What a night!!! I tossed and turned as the springs of the mattress dug into me! The Greek Prime ministers are reputed to stay in a suite at this hotel when visiting Patra - I hope for their sakes that the mattresses in the suites are of better quality!!
Sitting beside us was a group of Chinese from Beijing. Their meal consisted of a Greek salad followed by steak and chips all washed down with tap water. I wondered what the trip had cost them?
This morning, we boarded the 0930 bus for Pyrgos, (2hrs/€10). The bus was a local one and diverted to collect and drop passengers at every town! We were the only passengers to complete the journey from Patra to Pyrgos. After a 15 minute interval in Pygros bus station, we boarded another bus for Olympia. (30 mins/ €2.20). Again passengers embarked and disembarked en route.
On arrival in Olympia, it became clear that the place only caters for tour groups. Bus after bus was lined up beside the entrance to the ancient site of Olympia. There was no information centre and no where to store our bags, so we decided that we had no option but to book into a hotel, leave our luggage and visit the site of ancient Olympia.
Another factor which determined our stay was the train, which ran to Pyrgos, was making its final departure at 13.15!
We met the driver who informed us that there was a train tomorrow morning at 0930 hrs We'll take the train back to Pygros.
I would like to visit Sparta and though it is only c.170 km from Pyrgos, it would take at least a day, if not two to travel down south and that's an estimate, as there's no timetable, time and train commitments did not permit! There is a delicate balancing act on this trip between cultural pursuits and scenic rail journeys!! One needs plenty of time travelling in Greece, what with lightning strikes, changing timetables and few express busses!!
What is amazing about the Peloponnese is its lack of tourist information centres - there was none in Patra, in Pyrgos or here in Olympia. At the bus station, you can obtain information on going from A-B but not to C - frequently, one must wait until one gets to B to find information to C. For a country that relies on tourism, the lack of information is incredulous!
Olympia, population 1,000 is a modem village adjacent to the Ancient Olympia.
It is where Zeus allegedly held the first Olympic Games! Games were held here for 100 years. The philosophy behind the games was the suspension of war between tribes in the month of July (the first full moon after the Summer solstice) as they competed at the games.
This is where the flame is lit for the Olympic Games every four years.
Site of Olympic torch lighting ceremony
In Ancient Greece only Greek males could compete - women and slaves were excluded and a woman caught attending the games was thrown from Mt. Typaion! During Roman times the Games declined until the final Games were held in AD 393. The modern Olympics commenced in 1896 and with the exception of WW1 and 11 have continued ever since.
We first visited the Archaeology Museum, adjacent to the site. It is spectacular in display and very informative - a must prior to visiting the site itself.
We then entered the site.
Each building is well documented. The main attraction is the Temple of Zeus. To commemorate the Olympic Games being held in Athens in 2006, the German Archaeology Society restored one of the arches of the Temple of Zeus to give visitors an idea of its scale!!
Zeus
The site was destroyed by Theodosius in AD 393 in his efforts to root out pagan festivals and thence by fire, earthquake and landslide. Yet one is enthralled by the sense of history here .
The original Olympic track is very impressive. I ran (well, if truth be told, walked ) the track. I felt a great sense of history.
There are numerous other sites to be explored.
To visit the site and museum would require a minimum of 3 hours. The entrance fees are modest but as today happened to be designated a free admission day to all international museums., it was free entry for all.
We commenced our visit at 1400 hrs - the tourist buses had departed and one could appreciate the site as the number of visitors were few. May is an ideal time to visit as the season has not quite begun and the weather is pleasant - in the early 20s with a welcome breeze.
After three enjoyable hours we returned to our hotel Kronio (€40) adjacent to the railway station and a 5 minute walk from the ancient Olympian site. The hotel provided an informative video of Olympia in each bedroom and linking at it after visiting the site was most instructive.
More tomorrow .......
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