Sorrento - Bari - Ionian Sea Crossing

We drove across the rugged Apennine Hills to the Port of Bari for an overnight ferry to Greece. As we left the port we saw an awesome sunset and in the distance we could see the lights of Italy. The ferry advertised modern comforts, duty free shops, two restaurants, three bars, disco, casino and swimming pool. Unfortunately reality was it was really old, smelt badly of cigarettes, the room s were stuffy and smelly and the swimming pool was the size of a large spa.

Patras, Greece-Olympia 5th July

Up early to catch sunrise at the Port of Patras Greece. What was noticeable as we neared Patras was the Rio Antirio Bridge which is a 2880 metre long cable stayed bridge crossing the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese to Antirio on mainland Greece. We stopped in Patras and visited the Church of Saint Andrew as the tradition says that Apostle Saint Andrew, the first student of Jesus Christ, was crucified in this town on the site near the port. It also has the largest dome in the Baulkens. From here we drove to Olympia which was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, celebrated every four years by the Greeks. Olympia is in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnisos through which runs the Alpheus River. It was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. Olympia was a national shrine of the Greeks and contained many treasures of Greek art, such as temples, monuments, altars, theaters, statues, and votive offerings of brass and marble. The Altis, or sacred precinct, enclosed a level space about 200m long by nearly 177m broad. In this were the chief centres of religious worship, the votive buildings, and buildings associated with the administration of the games.

The most celebrated temple was the Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the father of the gods. In this temple was a statue of Zeus made of ivory and gold, the masterpiece of the Athenian sculptor Phidias. Next to the Temple of Zeus ranked the Heraeum, dedicated to Hera, the wife of Zeus. In this temple, probably the oldest Doric building known, stood the table on which were placed the garlands prepared for the victors in the games. The votive buildings included a row of 12 treasure houses and the Philippeum, a circular Ionic building dedicated by Philip II, king of Macedonia, to himself. Outside the Altis, to the east, were the Stadium and the Hippodrome, where the contests took place; on the west were the Palaestra, or wrestling school, and the Gymnasium, where all competitors were obliged to train for at least one month.

We visited the site where the Olympic Torch is ignited before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and some of us ran around the hippodrome in 40 degree heat.