Olympia

Our trip started early in the morning with a quick breakfast of chocolate filled croissants and a short bus ride to Olympia. The bus dropped us off in the central square of the town which is just a short walk from the ancient site. Before touring the ruins we visited the site museums which house many well preserved statues and artifacts. Included in the impressive collection was a large amount of ancient discus which I was excited to see. The staff was extremely rude and if the exhibits were not so well curated I would have left immediately. The security would follow you around shooting dirty looks or a quick shhh if you let out even the smallest peep. Fortunately the attitude of the security around the ruins was completely different. The site was totally unrestricted so we were able to walk through the ruins and climb on everything.



The ruins at ancient Olympia are some of the most amazing things that I have ever seen and are definitely worthy of their notoriety. It is difficult to put into words the sheer size of the site but hopefully these pictures will give a better idea. There are three large temples, and dozens of other buildings all around the area. The temple of Zeus is enormous with six foot diameter columns nearly forty feet tall. The temple was destroyed in an earthquake and most of the columns have been left to rest exactly as they fell. They are beautifully unraveled laying next to each other in perfect parallel offering a glimpse into their past grandeur.



The temple is situated in the middle of the site on a slight hill that overlooks everything. Close to the entrance of the temple is the original Olympic stadium. To enter the stadium you must walk through the 3,000 year old tunnel beneath the stands. The experience of emerging out onto the field is one that I will never forget. I could feel the energy of the ancient stadium and the history that surrounded me.



Equally impressive were the ruins of Emperor Nero's house and the athletes village complete with indoor swimming pool. I spent hours exploring every corner of the site and was sad when the park was closing and I had to leave. I cannot wait for my next trip to an ancient site and am thinking that maybe Delfi or the Acropolis in Athens will be next on the list.