We are still in Greece today, but in Katakolon. This is
considered the gateway Olympia, the ancient site
where the Olympics were originally staged in 776 BC. It is also the
current harbor of the capital city of Pyrgos. Pyrgos has a population of
100,000 people. However, it is Orthodox Easter Sunday and almost everything is
closed. Katakolon,
today, is the second most busy cruise port of Greece, after Piraeus port,
according to recent statistics. They get 500 ships per year in this port.
Many of the structures that can still be seen today date back as
far as the 9th century BC. Due to natural disaster and the
destruction of the site by Theodosius, Ancient Olympia is mostly comprised of
foundations, columns, and steps. However, its sheer size symbolizes the
importance of this archaeological site, built as a shrine to the gods. The
stadium had a capacity of 40,000 spectators and was the largest of it kind.
We did not do a tour today, as with the winery and the Olympic
stadium closed, there was not a lot to see. We walked around the port of
Katakolon. It is a pretty little seaside town. They have lots of little shops
and places to eat and drink. We took a small hop on, hop off ‘train’ that had
two stops and took 30 minutes. It was to go to the winery, but since it was
closed they skipped that, but we did go to a beach. We got some sand and nice
pictures. We also went through a very small town we quaint little houses. When
we got back we found a small little café on a back street and had a couple of
beers.
1 – Pilot Boat
2 – Shore line
3-4 Shopping area
5 – Church
6 – Hop on, hop off train
7 – Hotel
8-9 Homes
10 – Olive trees
11-12 Sheep
13-16 Homes
17-19 Beach
20 - Café
21 – Greek Islands
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