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Day 5: March 13, 2019
So today we are visiting the "fields of peace" in OLYMPIA where the Olympic Games began in 776BC. I say fields of peace because the best athletes were also the best warriors so of course there was peace among the warring city states of Greece when the games occurred. It was and still is an honor to participate in the Games but during antiquity the highest crown was the olive wreath awarded to the winner of the chariot race which required the finest skills of controlled strength and endurance. OLYMPIA is beautiful and peaceful, in the Spring the fields are covered with poppies and marigolds and our groups stroll through flowers to see the age old monuments dedicated to the gods of Ancient Greece. Even today, whenever the Olympics occur, summer and winter, the flame of peace is lit here with a vivid ceremony evoking ancient times. It's always in the world press and you may well have seen it. We're here. Right now!!! We had a great evening in Delphi yesterday, I accompanied most of Heather’s group to the local disco along with parents and chaperones and we all had a grand time! We left our DELPHI hotel just after 8am this morning, driving along the beautiful coastline of the Gulf of Corinth and crossing over the Rio Antirio suspension bridge into the Peloponnese. After our guided sightseeing tour and a delicious lunch at the Ambrosia Restaurant we stopped to sample a variety of olive oils, honey and local sweets before continuing to our next hotel in Tolo on the Aegean side of the Peloponnese. And today we are celebrating two birthdays...one that is belated and the other in the here and now moment... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ROBIN & BEST BELATED BIRTHDAY WISHES TO SAUL, our youngest fellow traveler who turned 16 on our groups’ scheduled arrival day..... How wonderful to celebrate your special days!