Tolon

Yesterday was a  short day on the bus.  When we got off the ferry at around 2.30, it was straight onto the new bus and driving to Olympia.

Our initial impression of Greece was that of a fairly rundown, depressed place.

But then we drove through some really beautiful countryside.

We had the best meal of our trip so far, with well cooked food and fantastic flavours.  Dishes included a baked feta cheese pie, roasted eggplant, sundried tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese, meatballs like kofta, roast pork, rosemary potatoes, and lovely salads such as beet root, tomatoes. Dessert was fresh melon pieces, a chocolate cake and milk pie, not sure what was in the middle of that, but there was pastry on top and bottom and then a sugar syrup similar to that of baklava over the top.

Then we went for a walk down the street and shops were open with salesmen eager to sell things to us. 

This morning we visited the ruins of Olympia, where the Olympic Games began.

This was our tour guide and she gave really great insight into the beginning of the games.  About how the games evolved before there were organised sport as we know it today.  Rather they were a religious activity, a celebration and a tribute and commemoration  to and of the Gods of their time Eg Zeus and Hera.  

She pointed out how they were a symbol of peace as any wars being fought at the time were simply put aside, and the games begun.  It didn't matter which Greeks were fighting which other Greeks, they were all from the one country, and all went to the games, putting their differences aside.

The concept of victory was also different.  The athletes would have been in the elite fighting forces, and would have been at the forefront of any battles, so winning at the games was also about defending their country's honour.

This was the archway leading into the stadium.

Some of the ruins, the Philippeion, which was a circular building, started by Phillip II of Macedonia and completed by his son, Alexander the Great, it had 5 statues of Alexander and his ancestors.

Some more excavations going on. 

Then we went and had a look at the Museum which houses the artefacts found on site.

After Olympia, we drove to Tolon  going up through the mountains, which was pretty spectacular.

and then we had our first look at the Aegean.

We saw some blue skies for the first time .  This is the beach close to where we are staying.

And that was another day finished.