The Cruise: Olympia

[stevenpiziks]

 

 

We spent one day at sea, coasting along from Trieste to Olympia. Darwin and I rested and got rid of the final bits of jet lag. The next morning, we had a half-day tour of Olympia (the Temple of Zeus) and another one at the Akropolis. Both places have been written up extensively elsewhere, so I'll just give my own thoughts here.

 

I've taught Greek mythology for decades, but I've never visited any of the places I teach about, which is one of the reasons I've wanted to go on a trip like this. Darwin knew this, and it's why he arranged it. Isn't he wonderful?

 

When the ship arrived on the coast of Greece, I could just make out the Akropolis at the top of the hill. Just. Below it, brown mountains. Below that, white, square buildings.

 

We met our tour group in the ship's auditorium, disembarked with them, and boarded a well-appointed bus. I looked out the windows at the Greek landscape. It hasn't rained in months, and just last week it was in the 100s every day. Today, the heat was only projected to be in the high 80s, for which I was grateful, but I wondered how difficult it's been for the natives. The landscape was brown and pale green, very, very dry.

 

The bus arrived at the Temple of Zeus. I shouldered my backpack (water bottle, sun hat, sun-blocking umbrella, snacks). We had to hike quite a ways along an occasionally-shaded road to the temple, and I was sweating heavily by the time we arrived. 

 

The Temple of Zeus is really a complex of temples that includes the grounds where the first Olympics were held and multiple ruined, columned buildings. It was very interesting to poke around the ruins and listen to the guide's commentary. It was my first Greek ruin! 

 

Tomorrow was the big one: the Akropolis.