Europe Holiday 2008 Part 18 Olympia

Tuesday we woke up in Katakolon a small port in Greece. It really is a relaxing way of seeing the world staying in top class accommodation and waking up in a different place every day and not having to unpack every night.
Our tour took us through the countryside which, despite horrendous bush fires in 2007, looked very lush.
We arrived at Olympia, the home of the ancient Olympics, and walked through the beautiful leafy ruins.

This was the sight of the luxury hotel where visitors stayed.
One of the building blocks which is made of fossils from shells.

It cost about $4million Euros to erect this column in time for the 2004 Olympics!

The remains of the Prytaneion where the altar of Hestia stood and where the Olympic flame is now lit - did you know that this was an initiative of Hitler?

The entrance to the Olympic stadium. Only men were allowed and they had to go naked to ensure there weren't any women disguised as men! Although there was 1 woman permitted to attend the events.


Starting blocks of the ancient Olympic events.And the track - the square on the right is where the judges sat. The bushfires burnt very close to this area.And the small town of Katakolon taken from the ship.That night we sailed up the Greek coast on our way to Venice. The next day was spent at sea.