are 1000 years old.  Several monks still live on the site today.  The vistas over the mountains and valley were so peaceful that one could certainly see why a hermit would choose such a location.

Our next visit was to Delphi, considered by many to be the most spectacular of Greece's ancient sites. Perched high on the slopes of Mt Parnassos Delphi was famous throughout the world as home of a prophetess known as the oracle and people came from far and wide seeking her advice.  As Delphi's fame grew an athletic contest second only to the Olympics called the Pythian Games started.  Once settled into our hotel Eric and I hiked down to the Sanctuary of Athena Pronea which is the site of a ruined temple somewhat removed from the other ruins yet it has become the iconic Delphi photograph.  Our guided tour started in the museum which houses some of the most wonderful artifacts retrieved from the site and dating back to 600 BC.  The craftsmen ship from that time with the tools they had available is unbelievable.  The piece that I could not stop looking at was the Bronze Charioteer which dated back to 474 BC. His left hand is missing but the rest is in amazing shape including the eyes made of inset stones and enamel. His face is perfect and the folds in his gown fall gracefully. Apparently he was buried in an earthquake which helped preserve him.

Touring the actual site was amazing.  Lower down one sees stones written on 2000 years ago which give historians clues to life in those times.  You wind up the sacred way past the reconstruction of the treasury,ruins of homes and shops to the highlights.  Tha massive Temple of Apollo was the centerpiece of the whole sanctuary and housed the oracle. Only pieces remain but one can imagine its immense size.  Further up we came to the theatre which is one of Greece's best preserved from the 4th century BC and was built to house song contests honoring Apollo.  It could seat 5000.  Winding yet farther up the hill we arrived at the stadium.  This stadium was built in the fifth century BC Nd hosted the Pythian games every four years.  The games lasted for a week and were held during a three month truce amongst warring Greeks so that the athletes could train.  Of course only men could participate and view the games.  Quite awesome to stand there and soak it in.

Leaving Delphi we took a very scenic cog railway trip up a very steep mountain to the picturesque town of Kalavrita.  Picturesque now this town was the location of great tragedy in December of 1943 when after the Greeks had captured some German soldiers in retribution the Germans sent in troops and gathered up all the males over the age of 14 and executed all 696 of them.  The atrocities of war are indeed horrific.

The bell tower of the Monastry 

Beautiful old arches

Water fountains that are hundreds of years old

The main church in the Monastry 

The mosaics were in stunning condition 

Unbelievable what they built 1000 years ago

Pleasing arches and windows

An olive tree in front of the old church 

Beautiful arched passageway

Inside the tomb of St Luke

Many mosaics depicting St Luke inside the crypt 

Pomegranate trees are prolific all over Greece.

This ancient picnic table was surprisingly comfortable as the seats were well worn from hundreds of years of use.

A pretty hillside village along our drive

Sanctuary of Athena Pronea 

Beautiful marble columns 

Artifacts found at Delphi which show the head, hand and feet made of ivory and the body adorned in gold. The body would have been made of wood and thus has disintegrated.

This statue of the Sphinx of Naxos is from 570 BC

This is the amazing Bronze Charioteer from 474 BC

The ruins of a shop at Delphi

Old script that is invaluable to historians lining the sacred roadway at Delphi 

Reconstruction of the treasury

Soaking in the atmosphere at the ancient stadium 

Unbelievable condition for a stadium that is over 2000 years old

Standing there we could almost imagine the excitement of the games of old

Theatre from above with the Temple of Apollo in the background 

Looking up from the stage

Temple of Apollo

This hot water heater on the roof of a home is solar heated and seen everywhere in Greece. Makes sense with the amount of sunshine that they get here.

Very moving monument in Kalavrita depicting how the women had to go and claim their husbands bodies after the massacre 

Greek Ortodox church in Kalavrita 

The displays outside the shops were so inviting and really made you want to see more

A charming little shop where the shopkeepers were freely handing out samples