Sabbatical Day 13

July 2, 2004--Day 13
The breakfast at the hotel was okay and free. (There was a controversy last night at dinner regarding whether beverages were gratis). We went to the other hotel to pick up the Australian women around 8:15 a.m. The rest of the morning was spent driving through the mountains to Olympia. The ride was not pleasant. The road is narrow with many hair pin turns. Along the side of the road are many tiny chapel markers dedicated to people who died in (or who were saved from) auto accidents. We eventually made it to Olympia and toured the museum after a much-needed trip to the W.C. I was slightly embarrassed when I was the last one to return to the meeting spot. The museum was good, but again rushed. We saw the pediment from the Temple of Zeus (?) featuring the battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs and the Hermes by Praxiteles, which is so famous and important that it gets its own room in the museum. Lunch (and another trip to the W.C.) was at the nearby Ambrosia restaurant. Rather than having chicken again, I opted for the American sounding hamburger. It was two small patties, fries, and zucchini. The zucchini was the best part of the meal. I’ve learned that fries cooked in olive oil are nasty. After lunch, we went to the Ancient Olympia archaeological site. We saw the place where the Olympic flame is lit, and the stadium where the ancient games were held. We also saw the remains of Zeus’ temple, where Phideas’ colossal gold and ivory statue was. Our guide liked to remind us that it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. (Only one of the Wonders exists today—the Great Pyramid at Giza). We are staying at a Best Western tonight. It is about dinner time. Tonight we’re going out… I think I’d rather sleep, but the whole group is going. One reason I’d rather not go is that everybody smokes, especially the locals. There is even one guy smoking in the pool.
Walking in the Footsteps of St. Paul—20346