Katakalon (Olympia), Greece
Surrounded by rugged mountains and fertile valleys filled with vineyards and groves of olive, citrus and mulberry trees, the Greeks, like all ancient men created myths as a means of understanding their own beginnings. During our late morning approach to the port of Katakalon on the west coast of Greece’s Peloponnesus peninsula, we were heartened to see a huge cruise ship leaving port, thereby guaranteeing that we would have free run of the temple sanctuary of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games.
Standing alone on the marble starting line at the end of the magnificent stadium, it is easy to imagine the now grassy banks filled with 40,000 spectators. The thrill of the moment was not lost on anyone! Olympia was not a town, but a sanctuary, dedicated to the God Zeus. The monumental temple to the deity was built by the Eleans between 470-454 BC. Standing amongst the collapsed column drums of the temple one quickly understood the massive nature of this structure. Raised up on a platform these 14 m high columns formed a colonnade that surrounded the temple that was in excess of 64 m in length and 27 m in width. The temple housed the seated ivory and gold statue of Zeus, the late masterpiece of the Athenian artist Phidias and one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”
Perhaps the greatest surprise for those of us who had been to the site before was the recently refurbished museum. Completed in time for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the exhibits have been spectacularly transformed and in addition to the huge hall that contains the pediment sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, were new exhibitions of sculpture, bronze helmets and a recreation of Phidias’s workshop. We were reluctant to leave and boarding our buses to return to the ship was not an easy task. Sensing that our visit to Greece would seem all too fleeting, the hotel staff capped off our visit to Greece serving us a sumptuous Greek feast, on deck, under the stars as we cruised south through the ink black Mediterranean Sea.
Surrounded by rugged mountains and fertile valleys filled with vineyards and groves of olive, citrus and mulberry trees, the Greeks, like all ancient men created myths as a means of understanding their own beginnings. During our late morning approach to the port of Katakalon on the west coast of Greece’s Peloponnesus peninsula, we were heartened to see a huge cruise ship leaving port, thereby guaranteeing that we would have free run of the temple sanctuary of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games.
Standing alone on the marble starting line at the end of the magnificent stadium, it is easy to imagine the now grassy banks filled with 40,000 spectators. The thrill of the moment was not lost on anyone! Olympia was not a town, but a sanctuary, dedicated to the God Zeus. The monumental temple to the deity was built by the Eleans between 470-454 BC. Standing amongst the collapsed column drums of the temple one quickly understood the massive nature of this structure. Raised up on a platform these 14 m high columns formed a colonnade that surrounded the temple that was in excess of 64 m in length and 27 m in width. The temple housed the seated ivory and gold statue of Zeus, the late masterpiece of the Athenian artist Phidias and one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”
Perhaps the greatest surprise for those of us who had been to the site before was the recently refurbished museum. Completed in time for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the exhibits have been spectacularly transformed and in addition to the huge hall that contains the pediment sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, were new exhibitions of sculpture, bronze helmets and a recreation of Phidias’s workshop. We were reluctant to leave and boarding our buses to return to the ship was not an easy task. Sensing that our visit to Greece would seem all too fleeting, the hotel staff capped off our visit to Greece serving us a sumptuous Greek feast, on deck, under the stars as we cruised south through the ink black Mediterranean Sea.
