Ruined

The next morning we drove about four hours in the rain on the beautiful back roads, stopping for coffee in a tiny little town. As it turned out the restaurant also offered beef with potatoes, chicken with potatoes, lamb with potatoes, vegetables with potatoes, and potatoes with potatoes. We opted for some delicious bean soup and then puffed back to the car and headed to Olympia.

The long drive to Olympia was worth it. Although we arrived late in the afternoon we did have about an hour to check out the museum where we took pictures with the statues and got in big trouble (again! We will never learn?). I did found my heart’s desire, although, if looks aren’t everything, then Antinous may not be perfect for me. Consider that:
1. He died (by drowning) before he reached age 18;
2. He was a member of the entourage of Roman Emperor Hadrian. (How politically correct is that?);
3. He was born almost 2,000 years before me.

We saw the massive ruins, including the large stadium, the gymnasiums and dormitories. Cheryl found the place where cheating athletes were made to stand in disgrace, with their monetary fines being used to help finance the games.

The journey back to Athens was harrowing. We were on winding, two-lane mountain roads; it was dark and pouring rain. Toby did a great job driving and navigating. We limped into Athens airport just a few minutes late to return our car. After gathering our suitcases and our confidence we took the Metro into central Athens. Luckily we had been there before so we knew where to disembark and exactly how to get to our hotel.