The Olympic Games are returning home to Greece where they first began. Most visitors to the Olympic Games in 2004 will probably want to pay a visit to the ruins of ancient Olympia, in the Peloponnese,  to see the stadium and extensive ruins of associated buildings and temples.

The ancient site can be found just two kilometres outside  the small town of Olympia or Olimbia. There is a large car and coach park attached, where there are also vendors of snacks, gifts and postcards. Many visitors arrive by coach on day trips from Athens or as part of a classical tour of Greece. The journey from Athens by road takes about three and a half hours on excellent new roads.

Parking

When we visited, some enterprising Greeks had set up their own car park and refreshments tent in a field on the approach to the site and were standing on the road, waving people in. As a visitor, unfamiliar with the area, it's difficult to know which is the official car park, but the unofficial one is a fair walk from the ancient site, and costs a fee whereas the official one is close to the gates and was free. So, drive on until you can actually see the sign and gates for Olympia. If there are coaches parked there - it's the right one.

The Museum

A museum now houses many of the ancient treasures. There is an entry fee to the museum and site, but it's worth every penny. The guide book identifies all the ruins and foundations remaining,. It's a fascinating journey into the life of the competitors and visitors. In the museums you will discover wonderful sculptures and statues that glorify the human form, as well as those of Roman emperors and important dignitaries. There are friezes of battles, and the helmet of Miltiades, who presented his helmet to Zeus after the victory at the battle of Marathon.

The Archaeological Site

It's a fairly large and well documented site, with the ruins of buildings that either served the needs of the athletes and administrators, or had a spiritual purpose.  There are myths and legends that link the worship of Zeus with the founding of the Olympic Games, and if you visit, you will be able to see the remains of the Temple of Zeus, and the Great Altar of Zeus which was the largest of sixty nine altars in the Sanctuary.  There are ruins of colonnades, baths, a gymnasium, a hippodrome where the equestrian events were held.  The origin of many terms in the English language becomes evident as you walk around this site.  The original games were held in the very hot summer months of July and August.  There is little shelter from the hot sun nowadays, so do go prepared.

The Olympic Stadium

The original Olympic Stadium where men competed naked, is grassed over, but it's easy to envisage how it would have been. Women, apart from the Priestess of Demeter were not permitted to look upon this spectacle. The penalty for breaking this rule was death. It's very tempting to run around the grassy stadium as athletes once did, and many of us actually did this. 

Greece is a country where the past lies evident all around in the ruins. It's a place where the ancient gods of mythology live on, in literature, and people's minds. Whether you're a historian, art lover, or tourist, you cannot fail but become intellectually and emotionally involved with ancient Greece today.

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