Olympia and western Peloponnese

On a sunny Sunday morning at around 8.00 a.m., we hoisted our anchor and left the Ionian Islands. A half wind of 8-10 kn and calm seas allowed us to sail towards the Peloponnese at 6 kn.

Cultural centre Peloponnese

It is fair to say that the Peloponnese was once the centre of Europe. The Mycenaean culture was already an advanced civilisation in 1,600 BC, when the rest of Europe was still sitting on trees. Who doesn’t know the heroic sagas from Homer’s Illiad with King Agamemnon, the Trojan War and the many superheroes. But above all, culture and economy were very well developed here very early on. Olympia and western Peloponnese

In 800 BC, Sparta and Corinth set the pace. And of course there were the Olympic Games, which were held for the first time in 776 BC in – no surprise – Olympia. We really wanted to see this place. However, it is located inland and so we needed a safe place for the Rivercafe. These days it is sometimes brazenly windy.

Katakolo – Olympia

Our friend Trip recommended the village of Katakolo, with a perfect connection to historic Olympia. There are rental cars, busses and a train availabe. We docked Rivercafe at the public town pier, right in the small village with tavernas on the waterfront. 100 metres away, a small train runs directly to Olympia twice a day for €10 each way.

This perfect location is not an insider tip and smaller cruise ships also call at Katakolo. Quite entertaining when a village of 500 inhabitants is ‘flooded’ by 2,000 tourists from two ships. But most day are less or no cruise ship guests in town. Maybe its getting more in high season. Olympia and western Peloponnese

“Tiny” 3-mast vessel, tiny cruiseship

The day of our visit to Olympia was perfect: no cruise ship and sunshine. After a 50-minute train journey, we got off at Olympia and set off on the short walk. Whoever chose the location for the competition venue – it’s a fantastic choice. Nature blooms and sprouts lushly. Olympia and western Peloponnese

With over 2.700 years there a still some columns standing. What a construction quality that was.  The atmosphere is still magical. There is a lot of restoration work going on and a few signs point out the enormous financial outlay. An entrance fee of €20 per person for the venues and the museum is ok. The museum is less about sport and more about broken jugs, statues and architectural remains. It’s all very stone-heavy. Sad enough the goddess Nike – the name was abused by an American sports brand and misspelled – lost her head.

Goddess Nike

The model (photo below) shows the numerous buildings, the stadium and the temples. Olympia and western Peloponnese

Some disciplines have been preserved to this day. But running in full armour, brutal horse races à la Ben Hur or Pankraton (something like martial arts) are not on the agenda today. The spectator centre was the running track, with space for 45,000 spectators on its slopes. The track was 192 metres long – as tested by Ka.

Ka tested the racetrack, space for the audience in the meadows, main entrance to the arena

No women but oiled bodies Olympia and western Peloponnese

Only men were allowed to participate and watch, women were excluded. It is doubtful that the men therefore competed naked and oiled. There were special buildings for washing and ‘rolling in the sand’ – I found that particularly funny. Of course, there wasn’t enough accommodation in such a remote region, so tents were provided for guests.

   

Magic place Olympia

The Olympias site is very beautiful, but it is surrounded by a lot of countryside and is quite remote in the western Peloponnese. The journey for athletes and spectators at the time was an arduous one and became a pilgrimage. It took 10 days from Athens and up to 6 weeks from Sicily. On our journey, we found plaques in Crotone (Italy, Calabria) with the historical athletes of the games. The Olympic Games were already a ‘world event’ in the ancient edition. Olympia and western Peloponnese

Divine instead of commercial

If it was a hassle to get here, at least you didn’t have to pay an entrance fee. However, this was not because means of payment were not invented until 200 years later. It was about spirituality, not commerce. Does today’s IOC realise this? The Olympic Games were a tribute to the gods, especially Zeus. He had his own temple (huge of course) – just like his Hera. Attending, and even more so participating, was a great honour. The winners became heroes. They didn’t receive any prize money, but other privileges, such as tax exemption in some places. It was a special experience for us to have visited the Olympics and we are more than happy to have the privilege to see this historic site.

Lovely Cafes after the Olympia visit right in the Olympia village

About the Peloponnese

Once you arrive in the Peloponnese, it feels undecided if its mainland or an island. The Peloponnese is technically a peninsula, connected to the Greek mainland only by the Corinth Canal. At 21,500 square kilometres, it is the size of East Anglia in UK or New Jersey in US. In fact its 8 times bigger than Luxembourg. Just under a million of the 10 million Greeks live here. Over the next few months, we will slowly sail around this pearl of Europe. On the next leg we will sail further south along endless beaches. / Holger Binz