Olympia - Home of Ancient Games....

With our original plans in disarray we decided to spend more time with Grigoria’s family by firstly doing a day trip to Olympia and then back tracking to Patras to stay with Aunt Tina for two nights.

Olympia (Home of the Ancient Games) is some 200km’s south west of Kalavryta, 1.5 hours due south along the coastline from Patras.

A few solid hours later, in the car, we arrived in the new (relative speaking) Olympia village to taste the local (more touristy) cuisine before embarking on the mammoth task of visiting the archaeological site (of ancient Olympic games) & the ancient museum. http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21107a/e211ga02.html


Today Olympia is also the headquarters of the International Olympic Academy, the original altar (situated at the Temple of Hera) still lights the Olympic flame (done with the convergence of sunlight onto a metal reflector) before it is transferred every four years to the city that hosts that particular Olympic Games.

Something on the ancient games now….The origin of the Olympic Games is linked with many myths. According to legend, the Olympic Games began in 776 B.C. when Ifitos made a treaty with Lycourgos (the king and famous legislator of Sparta) and Cleisthenes (the king of Pissa).

The decisive event in the Treaty was the development of the Olympia sanctuary as a Panhellenic centre and the agreement of the "sacred truce". That meant that all fighting in the Greek world would cease for as long as the Olympic Games were on.

In the beginning the games lasted only one day and comprised of only one event, the running of one Stadion, but gradually more events were added resulting, towards the 5th century B.C., in the games lasting for 5 days.

During this time all Greeks who were free citizens and had not committed murder or heresy, had the right to take part in the Olympic Games. The victors enjoyed great honour and on returning to their cities their compatriots pulled down part of the walls for them to enter.

It was said that they were also given special privileges and high office. The institution of the Olympic Games lasted for twelve continuous centuries and was abolished in 393 A.D.

The first contemporary Olympic Games took place with great glamour in 1896 in Athens, in the Panathenaic Stadium and since many cities around the world have had the right to host the games, the most recent in 2004 was again Athens. As we walked around the ancient Olympic site, I was astonished of what still remained.

Given that the Romans occupied this area for years and the numerous earthquakes had demolished what remained standing of the Temple of Zeus, the original footprints and column base still exist. With the assistance of information signs we got a good understanding of it was originally like – Wow!


With a proportion of the arched entrance to the running track still remaining and I got a really good idea of what it would’ve been like for an athlete to walk through the tunnel, out into the open amphitheatre stadium filled with 45,000 cheering spectators.

Of course I had to line up on the stone start line and later celebrate my lone victory with some foreign spectators taking in my achievement.From the site we headed to the more modern Museum which housed some of the most important stone statues, bronze figurines, and temple fresco formations which were all once in place on the site.

Arguably the most famous, and breathtaking of them all, was the marble statue of Hermes by Praxitelis.

Unfortunately due to Roman occupation, pillagers and the British many pieces remain abroad – what a shame!Late afternoon we left the sites and headed back to Patras to stay with Grigoria’s Aunt Tina for a couple of nights – Wow what a fantastic day!