My Trip to Greece -- Day 6

Tuesday, 16 March 2004

After staying overnight at the Hotel Europa in Olympia, we went to the site of ancient Olympia first thing in the morning. The pictures are of the gymnasium (foreground) and palaesatra (background) and the palaestra. The palaesatra was where wrestlers and boxers trained.

The Temple of Hera (circa 600 B.C.).

Our tour guide then showed us the original Olymipic stadium (the stones in the right background were the judges' stand). Some of the tour group decided to run a race using the original starting line. I also took a picture of flowers inside the stadium. The entryway to the stadium was an early example of vaulted architecture by the Greeks.

Next was the Temple of Zeus. The second picture is of our tour guide, Mena (with Helen looking on), telling us about the temple. Numerous earthquakes destroyed the temple, knocking down the pillars.

The Leonidaion, a hotel for the athletes.

Bonnie standing at the base of a broken pillar from the Temple of Zeus.

Kim, with the Leonidaion in the background, and another view of the Palaestra.

After leaving Olympia, we went to see the Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle at Patras. St. Andrew was martyred in Patras. Like most Greek churches, it is very ornate. It has the customary picture of Jesus raising Adam and Eve to Heaven. There is also a picture in marble of the double-headed eagle, which is a symbol of the Byzantine Empire, with one head pointing east (to Constantinople) and the other west (to Rome). The eagle was also carved into one of the chandeliers.

On our next leg of the trip, we crossed the Gulf of Corinth (by ferry). They are currently building a suspension bridge across the gulf between Rio and Antirrio.

We stopped for a little while in Nafpaktos to look at the Venetian fortress surrounding the city. Bonnie and Helen posed for a picture on the wall.