Day 5 - Welcome to Katakolon!

Katakolon, Greece * Monday, June 19, 2006

From the Navigator:
After leaving Corfu, Golden Princess steamed southeast along the coast of Kerkyra Island (Corfu); overnight set a southerly course in the Ionian Sea, passing west of the Islands of Kefallinia and Zakinthos, In the early hours of the morning, we will make our approach to Katakolon from the south; around sunrise time, Golden Princess will be coming alongside her berth. Around 7:00am we will be secured alongside. After departure, a southeasterly course along the Peloponnisos will be set, around 11:00pm Golden Princesses will transit Elafonisou Strait, then she will head northeast towards Athens.

An Overview of Katakolon

The pretty fishing village of Katakolon is near one of the most important religious centers of ancient Greece.

At a time when the Greek people badly needed a focus of unity, Olympia provided a neutral and attractive center where they could meet, compete, worship, and honor one another for a wide range of accomplishments.

About 1200 BC, following the fall of the Minoan civilization of Crete and the related Mycenean culture, all of Greece slipped back into a dark age. Warfare between tribes and city-states was interminable, even though most people of the region spoke dialects of the same language, and worshipped the same gods. Greece is a relatively small area, but it contained more than 150 small states or political entities. Each was intensely jealous of its own independence and liberties, and each seemed firmly committed to circumventing any possible compromise with its neighbors. Obviously, there was no hope of any growth or peaceful development, unless some basis could be found for collaboration.

What evolved, once good leadership asserted itself, was a series of religious festivals to draw the warring communities together. The two most important of these took place regularly at Delphi and Olympia. The Delphic games were held every two years in honor of Apollo, Olympian god and safeguard of universal harmony. Delphi is a stunning town in central Greece, north of the Gulf of Corinth. It rapidly became one of the most important shrines of the ancient world, due also to the famous Delphi Oracle.

The games at Olympia were held every four years in honor of Zeus, father of the dogs. Since Olympia is located on the isle of the Peloponnesus, athletes and spectators came in droves from southern Greece, and in lesser numbers from everywhere else. The traditional date for the first Olympiad was 776 BC, beginning a tradition that lasted for more than 1,100 years. Special messengers announced the festivities, which were held during July or August at the full moon. A "sacred truce," lasting for an entire month, allowed people to travel safely between their homes and the shrine without any interference. Causing harm to anyone during the truce was considered a horrible sacrilege, and could be severely punished. Cult ceremonies in honor of Zeus were also accompanied by a great fair, attracting what may have been hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Although the athletic contests were limited to only five days, the competitors had to spend a long preparatory phase at Olympia, training under the watchful eyes of the judges. Most of the events--running, jumping, boxing, wrestling, discus and javelin throwing--were thinly disguised skills useful in warfare, but no one was allowed to fight seriously until they had first returned home. Horse racing and chariot racing took place on a special race course.

The winner of each event was crowned with a wreath of olive leaves cut from a sacred tree with a golden sickle. He attended a great banquet, and was celebrated by poets and singers. Some of the more successful city-states built "treasuries" at Olympia to house permanent monuments and votive offerings to honor their many champions. When the Olympic tradition was already centuries old, the Roman Emperor Nero insisted that music and poetry competitions be added, so that he could participate. Conveniently, he won seven prizes.

Because of the immense popularity of the Olympic games, the Temple of Zeus, and the great statue which was housed in it, was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. But the religious aspect of the games declined during the Roman period, and they were stopped altogether by the Emperor Theodosius after 393. The site was abandoned and the buildings fell into ruin. A huge earthquake in the 6th-century completed the damage. Olympia was only rediscovered in the 18th-century, and systematic research began in 1875. The modern Olympic movement began in 1896, when Baron Pierre de Coubertin arranged the first games in Athens. Every four years since then, the torch bearers return here to ignite the flame, which is then carried to the site of the games.

Central to the archaeological zone, as it was to the ancient festivals, is the great Temple of Zeus. Even though it is no more than a chaotic heap of ruins today, the dimensions of the temple are truly impressive. Only a bit smaller than the Parthenon in Athens, it was a classic temple in the Doric style, first built in the 5th-centry BC. Some of the temple's finest decorative sculptures are preserved in the Archaeological Museum. Of special note are the two rich pediments: the long triangular groupings which appeared just below the peaked roof, depicting scenes from mythology.

The original statue of the Olympian Zeus was 44 feet high--seven times life-seize--and lavishly decorated. The god sat on a throne of ivory and ebony, holding a Victory in his right had, a scepter with an eagle in his left. The olive wreath given to Olympic winners also crowned the brow of Zeus himself. In its day, the statue was so huge that wooden galleries were built to enable visitors to see it better. When the great sculptor Pheidias finished the statue, he asked if Zeus approved; according to the legend, a flash of lightning, followed by thunder, was the reply. The studio of Pheidias is not far from the temple; excavations begun in 1955 discovered the design and work room of the great artist.

The Heraion or Temple of Hera, wife of Zeus, is located in the central area as well. You will also find the monument known as the Philippeion, dedicated to Philip of Macedon by his son, Alexander the Great. The ruins of the great Stadium can be traced out of the old competition ground very clearly. Forth thousand people at once could applaud their favorite athletes. It is hard to stand in this place and not hear the echos of their cheers.

Since you're already familiar with the food and drink specialties of this area from our last post, we'll just get straight to the Martini of the Day on the ship: Flirtini (Smirnoff Vodka, house champagne with Cranberry juice)