KATAKALO

Or

Olympia, Bees, Wine, Dine and of course, Tchotchkies

Katakolon’s {Katakolo} only real claim to fame is two blocks of intense tchotchke shops and cafes.  And… Oh yeah… it is the Sea Port for Olympia, where the first Olympic Games were held in the summer of 776 BC, lasting until the summer of 772 BC. Called the Olympiad throughout Classical antiquity, the Ancient Games were held every four years, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.

The original plan for the day was to get off the boat, buy train tickets for the 30 minute ride to Olympia, browse the ancient ruins, take the train back and browse the Miracle Mile of Tchotchkies, and get back on the boat.

But… during cocktails in the Lounge the night before, Jennifer {of Jennifer & Mark-J&M} asks:

“Whatcha doin’ tomorrow?”

Not waiting for an answer she continued:

“We’ve booked a tour to Olympia

before all the busses,

then a Honey Farm, then a Monastery…

Etc., Etc., Etc., All for €250.”

Now shore-side Tour Guru Chucky immediately figures that if they all join together, it would cut the cost per couple dramatically and asked if We4 could join them.  She said they like to travel pretty fast and solo but sent Mark to the cabin for the contact info for Visit Katakolon.

Chucky promptly got on the phone and booked a similar tour for We4, which still cut the cost per couple and beats anything the Ship offered.

Soooo, first thing this morning We4 and J&M hot foot if off the pier to the agency a block away, which also happens to be the Avis car rental, right past our Tour Driver/Guides who were supposed to be holding signs with our names.  The Manager calls our Drivers who then proceeded to high-tail it to Olympia to beat the heavy tour bus crowds. 

Our driver, Andrea, gave us a running spiel along the way and once there took us to the ticket booth with instructions that he would wait at the entrance of the Museum when we finish with the Ruins. 

Unfortunately the only crowds we beat were the Ship’s tours as a plethora of tour groups from all over the Peloponnese peninsula were descending on the “Ancient Archeological Site”.

We4 originally thought all we they were gonna see was the 1st Olympic stadium, boy were they wrong.  The Archaeological Dig is ENORMOUS.

When the Pic album finally gets sorted and posted you'll see just how big.  Suffice it to say, it is as impressive a Ruin {as in Rocks, Ruins & Temples} as we have ever seen.

After working up a good sweat trekking all over including the Stadium and  bumping into J&M as they were running through the digs, Lenny attempted to re-create the first javelin toss in the stadium and then a Herculean [Samson] push of the columns at the temple of Athena.

A long trek to the Museum led to an impressive display of interesting artifacts and statuary which netted some great pics and concluded our visit to Olympia. 

Next stop, Klio's Honey Farm, where upon arrival and after offering coffee and water, Klio the Bee keeper proved to be a most interesting character as she made a very enlightening presentation to We4 and a group of Brazilians with the facts of running a thriving and successful Honey farm.  After a demonstration of how the honey was

extracted from the honey comb we had a chance to sample a delightful Quince Marmalade and a most delicious Honey.  Purchases of a little dis ‘n’ dat were made and We4 were off to our next destination, 
Olympia Land Estate Winery.

The Liarommatis Family runs a very modern 100 acre farm producing “some mighty fine wine” and olive oil. After a brief lecture from 5th Generation wine maker Amanda {real name Diamanto} and a tour of the facility we were treated to a lovely charcuterie of meats, cheeses and tomatoes, along with a tasting of 5 wines from a marvelous Bordeaux style red, a crisp white with woody overtones reminiscent of a fine Chardonnay, and several other delights finishing with a lovely dessert wine.

Then they were off to Taverna Kyma, a lovely seaside restaurant for their habit of family style samplings of some of the freshest seafood delights they have ever had.  Calamari so tender, Succulent Grilled Octopus, Ginormous Grilled Shrimp, tasty Chicken Steak, crisp Greek Salad, "Some Mighty Fine Wine", Refreshing Ouzo and good friends.  
Suffice it to say, it was FABULOUS and well worth the Glowing review Chucky will post on TripAdvisor.

Following such a great meal, it was time for a short trip back to Katakolo for the obligatory stroll along the two blocks of tchotchke dis ‘n’ dat with minor gift purchases before the short trek back to the ship.

After cocktails in the Lounge with the usual suspects recapping the day’s events, We4 enjoyed another finely crafted dinner, complete with “Some Mighty Fine Wine” and followed by delightful desserts along with after dinner cordials and cognac in the Casino before heading to a well-deserved rest after the very eventful day.

Tomorrow is a sea day and if anything important happens, it will be reported in the Post about our last port of Split, Croatia.

Ciao 4 Now

Uncle Chuck & The very happy with the day, 

Dragon Lady