h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a small detail in case any of you wanted to open a map and try to find where Olympia is. Well, to save you trouble, I can tell you that it is actually south-west of Athens (and not just west). It is near the west coast of the Peloponissos (or Peloponese as it is sometimes translated into English). It is a very nice place where the ruins of the stadium (where the ancient Olympic games where held) still stand. The Olympic flame is still being lit there, during a special ceremony following the ancient traditions, and then transported across the world to the city hostsing the Olympic Games.

In case you didn't know, the first "modern" Olympic games was held at Olympia.

Eh, correction again. The first 'modern' Olympics were held in 1896 in Athens and not Olympia. You see the ancient ruins of the stadium in Olympia, although being a very nice place to visit, could not deal with any pressure out of runners' shoes, discs, javelins, hammers etc. Neither could it accommodate any decent number of spectators. Not of course that any numbers of athletes or spectators could compare with the ones in recent years. But then again Coca-Cola was not a part of our lives back then!

Athens had the old Olympics but the real birthplace of the Modern Olympics was Much Wenlock, Shropshire, UK in the 1850's where Dr William Penny Brookes thought that fitness was preferable to alcohol and lustful thoughts.

Pierre de Coubertain, visited, took the idea and launched his version in Paris in 1896 although he is said to accepted that Dr Brookes, who died in 1896, was the father of the modern Olympics

Hi there,

Really interested to read your entry about Olympia.

I'm floating off to the Greek Islands in the Autumn and wondered if you've got any recommendations of Ancient sites to visit?

Speak to you soon,

Muck.

Hi Muck,

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier
(I have neglected my duties) .

Anyway, if you do go to Mykonos, then do
take the time to take the short trip to the
neighboring island of Delos. The island is
not currently inhabited... in fact you can
think of it as a huge open air museum. There
are ruins there from all different periods of
time and the whole experience is magical.

If you are going to Crete, then do make a stop
at the Archeological Museum of Heraclion it has
amazing findings (including some wonderful ancient
jewelry). You should also go to visit the Knossos palace.
You might have come across the legend of Minautor that
lived in the Labyrinth (ordered by Minos the King of Crete
and constructed by Daidalos). Well, it is there at Knossos
that the Labyrinth was according to the legend, and when you
see the reconstruction of the ancient palace, you will realise
how the legend came about .

Greece of course is full of antiquities, so you are never far
from something interesting to see, but these two places I
mentioned are top of my list!

Hope you have a good time,
Ariadni
(PS: Ariadni was the daughter of King Minos and she was the
one that helped Thesias to find his way out of the Labyrinth after
killing the Minautor).

Thesias^H^H^Heus

I can never spell (or pronounce for that matter)
Greek words and names in English. I get totally mixed up.
So do you think it is spelled Theseus, then?
In any case you know who I mean...

Ariadni

QHSEUS
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