Day 7 - Nafplio: Olympia

Entrance to THE OG Olympic Stadium!

Today we took a 3 hour road trip 200 km. to the west across the Peloponnese to Olympia. Olympia wasn’t a city but the location for athletic competitions and temple worship (of the god Zeus) which took place for a few days every four years between the many city states of the Greek world / kingdom of the time. Since they were always at war, it was a time when they could put down their weapons, and display their physical strength and prowess among their enemies, and socialize among the rich and famous of the day.

Fun fact: The word “gymnasium” means “exercise naked” because the athletes competed naked!

Where they practiced

The Temple of Zeus here is what the Parthenon in Athens was modeled after.

Pedestals for statues

of previous winners

Approaching the entrance

to the tunnel to the stadium

Starting line

The judges box

Lawn seating only

Where the Olympic torch is still lit every 2 years.

And of course they have a museum on the property with artifacts recovered from the excavations:

Reconstructed pediment from the Temple of Zeus. The ACTUAL pediment, not a replica.

Actual color from ancient times

Helmets

Calf/knee armor

Tools for carving stone

Zeus & Ganymede

Nike (winged victory)

Hermes & Dionysus (baby) sculpted by Praxiteles

And a bonus photo of the bougainvillea which is stunning and everywhere in Nafplio!

We leave Nafplio tomorrow and fly to the island of Naxos!