A Wonder to Behold

This was not just an athletic event, it was also a pilgrimage to the sacred site of Zeus. It was here that one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the colossal statue of Zeus rested in all its splendor. And for Steve, it was the completion of being last on the list of the ancient 7 wonders of the world he has visited. Not many can claim that bragging rights. I have only seen 4 of the 7 sites. I still have to see the Pyramids, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and Alexander’s Lighthouse.

The statue of Zeus was over 39 feet tall or about the same height as a 4-story building. It was made of gold covered bronze and ivory. Zeus’s throne was made of ivory, gold, ebony and precious stones. It must have been quite a site to behold. Since the games were as much a religious festival as an athletic event it centered around pagan worship. In the middle of the games, 100 oxen were sacrificed to Zeus. Now days we just offer nachos and salsa.

Ironically it was the pagan worship that eventually caused the demise of the Olympic games. With the decline of the ancient religion, the people attended less and less. In 393 AD, the last of the games were held because Theodosius l prohibited the cult and games from gathering as a way of imposing Christianity as the state religion. Christianity had won out and the statue of Zeus was sent to Constantinople where it was eventually destroyed by fire in 475 AD.

The Glory of the Olympics

Our last port on the Peloponnesus is Katakolon. It is a small quaint 3 street town that has more than its share of souvenir stands. It is not surprising since 2 to 3 cruise ships invade here almost every day. But they don’t come for the town of Katakolon, they come to visit the ancient site of the Olympic games. We jumped on a small train that took us inland about an hour to the rambling pile or rocks that was once the organized site of the Olympic games for over 1000 years. At the height of the games between 150,000 and 200,000 people would attend. This event, held every 4 years, was so important that no matter who was fighting, a truce was honored for a month while athletes and spectators could make their pilgrimage to the games. It was a contest of athletic prowlness that only men could compete or for that matter even watch. If a woman was caught watching the games, she was thrown off a cliff to her death. Yikes, that is pretty strict ticket enforcement. In order to participate, you had to confirm that you had been training for at least 10 months and were of upright character. Only Greek citizens were allowed to participate. Because this was as much an athletic event as a spiritual event celebrating the human form, yes, all athletes performed naked. Now this is the kind of Olympic games I could get into. No Nike logos were to be found on the entire field. Winning an event made you a legendary hero in your hometown. It was the highest honor a human could have bestowed upon him. In fact, some of the Greek gods were legends that came out of the early Olympic games. The victors were only awarded a palm branch and olive leaf crown. It did however come with the benefit of never having to pay taxes again for the rest of your life. As the games continued, city-states would award athletes with large cash prizes as well.

The Last Finger

If you look at the Peloponnesus on a map, it looks like a big bear footprint with 3 claws and a thumb. After 3 weeks of sailing, we are on the last finger of the Peloponnesus. This coast has always been an important part of the trade route from India to Europe. Who ever controlled this coast controlled the flow of spices, silk, precious metals, gems, pearls and perfume flowing into Europe. It is why this area is covered with forts and castles and has changed control from one empire to the next more often then Madonna changes boyfriends. We have seen castles built by the French, added on to by the Venetians, and then had a tower built by the Turks.

It is also an area inhabited by Logger turtles. It is not uncommon to see a 2-foot turtle swimming in the bay. They can become quite friendly and some restaurants regularly clean their fish at the waters edge so these big playful turtles will swim right next to the waterfront while you are having dinner.

The Warriors of Sparta

In the heart of the Peloponnesus, just north of Mistras is the area where the Spartans built their community. It is a rugged and mountainous region with rich fertile valleys. In this ancient civilization there were three distinct classes: the peasants, the tradesmen/artisans and the landowners/warriors. Those chosen to be warriors were forbidden to work for the rest of their life. Training constantly the art of war would start at the age of 7. They ate and slept communally with the barest essentials. Hence the modern term “spartan conditions”. At age 20, all of that training would be put use by a series of initiation tests. Part of that ultimate test included being flogged within an inch of your life. The military officers would abandon the warrior in training in the wilderness and instruct them to kill any peasant they came across who were outside after dark. It was not unheard of for the trainee to die in the initiation process. And if the testing didn’t kill you, the fighting probably would. In battle, you were expected to give your life without hesitation. In 580 B.C. only 300 of these fierce warriors stood up against the entire Persian army. Isn’t there a Hollywood movie about this famous battle? And if they all have the abs that the guys in the movie had, I would make another rule that if you are a Spartan warrior, you were never allowed to wear a shirt. After holding off the Persian army, Sparta’s reputation as warriors grew to heroic proportions. For centuries it was thought that a Spartan would never be taken alive.

Magnificent Meganisi

This Rorschach blot shaped island has more inlets and jagged coast line than any other of the Ionians. The top is especially well suited for deep anchorages. But the bays are deep and you need a lot of anchor chain to stay in the middle. So the boats are mostly anchored near the shore with a tie line to shore to keep them from swinging. We however did find a shallow enough spot right in the middle to spend the night. It is a big bay and when the night covered the bay, the stars blossomed in the sky. And all around us was a circle of mooring lights on the top of the masts of the other sailboats encircling us like a lite up lasso with us in the center. The water was like glass and little breeze all night. You could not help but jump into the inviting waters of this majestic bay.

Mystra’s Mysteries

We continue up the coast until we get to the top of the second finger and tie up in the Kalamata harbor. It is a large industrial city with not much charm but we did manage to find a very good Gyros restaurant. It is also the nearest port town to Mystra, one of the most important cities during the Byzantine period. We rented a car and drove about 45 minutes inland near the city of Sparta. The drive wound through steep verdant cliffs with spectacular scenery. Mistras was once the Byzantine province capital and it thrived during this time period. While a lot of the town is a pile of rocks where once great mansions rose up, it still has some beautifully preserved Byzantine churches some of which are still plastered and painted with religious icons in their interiors. There are also large public buildings and a large palace that is still standing. A lot of these structures are going through restoration, but the outsides attest to their once great grandeur.

Coolest Cave Ever

We continued to sail down the first finger of the Peloponnesus and then up the second. About half way up the second finger is Diros. Its claim to fame is perhaps the most magnificent cave anywhere in the world. The cave winds through the limestone cliffs and total over 14 kilometers of mapped tunnels. If that is not cool enough, most of the bottom is water, so to view the cave, you climb into a low wooden boat that floats through brilliant white and golden stalactites and stalagmites, glittering crystal drapes and ceilings that look like the underside of a gem-studded pin cushion. Most of the passages are narrow and you have to keep your head low to avoid being smacked on the forehead by a stunning stalactite. I always find caves amazing works of nature, and this one is over the top spectacular.