Touring Greece was the most memorable trip of my life, so far. One incredible location after another; a history buff’s dream come true! ♥
Here we were, at the site of the Ancient Olympics; another one of those “pinch me” moments!
The Olympics began in 776 BC and, just like the modern version, were held every four years, until Emperor Theodosius I ended them in 394 AD.
Treasuries: I-XIII
As you can see by the map, it’s a sprawling site with many points of interest.
[click bottom of images to stop/start slideshows]
At this point, we doubled back towards the entrance.
After spending all morning at the site, we took a tour of the Olympia Museum.
A few highlights:
Slideshow photos ©DDB
Can’t you just picture the athletes in all their glory?
Looking forward to your comments!
#AtoZChallenge 2014: O is for ANCIENT OLYMPIA #dogladysden Share on X
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
28 thoughts on “#AtoZChallenge: “O” is for OLYMPIA”
Oh how very cool Debbie, so neat to see the birthplace of the Olympics!
Glad you enjoyed this, Millie. It was incredible to be standing on the very spot where those athletes competed centuries ago!
Thanks for this reminder of how ancient our Olympic traditions are. They were such a civilized and barbaric society (kind of like today, I guess!). This was the first winter, watching the Olympics, that I wondered if their time had passed. The glow, magic, awe, – whatever made those struggles to reach that pinnacle worthwhile – I just didn’t feel it. Is it just me or has the over-exposure and availability of seeing so many other competitions made the Olympics slightly worn?
You could be right about that Sammy. What bothers me too about today’s Olympics, is that they allow pro athletes to compete in team sports (although I’m right in there, cheering on my favourites). Isn’t this supposed to be about amateur athletics?
You make me wanna visit all of these places that you are sharing 🙂 such variety 🙂 loved this post.
So glad you’re enjoying these articles! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
Greece is and always has been one of the top of my list.
Thank you for confirming that
Greece is a dream destination, for sure! Hope you get there one day, Carol. 🙂
So happy you enjoyed traveling in Greece:-) Thanks for taking me back to Olympia – truly a great place to vision history coming alive:-)
I loved the whole tour of Greece and want to go back, because there’s so much more to explore! Glad you enjoyed the post, Eli. 🙂
Lovely photo essay! Greece is definitely on my travel bucket list. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Did they say when/why they quit competing in the nude for the Olympics? That would really freak people out these days!~Tui Snider~ I\’m dropping by from today\’s #AZchat on Twitter!
Welcome to The Den, Tui. 🙂 The Ancient Olympic Games were abolished by order of the Roman emperor Theodosius II. He was a Christian and considered the Olympics to be Pagan rituals.
It’s amazing to see these photos and realize just how long athletes have been competing in the Olympics. What an incredible experience to see Olympia!
It truly was amazing, Laurel! Like going back in time. Thanks for visiting.
I lived in Greece (Piraeus) for a while and the whole time I was there, I felt as if I were re-living history.
That must have been fascinating, Lee! 🙂 We felt the same way during those two short weeks. Thanks for visiting.
Another Olympus post… Great!
Wow pictures
Must have been so exciting going to see those ancient Olympic sites at Olympia, Debbie. So interesting. I’d love to see them, too. Thanks for the virtual tour!
Glad you enjoyed the tour, Cathy. Hope you get there one day. 🙂
If your mean Mount Olympus, from Eli’s post, that’s over 500 km northeast of Ancient Olympia. Glad you enjoyed this, anyway. 🙂
Visiting Greece is still my dream. Maybe someday…I hope. Olympia is beautiful.
Olympia was incredible, Mary! Hope you get there one day. 🙂
You and Eli are seriously long lost sisters I guess. She wrote about olympia too! Loved the post.. felt like a virtual tour!
Actually, Eli wrote about Mount Olympus, which is over 500 km north of Ancient Olympia. Glad you enjoyed the tour. 🙂
Wow just coming from a description of Olympus and now this… travel bug ahoy !!
PhenoMenon
Greece is a wonderful place to visit. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this.
This reminds me of an essay I had to write in school about the beginning of Olympics…
Fascinating!
Ah, so you’re familiar with it then. 🙂 This site was incredible!