Med Cruise: Olympia

Our final stop on the cruise was a small resort town in Greece called Katakolon (or Katakolo, as I've since seen it spelled. I still can't pronounce it). Once again we signed up for an official excursion, this time to see the ruins at Olympia.

We boarded our bus for the 30 minute drive to the archaeological site and museum. The scenery along the drive proved more depressing than anything. Thanks to the depression in Greece there were more closed store-fronts than open ones (on a Thursday morning). Most of what we drove past looked abandoned. And then there was the garbage. Our tour guide told us that the garbage collectors had been on strike for four months. The result of which was piles of garbage everywhere you looked.

The museum, being a museum, was better maintained. It was a lot of fun walking around the site and looking at all the ruins. Even if I couldn't understand most of what our guide was saying. The whole place was a bit like a college campus, with dorms, the restaurant, and the gym. It was fun to learn about the early history of the Olympics, and to at least see the site where one of the seven wonders used to be. The statue of Zeus has long-since been destroyed.

We also got to go to a museum that housed most of the statues and artifacts that had been dug up on site. I essentially abandoned our group at this point in favor of looking at things on my own. And also because the echoy feedback on my radio was giving me a headache.

After the museum we were given a whopping 30 minutes in the city of Olympia which was almost enough time to order and drink a beer. I had to abandon the food I'd ordered, though. Then it was back to the ship, where we arrived not too long before departure. Kevin had wanted to check out the beach in Katakolon, but there wasn't enough time. The excursion filled our window entirely.

As cool as Olympia was, this was easily my least favorite port. Between a sub-par tour guide, a lack of free time, and the depressing background of Greece, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.