20 Years Later

It was a little bit tense sorting out the issues with the motorcycles. As with most of the trip this anxiety and confusion could have been avoided by simple communication. Some people just do not have these skills...or don't feel the need to share information, too bad, an especially disappointing quality for tour leaders. I have decided not to ride for the remainder of the tour. I will ride in the support van. The day was pretty crazy as the group tried to avoid several rain storms, lightning and thunder! I guess it was a good time to be riding in the van.

We ended up taking refuge on the porch of a really nice Museum. The Hora Museum houses a beautiful collection of pottery and artifacts from Nestors palace dating 15-16 century.
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21107n/e211gn01.html

In order to avoid the rain the days route kept changing....but we finally ended up in Olympia late in the day. The hotel we stayed in had a beautifully decorated lobby and pool area. The weather was much cooler and clouds and rain continued to move through the area.

Modern Olympia

We had a nice dinner at one of the many outdoor cafes then walked around Modern Olympia, which was lined with souvenir shops and merchants very anxious to sell since it was the end of the season.

The next day Kevin went with the group on a loop ride to Apollos Temple.

tents covering Apollos Temple Site

Apollos Temple

He really enjoyed this ride and the temple.
I spent the day relaxing at the hotel and shopping with Kay. She was great at handling the very pushy merchants!

In the afternoon Kevin and I explored the ancient site of Olympia. We were very surprised at what a wonderful place this actually is. There were very few tourists there. This is a huge site, being able to freely walk around gave us a good sense of what it must have been like...way back then. Imagine travelling for weeks to get to Olympia, over dirt roads wide enough for carts and goats. Winding up into the green mountains and then staying in this large village with imposing temples and houses, with the best athletes of the time. The outdoor field where the games were held had a seating capacity of over 40,000 people!

We also recommend the museum at Ancient Olympia. It was an incredible collection of statues such as Hermes and Dyonisis and the famous Nike, as well as wonderful artifacts from the ancinet games.
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21107m/e211gm04.html