5/28 Olympia Ruins and Museums

 Today was our full day in Greece and our only day in Olympia. We started our day with a light breakfast from the hotel we were staying at and then headed to our first site. We began at the archaeological sites of Olympia. The archaeological site of Olympia, located in the western Peloponnese region of Greece, is one of the most significant sanctuaries of ancient Greece and the original location of the Olympic Games. It also contributed as a religious center for Zeus, the king of all Greek Gods. There were many remains of old temples and structures. At one point, there was a Temple of Zeus that was once named one of the seven wonders of the world.  This place was a common ground between all ancient Greek cities, where they got to compete in the form of Olympic games. We viewed sites like the race track where Greeks used to run under a large stadium. We raced on the track just like the athletes would have centuries ago. We also saw the remains of what used to be a gymnasium where athletes would practice for the games and perform some events. This structure was half of what it used to be, unfortunately. We saw the old bathrooms, the echo stoa, the palaestra, and the temple of Zeus.  Fun fact is that the OCOG used to be located in one of the ruins as well. There was not much left of these places, but seeing the remains was pretty cool. It, unfortunately, fell to ruins by the Roman Empire but was revisited and brought back to life in the 1800s when the Olympics were re-created. 

After viewing some of these sites, we took a walk to some of the museums linked with the archeological sites. In these museums, we got some history about some of the objects used in the games. We saw statues that used to be in the temples and learned the significance behind the different eras and sides of the games. Some important statues included that of Zeus, Hera, and Hermes as they all had very important roles in the ancient Olympic games. We also saw a layout of what Olympia used to look like, and every structure that we had previously mentioned we got to see in full. There were also important gear like weapons and helmets that showed the lifestyle of the athletes and Greek people. My favorite statue was the disc thrower, as we talked about this statue on the trip and it was the first one I had seen. 

After the museums, we went to get some food and shop in the local shops. We got some authentic Greek food which was amazing, and we all got some gifts from the stores. After, we met back up with our bus driver and departed for the long and awaited trip to Athens for the remainder of the trip. We ended with some late dinner and had a full day of fun for our first day in Athens tomorrow!