Mediterranean Vacation {Olympia, Greece}

After Bari, we sailed overnight to Katakolon, Greece.  I'd already arranged a rental car for the day, so when we disembarked, all we had to do was walk a quarter-mile into town, pick up our car, and we were on our way.  We love driving ourselves in other countries - it gives you so much freedom, and it's so much better than a crowded tour bus.  A word about driving in Greece, though... You may think it is a 2 lane country road with a nice, wide shoulder and old Fiats puttering along at 30 mph.  It is not.  It is a 4-lane autobahn and you'd better have nerves of steel and a lead foot.  

We did our own little self-guided tour, and successfully managed to avoid the masses.  There are signs all around Olympia in Greek and English, so we had no problem knowing what we were looking at.

  

 After leaving the ruins, we walked a little further on to the Archaeological Museum, where most of the decorative items from the site are kept.  It was a lovely building, absolutely covered in marble, and very well laid out.

Sculptural pediments from the ruined Temple of Zeus - pretty impressive!

We were lucky in Greece; the weather was beautiful, and we very much enjoyed our drive back to the harbor.  We even squeezed in a little time for shopping (there is a cute little olivewood shop amongst all the kitsch, look for it!) and sitting in the sun by the harbor.

There is always room for a snack!

I had always wondered if the water in Greece was really that color. 

My Keens were waterlogged for days after walking through rainy Venice.  I took the laces out and used our cabin's hairdryer (super-classy, I know!) to de-soggify them before hitting the street in Katakolon.  My feet, however, were sore for the duration of the cruise.  I have no idea why I was so ridiculous with my footwear on this trip.  Travel tip: Bring waterproof boots to Venice. 

 Such a beautiful day.  Greece is on the 'places to go back to' list, for sure.

all photos, ours