The next stop was Olympia, and while there is not much to say about that town – the hotel we stayed in was INCREDIBLE and I could have spent three days poking around in those ruins. The Olympian Asty was not easy to find, but was well worth the effort, and had we been smart, we would have eaten dinner there, too. I swam in their luxurious pool before we headed out to find dinner. There was not a lot in the town, and as it turned out, where we did eat was really barely edible, despite the high rating that the National Geographic Traveler book gave it. (Clearly they have not updated their recommendations recently, no matter what their publisher says.)
Pat was quite taken by the serenity of the monument. I was taken with its size and the fact that a lot had been uncovered, but there was still the sense that it was “ruins” not renovated. We entered the field of the athlete with our trusty guide who explained a lot of the history of not only the monument, but the town, the politics and the impact and controversy of the previous year’s fire, which apparently started in the hills over Olympia. There are some conspiracy theorists who think maybe the fire was started by those who want to clear the mountains’ forests to build hotels and resorts, so now there is a battle waging over what is allowed to be done with the now cleared forest land.
But back to Olympia – the athletic field remains the same as it did for the first Olympic Games. One can actually stand on the starting line – a lip of stone buried just below ground level and run towards the end of the field, as did all those Olympic athletes before us. The ground still gently slopes up where the spectators sat to watch the games, even the arch where the athletes entered the field still stands with the same tunnel of walls that we see in all the US athletic arenas. Of course there was one difference, there were women in the stadium, that never would have occurred in the days of the original Greek games, or when the Romans came later. And there would have been no question of the discussion of political issues – the origin of the games was exactly for the purpose of political discussions – resolutions, deal making, threat breaking, an opportunity for a meeting of all of the world leaders in one place to work out issues that otherwise would lead to more bloodshed. There was no discussion of not discussing world problems – there were opportunities created to solve the problems. The athletes knew they were just that – athletes, tools of the political regimes to be used as entertainment for the real purpose of the games – strategic discussions of matters of the utmost geopolitical importance.
This is where the light the Olympic Flame of the modern games. It didn't happen in the original games, but a stone cauldron was here from other rituals, and from that cauldron comes the lighting of the torch ceremony.And with that – there was a sense of tranquility and intellectualism and hopefulness that emanated from that site. The massive rows of columns, now standing outlining the huge arenas for the various sporting events or temples of discussion were majestic and awe inspiring in their size and their number. The museum that housed either copies of or actual relics was significant for the depiction of the athlete and who they were competing for – their honor was to win it for their country and for their deity.
