But, the games were discontinued when the Byzantine Empire conquered the area because it was known to be pagan. This unwarranted persecution, combined with floods and
The Archaeological Site exhibited the past glory of this important place but only in ruins. The Museum had some restored to the estimated original state of some sculptures and buildings.
The Zeus looked like this.
These glass vessels were used even before Christ. Huh...!
Herme was supposed to be a messenger, but had the most ideal body shape of a man. Even his butts. Would you agree? The brand name Hermes has come from his name, I believe...
For every Olympic game, the fire needs to be made at Olympia, by Greek young actress students, and the torch is carried by runners to the Athens Stadium where the modern Olympic Games resumed in 1896 by runners. From there, the torch is transported to the venue holding every Olympic game by air or by boat. Even while in air or on the water, the torch fire remains burning. The place where the fire is made was not a well-decorated place, but a small altar where they used to make offerings to the goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus. They collect the sun light from here, supposed to be from Apollo, the god of light, signifying his blessing.
The stadium where the Ancient Olympic games took place was covered with grass and can accommodate up to 45,000 spectators. We had a chance to run the same filed where the Ancient Olympians competed. Well... I could not beat a young Kiwi from New Zealand in his 20's. He received the crown made of olive branches just like in the past. The reason why Nike, the goddess of victory, is holding the olive-leaf crown. She is holding a sword with the other hand, ready to punish those who are cheating or not exhibiting sportsmanship.
Do you see me running at the front, but about to be overtaken by another guy with black shirt? Well, actually, there is another guy who was far ahead. The young Kiwi guy.
On the way to Olympia, we crossed the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It is called Rio-Antirrio Bridge. It was built in Greece between 1998 and 2004 to augment one of the oldest ferry systems in Europe. It has a suspended deck of 7,388 feet (2252 m), four pylons and five spans totalling 1,837 feet (560 m).
We stopped over at an olive farm, Magna Grecia, where we had an opportunity to taste olive products. They collect manually the olives that will be served at the table. Others are harvested by machines for making olive oils and other products. Olive trees are known to grow for 15- 25 years and produce olives for 1500-2000 years. It is indeed a long term investment. I ended up feeding my empty stomach with olive-oil-soaked bread pieces. ^^
Olympia... the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games have now come alive with a renewed meaning to me. - Jeffrey
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