Greece - Olympia, Home of the Olympic Games. (2)

Part 1 on Olympia covered the site of the ancient Olympic Games, but there is also a museum which houses a large collection of many and varied artefacts. It is well worth the visit as it brings much of what you have seen outside into perspective and adds to understanding how things were, where they were and how it fitted into the greater whole.

No camping, no only parking.

Only visiting ....

To those living in the UK the Roman Emperor Hadrian is a well known entity by virtue of his association with Hadrian's Wall, the strong defensive barrier which is found in northern England.

Roman Emperor Hadrian

Nike - a personification of Victory.

A beautifully sculpted bronze horse circa 7BC

 

Battle masks



All of these statues once adorned the walls of the Nymphaion on the site of the ancient Games

One of two pediments which adorned the Temple of Zeus

 

 

Greece - Olympia, Home of the Olympic Games. (1)

Visiting the site of the ancient Olympic Games at Olympia in the Peloponnese, southern Greece, was the culmination of our visit to Greece. It was a fitting end to the four months spent touring and travelling this culturally rich country. And what a finale it was!
Notice the absence of people in the pictures when you visit in the low season, and what a pleasure it was! A guide told us that 5,000 visitors on a good summer's day is normal in the high season .... no thank you!

Zeus, the most important of all the Olympic gods.

 Although geographically isolated, located in this corner of the Peloponnese, Olympia stood out historically as the most important Pan-Hellenic religious- political and athletic centre, of the ancient Greek world.

Olympia was the cradle for ideals that characterised humanity, such as noble rivalry and fair play, through the centuries. By implanting these values, Olympia, since antiquity and to eternity, teaches mankind to seek and achieve moral triumphs.

 

(Inscription at the site of the ancient Olympics)

  

The sanctuary at Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games goes back to 10BC. Today it consists of the remains of buildings and artefacts dating back to 7BC and received its final form (design) in 4BC. It is important to understand that the site and subsequent structures evolved over time, spanning 600+ years from 10BC to 4BC, improving and adding as the need arose.

Seeing and walking around a place containing history of some 3,000 years is difficult to describe and certainly focuses the mind, more so because the Olympic Games is still part and parcel of modern times.

 

To me three things stand out from my visit to Olympia:-

- the Stadium where the field and track events took place

- the Temple of Zeus, king of the Olympian gods

- the Altar of Hera, where the Olympic flame is lit for each of the modern Games

 

The Stadium

 

The Stadium with the starting grid

 

The passage into the Stadium

 

The stadium was only unearthed in WW2 during the German occupation of Greece, by German excavators and apparently on the direct orders from Adolf Hitler. (Source: The Rough Guide to Greece)

The Temple of Zeus - king of the Olympian gods.

 

A column from the Temple of Zeus and the hill of Kronos in the background

Image of the Temple of Zeus

The Temple of Zeus had the one column (it totalled 6x13 columns) restored before the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The hill of Kronos is where slaves and women spectators had to watch the Games from. Entry into the stadium itself was for high society and the wealthy. (Source: The Rough Guide to Greece)

Altar of Hera - where the Olympic flame is lit for each of the modern Games.

The Altar of Hera and the Temple of Hera behind 

Lighting the Olympic flame

Museum visit showing some of the artefacts to follow in the next post.

Further reading:-

http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games?tab=mythology

http://www.pe04.com/olympic/olympia/

 

Greece - Dhafnon gorge and Kosmas

Our last seaside stop before heading inland along the Dhafnon gorge and mountain pass was the tiny old harbour of Plaka near Leonidio, a clean delightful setting with a good (pebble) beach. Time for brunch and out came the cereals and bread.

The small harbour of Plaka

The Dhafnon gorge and mountain pass from Leonidio to Kosmas is stunning, it was almost devoid of traffic on the day (low season) which meant we could stop and simply listen to the silence, a trip we should perhaps have done twice, coming from the other side as well to once again enjoy the scenery and silence. Then again it's a journey of some hours .... choices! Steep cliffs, deep ravines and the road at times so narrow allowing for single lane traffic only. Hairpin bends, a monastery on a cliff edge and unfortunately no suitable stopping place to spend a night. Perhaps the beauty of it all is because there are no overnight facilities. Humans are destructive.

Dhafnon gorge

Elonas monastery

Looking at the snow capped mountains west of Kosmas

The town of Kosmas is likened to an Alpine mountain resort, and it has similarities. Large cobbled central square with narrow lanes leading to small hotels, colourful cafes / taverns and views of valleys from its setting in the mountains. All of this almost deserted on this sunny day in the low season.

Cobbled square and the road going through it

Winter in Kosmas

Tavernas and church - happy neighbours!

An intriguing feature of the town was the water 'flowing' underneath the church and exiting on the square outside to flow over the terrace and then down the valley.

This was a wonderful day of travelling, stopping and looking around. As said before we should have stayed in the area longer, but hey hindsight is easy. If ever you come this way, set aside at least two sunny days for the journey from Leonidio to Skala (or vice versa) across and through the Dhafnon gorge and the mountain town of Kosmas.

