Olympia Favorite Tips by SirRichard

THE OLYMPIC STADIUM
Through...

Favorite thing: <BR><font color=red size=+1>THE OLYMPIC STADIUM</font><BR>
Through this still standing <font color=red>arch</font> the athletes of the original Games entered the main stadium, from which is only kept the playground. It was the place where the first competitions, a run down the length of the stadium (142,25 meters), were held.

THE MUSEUM
If the ruins and...

Favorite thing: <BR><font color=red size=+1>THE MUSEUM</font><BR>
If the ruins and the landscape are worth the visit, the museum is a real must! Built up in 1975, it houses the breathtaking pediments from the Temple of Zeus showing the <font color=red>12 works of Heracles</font>, reconstructed and displayes in a room of the same spacial dimensions as its original setting.<BR>
To reach the museum, follow the tourists (I mean, follow the signs past the archeological site).<BR>
Telephone +30-624-22.529 / Full admission 1.200 grd / Ticket for both museum and site 2.000 grd / Reduced admission: (students from countries outside the E.U., citizens of the E.U. aged over 65) 600 grd.

ARCHEOLOGICAL...

Favorite thing: <BR><font color=red size=+1>ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE</font><BR>
Unfortunately, the treasuries unearthed in the excavations begun in 1829 were taken to the Louvre Museum, but the ruins of the temples are imposing enough and the natural environment make the visit worth enough.<BR>
Telephone +30-624-22.517 / Fax: +30-626-22.529

OLYMPIC GAMES
In this sacred...

Favorite thing: <BR><font color=red size=+1>OLYMPIC GAMES</font><BR>
In this sacred place, every four years, the greeks organized athletic contests in honour to Zeus. This 5 days (during the summer full moon) were a period of peace, and an excuse to reunite all the greek polis, giving all this independent groups a sense of unity. According to legend, the Olympic Games began after a victory by Pelops against Oenomaos, King of Pissa.<BR>
In 1896 Pierre de Coubertain recovered the spirit of that ancient games (banned in AD 393) to establish the <a href=http://www.olympic.org/ target=_blank>Olympic Games</a> as we know them, stablishing the 1st Games of the Modern Era in Athens.

THE CHERRY TREES
The best time...

Favorite thing: <BR><font color=red size=+1>THE CHERRY TREES</font><BR>
The best time of the year to visit Olympia is undoubtely <font color=red>April</font>. The weather is mild, the place is empty, the rates are low, and the cherry trees are wonderfully flowered all over the place.