Temple of Zeus

Katakolon, Greece. Where in the h/?? is that, and why are we stopping here. Katakolon is on the western side of Greece on the Ionian Sea coast. It also is the gateway to the village of Olympia and the site of the ancient Olympic Games.



We met with our tour group, there were 20 of us, and boarded our van for the 45 minute ride to the Olympic site. There we met up with our guide, a charming young lady who spoke very good English. She was very well prepared and provided us with all kinds of stories about the site.

Another view of the Temple of Zeus

The area known as Altis (a variation of Alsos, meaning “sacred grove”) is located between the river Alpheios and the river Kladeos. Olympia was a most important sanctuary and oracle of Zeus. The area owes it fame to the games that took place here. People started visiting this site in the early 8th century B.C. Building began appearing in the 7th century B.C. Building continued to be added until the early 3rd century A.D. The first games began in 776 A.D. and continued for many years.

 The temple of Zeus was built between 470 and 457 B.C. The statue of Zeus, which has been destroyed, was one of the 7 wonders of the world. It stood inside the great colonnade. He was seated on a throne with Nike in his right hand and a scepter in his left. He was seated on an ebony throne decorated with mythological figures.

Entrance to Olympic Field

The Olympia site is quite large as are some of the structures. There are a couple of stories as to how the site was destroyed. The first is by a great earthquake, which occurs with some regularity around here. The second has to do with religion. Remember that this was a religious site for the worship of Zeus. Priest was the only permanent residences. When Christianity came into being in the Roman Empire, Rome had conquered Greece; the site was not in their best interest. They torched the area and then later an earthquake finished knocking down the site. There was wood used in the construction as well as stone, if you are wondering how they could burn the site.

Starting Blocks and Olympic Field

Judi and I took several pictures and I took some in the museum. Judi and I do not spend a lot of time looking at statues with pieces missing for very long. The rubble of one site starts to blend with the rubble of another site. Don’t get us wrong, the sites and stories are interesting but rubble is rubble.

After leaving the Olympia site we went back into the town of Olympia and had lunch at a quaint little Greek restaurant. The lady that owned the place had gone to the market this morning and purchased fresh ingredients for our meal. We of course started with wine, some fried cheese, Greek olives and a Greek salad. We had Mousaka for the main course. She then brought out a desert that the early Greeks had prepared for their guest. It was a phyllo crust around a cheese mixture. It was good, but not chocolate.


We walked around town for a short time. This was easy because the town consist of 3 streets about ¼ mile long. Then it was back to the ship and head out for the island of Corfu.

Zeus and Boy Friend Ganymedes