Greece - Peloponnese pictures

We left Nafplio, where we spent New Year, heading for the easternmost side of the Peloponnese. Our first intended stop was Porto Cheli where the sight of begging kids chasing the motorhome kept us going - no thanks and goodbye. We instead opted for Ermioni marina which was pleasant enough for a one night stay.

Below follows a collection of pictures taken at various locations as we travelled the roads of the eastern Peloponnese in Greece. Naturally, a short description will accompany each of them.

A view of Poros in the eastern Peloponnese. It is both somewhat exclusive and has no bridge connecting it to the mainland. It is favoured by Athenians taking short breaks and easily reached by ferry or helicopter from Athens.

A closer view of Poros, looking across the narrow stretch of water separating it from Galatas on the mainland. Galatas did not impress.

Standing at the same spot from where the previous picture was taken. Dumped cars, shabby buildings and a somewhat unloved feeling was my impressions of Galatas.

The harbour pier at Methana north of Poros with Fifi the motorhome right in the centre. We stayed for one night only due to the 'idiot element' on their noisy scooters charging around. Good Wi-Fi connections and lovely views across the sea in all directions.

From the hill above Methana with the harbour pier centre left.

We returned to the outskirts of Nafplio (Triton II campsite) again, by choice, and stayed another four nights. As mentioned before it is clean, has good showers, the toilets have seats and it has the pleasant atmosphere of a well run campsite. The adjacent village of Drepano has good bakeries, mini-markets and whatever else to keep you supplied.

We ventured south from Nafplio aiming for Monemvasia (again) in order to make use of the great open parking area with a 360 degree view of surrounding sea and mountain. The road hugs the coast for many miles and the journey provides beautiful views. Stopped on the way ....

A designated camperstop on the coast leading to Leonidio. It proves the point that you will find many places all over Greece, with sea, sun and shade where you can 'free camp' enjoying the surroundings. At this stop we were 6 'vans with big spaces in-between, no crowding.  

 

 

Another 4 or 5 weeks to go before we start the homeward journey back to England. So in essence we are now biding time and visiting some places for a second time, those that we enjoyed most. We still need to visit Olympia, home of the Olympic Games in 'classical times' which will be a full one day visit, done on the way to Patras from where we take the ferry across to Italy and home.

 

We aren't done yet!

Greece - New Year 2014 and Nafplio

We had a quiet end-of-year for a change, from 2013 into 2014. After all, a change is as good as a holiday and variety is the spice of life.

The weather was cloudy and cool (10 Celsius) by 6pm on New Year's eve 31 December 2013, a chicken casserole was simmering on the cooker and a medium bodied Portuguese red waiting on the side. Inside Fifi the motorhome it was cosy at 19 Celsius in a quiet, well appointed campsite near Nafplio in southern Greece - with only three other 'vans on site. Peace and quiet! The last of the autumn / winter leaves were providing a bright yellow-orange-brown display on the trees and on the floor adding to the mood of 'Far from the Maddening Crowd'.

 

New Year's eve 2013 in southern Greece 

Before the New Year we did however do some further touring. We went near to the southernmost point of Greece at Vatheia (beautiful views across the Ionian Sea) and Porto Kagio (almost no winter sun) which is an easy two hour journey from where we stopped for Christmas.

Looking north from near Vatheia

Former hilltop settlement near Vatheia

We left Faros Taverna at Karavostasi on Saturday 28 December and made for Nafplio in the eastern Peloponnese. First a stop at Lidl's in Sparti to stock up and then across some lovely mountain countryside and some motorway to Nafplio. We headed as is usual for the port / marina area where free overnighting is always possible. We found ourselves amongst several other motorhomes with grand views across the port area.
Prominent is Bourtzi fortress a few hundred yards off shore - former defensive position, executioners residence and hotel.

Camperstop Nafplio port

Bourtzi fortress seen from Fifi

Fisherman's quayside

We spent two days parked on the quayside in good sunny weather, and found the 'old town' now a shopping and semi pedestrianised area, to be a real delight. Lovely shops, somewhat touristy, very clean with many cafes and eateries and well supported by locals giving it an authentic atmosphere. There is a lovely walk around the coast surrounding the town, with sea on the one side and the hilltop fortress on the other.
The hillside is covered in places with Bougainvillea and succulents with shady areas and benches as you go - no rubbish lying around! Well done Nafplio!

Bougainvillea

Cacti and prickly pears

A carpet of leaves

The port parking area, in its build up to New Year, became noisy at night and we  decided to move on and find a more quiet spot - enter Triton campsite just east of Nafplio. The town of Drepano is walking distance, it's 200 yards from the coast, clean shower block and hand's on management.
Good bakeries, choice of small family owned mini-markets and very local Greek atmosphere - we attracted stares wherever we walked. Fifi the motorhome looked like something out of space when we drove through town.

>> HAPPY NEW YEAR! <<