Rodon Olympia

Just before 6am I awoke to the first sounds of thunder. After a beautiful day yesterday, and a clear night, this was not what I wanted to hear. Having planned to head out from Olympia, we were stuck while shower after shower drenched everything around. <br><br>A quick run into town revealed a hostel that only cost 1 Euro more than the campground (major rip off). The debate of what to do to avoid the rain began ...

... that held those first games in 776 BC. The time span boggles the mind. <br><br> But first there was the tacking of crowds. I tried to get up and out as soon as possible to arrive at opening time, but it wasn&#8217;t going to happen. There was coffee, and Brian&#8217;s hair, and internet, and breakfast. By the time we made out way to the site, the parking lot was full of busses. Great ...

... wet and cold and not having any fun. I can&#8217;t see the scenery I so want to, and we have no desire to go to any sights in the rain. What&#8217;s going on?<br><br>Upon reaching the campground I couldn&#8217;t take anymore. It had only been 2 hours cycling in the rain, but the rain wasn&#8217;t letting up. Here we were in Olympia and I couldn&#8217;t see it! I didn&#8217;t know what to do ...

... the exact spot where the Olympic flame comes from every single Olympics, which is on an altar where wild boar were sacrificed to the goddess each time the Olympics were held. <br><br>And my favorite part.... drum roll please.... I got to run the length of the stadium where the footraces were! EEEEE! Ok, I'm lying a little.. I didn't sprint or anything, I just jogged (on my pylon leg), but whatever, I did it! Pretty much amazing to be there, especially after I ...

... Zeus, pools, the stadium where they ran (including the starting line) and the statue podiums of the winners and cheaters. The statues are no longer there but the podiums and the inscriptions of who won, the date, the coach and what the sport was, was all inscribed on the rock podium in Greek and is still at the site today. We both agreed this was well worth the trip- it was very cool to see the origins of the Olympics and the ruins didn&#8217;t disappoint ...

... them. We then went to the Museum on site and it was apparent just how important the games were in their time period. The museum detailed the archaeological finds, notably Hermes holding Dionysus as a baby. I really wish I remembered more of my Greek Mythology from my dreaded high school English classes!

... officials for permits to build hotels and houses on the ruined ground. The villages of the Peloponnese were hit the worst by the fire damage. One year later, people are still living in tents with no help from the government, which seemed to pocket or misappropriate the donations from the international community, and charred trees stand everywhere with no ...

... and achieve would be dead and worthless if we didn't care about how it effected others. Our lives would be nothing but a great depressed misery, temporarily interrupted by personally indulgent thrills or distracted by tasks which carry no meaning, if we only cared about ourself. We could strive to be better than others, but the top is a lonely place, as is the bottom, as would be everywhere in-between. Caring about other people is the only way to consistent and ...

... of the Mani peninsula to Gythio, an attractive port town. Then through small villages and beaches until the sun dipped below the horizon. _______________________________________ ____________________ 25 Oct, Tuesday Start point: Kotronas End point: Cape Matapan Via: Odom(Km): 51.63 Moving(hrs.mim): 4.19 Ave(Km/h): 11.9 Total Ascent(m): 1197 Max Altitude(m) 403 Max ...

... ended facing the temple of Zeus. To start a race, they just did something like said "go", but if you false started, you got flogged. There was no way to time the races, so really the only thing that mattered is who got to the finish line first. Several people ran the length of the field just for fun. I walked it, then Audra, Bekah, and I climbed up on the side of the hill behind the altar of Demeter and took pictures so it looked like we were standing on top of it. It was fun.