Today, we begin our journey in Olympia, site of the original Olympic games. Contrary to what you may believe, not all the structures were for sporting reasons. There were sanctuaries, Pheidas’ workshop (the guy who built the Parthenon), and temples dedicated to Zeus and Hera.
Olympic stadium – although we probably wouldn’t have gotten the olive wreath, we are now Olympians as well! We ran the 192 meters from start to finish. Athletes ran in a straight line while we ran crooked. Hah!
Every 4 years since 1936, athletes have come here to light the Olympic torch. A few months before the summer/winter Olympic games start, local women dressed in priestess garb would parade from the Temple of Hera to the Altar of Hera. The technique is pretty cool: a curved, cauldron-shaped mirror is used to focus the sun’s rays on the torch to ignite a flame (depicted on picture to the left)
Some cool preserved statues in the archeological museum:
This is a sculpture of Nike of Paeonios: 2 Nike’s exist today. She is landing on a pillar here, however the other is taking flight and is located at the Louvre.
To the left is a terra-cotta statue of Zeus carrying off Ganymede, a beautiful Trojan boy to be his lover and cup-bearer. I love how the artist was able to make the sculpture alive and active. You can almost see the kidnap before your eyes...
This is probably my favorite sculpture in the museum. It depicts Hermes of Praxiteles carrying Dionysus. The translucence of the marble and detail of the sculpture was amazing. Very sensual.
Imitation Pictures of the Day
Food adventures:
Until tomorrow....=)
- Anna and Lindsey
To the right is a picture of the gymnasium, a complex of buildings similar to today’s Olympic village; it is the largest building on site. Athletes were typically covered with olive oil and dust for protection against scrapes and the sun. However, the dust also served as a way for judges to give points to the rightful winning athlete during competitions.
Random fact -- did you know, gymnasium means “naked” in Greek, which is how the athletes trained and competed. Unfortunately, no women were allowed to observe these men train. ~sigh~ what a sight it could have been…
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| Olympic stadium - Lindsey at the finishing line |
Some cool preserved statues in the archeological museum:
This is a sculpture of Nike of Paeonios: 2 Nike’s exist today. She is landing on a pillar here, however the other is taking flight and is located at the Louvre.
To the left is a terra-cotta statue of Zeus carrying off Ganymede, a beautiful Trojan boy to be his lover and cup-bearer. I love how the artist was able to make the sculpture alive and active. You can almost see the kidnap before your eyes...
This is probably my favorite sculpture in the museum. It depicts Hermes of Praxiteles carrying Dionysus. The translucence of the marble and detail of the sculpture was amazing. Very sensual.
Imitation Pictures of the Day
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| Waving a camera bag...haha |
Food adventures:
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| Local salad served in a restaurant next to Olympia. Pretty good. It had eggs and tuna |
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| Now...how can we forget about Gyros in Greece. Lindsey and I enjoyed this much more than the ones served at home =) |
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| Must...have....ice....cream..... |
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| Frappe next to the sea front. How can I ask for anything more?? |
Adventure of the day (Lindsey): Upon return from dinner at the Amalia Hotel in Delphi, a huge hornet followed Anna into the hotel room. She screamed and slammed the door, all the while screaming “Lindsey, help me!” when I had no way of going in because she had the hotel key and locked me out. Anna finally opened the door and let me in and we proceeded to find the hornet in the bathroom sink. I suffocated the hornet with a hotel towel and left a present for the hotel maid…
Until tomorrow....=)
- Anna and Lindsey
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