Olympia is considered one of the important tourist sites in the Peloponnese island, where the olympic games started back in 8th century BC. As in many of the Greek sites, what you’ll mostly see are ruins, accompanied by a decent museum neary, a taste of the former glory and worship of human anatomy and competition. There are lots of fascinating stories about Olympia, a good mix of inspiration, horror, awe, sexuality, as all good stories go, so if you make an effort to go beyond the ruins and dig deep to learn a bit about the local history I bet you’ll find plenty of jaw dropping details to keep you interested.
We also ventured to the nearby Olympia town to take a look at the terrific Archimedes Museum, the Greek mathematician genius from 3th century BC who – together with other Greek geniuses – used what we now consider fairly basic math to create remarkable inventions that have transformed civilization and have provided the Greek with clear advantage in all aspects of life.
During our visit to the little town, schools from across the region came to Olympia to takepart in a sports challenge, and it was inspiring to see these kids competing in Olympia but supporting each other to ensure all members make it all the way to the finishing line.
We came expecting ruins, but we found remarkable historical tales of Greek life, a wonderful small museum that blew our minds, and a lovely demonstration of human spirit in the kids taking part in the sports challenge. Could not have wished for a better stopover while roaming the Peloponnese,
First, the ruins of Olympia…
The streets of modern Olympia…
With the kids doing the sports challenge…
and the Archimedes Museum…
Location:
Be sure to make a stop if you’re visiting the island.