This morning I woke up after a wonderful nights rest and opend our curtens to see the butiful view of the srounding hills and the swiming pool at our hotell. Then after getting read it was off to breakfast. Out one of the windows you could see the differnt hills looking throu the valy all siloetted and the fog resting off in the distance. It was a gorgous view. I then ate a very good breakfast befor going and finished cleaning and packing up my room befor leaving for the day.

Our first stop was the ruins of Olipea. Today we learned that this was not ever a town but joust an area that was used for the games. Once the game had stoped the structurs quikly went down dew to no one tacking car of them. A earth quake finly finished them off and the devertion of the main river throu town washed much of the runs away and coverd others up with silt. We saw the area where the athleats would trean for the running games and another area that was used for the traning of the other games that came lattter that did not take up as much space like boxing etc.

Then it was over to area where was saw where they are restoring the Tholos or (round building). They had restored two pilers and much of the base of the tholoes. This was in the area that was considerd to be sacrid or for the gods. All the preforming and traning was done out side this area.

We then saw where the olimpic flame is lite every 2 years for the modern games. It is light using the sun and the last olimpead that was held in Athens, they light the flam and then it travled around the world befor ariveing back in Greece. The flam is lite on May 24th wich is the Independance day of Greece. It would then be caried all around Greece befor it returning to Olimpea befor it starts it trip around the world. The original games did not use this flam nor did the modern game at the beginning. The first games that used the flame was in 1936. The idea for this terdition came from Adaulf Hittleer interesting enough. The first modern games satered in 1896. The orginal olimpic games that stared with running as the only sport lasted for 1,000 years.

The next area of Olmpea complex that we visited was right out side the ancent stadum that was used for running. Right above the enternce and to the left when looking at the stadum is the building where the standard equitmit would have ben stored, like the diskous and javalon. If a athleat wished to use his own they would compair his to the standard for whight and other aspects to enshur that athleats did not cheet.

If a athleet did cheet they would have to pay for a bronze statue of Zuse to be creeated. These statues woud have stooded lining the road or wakway into the stadum where the athleats would enter on to the feald. If they did cheet and did not have the funds to pay for the very expencsive statue to be created the town where they are from would have to pay. The person who had ceeted and the town would be placed on the base of the statue and it would let every one know that this had happend. Ovously it would be considerd a discrace to the town if this happend.

In the same way if an atheat wone the games there town would be honord and be heled to great estem. The athelat compeated only for the honor. Thoes who won would be considerd herows in there town and would be placed on the level of being a god. The city would pay for a statue of them to be placed in the sacrid area of Olimpea. This would be for all to see and to know about the athleat so that they would never be forgotten. The athleat would then may times receve free food and loging for rest of life by the town they were from and many times would hold public office in the town.

From here we waled thru the ancent tunal where the athleats would have enterd onto the feald. This was also used in the last olmpic games for one of the sportes in summer of 2004. Here we saw the ancent feild that had on seets in it. This is how all the stadoums started out. People would sit on the ground around the hill out side the satum. There were seats in the middle made out of stone on the Right side for the 9 juges that would juge the games. Arcosed from there was a place for the goes to sit that would be only wonman alound in the statum. The athleast would have originaly ran in the nude for the races. This was started after a wonmon had dresed up as a man and snuk into the statum and had coached here two children in the games. Befor this here brother and father had both ben winners of the games. She would have norminly bean sintanced to fall off a cliff dew to entering the game but dew to here history of here family they did not make here do this and she was then alowed to come the rest of the games.

Next we did our won races from the starting blocks. I raced Pary today and several other people raced also. Pary did not want to do the full about 200 yards so we went little over 1/2 way on our first race. One the first race Pary fell about 10 feet from the finishing blocks. I then chalenged him for a remach and so we ran the race again. We did not run as far this time dew to being warn out from the first race. Pary got a exslent start out of the gates and got about a 10 feet lead on me. We then ended up finished with Pary in the lead and I came in about 5 sec behind him. We then took photoes of us at the starting gates and then we all left the statum to go see what is left of Zuese temple.

We looked throu the ruins of the temple of Zues and tocked about he statue that once stood here that was considerd one of the teven wonders of the ancent world. It had ben made out of wooden core and goled exteror. Many of the pilers had folen over after the earth quake and were laying on the ground like sliced qucombers on the ground.

After this we was where the rich people would have stayed in the hotel and then saw the workshop where the builder of the statue to Zuse was built. He built it in the room that was the same scale as the final destination in the temple. After it’s compleatioin it was taken apart and then re-asimbled in side the temple.

Finly we had free time for about 30 min to look around and explor on our own befor we headed over to the new museum. The museum had ben built for the olimpic games and was all made out of wight marble. The rest room was all marble also and was very clean and butiful. Our group then went in side the musum and we first looked at the modle of the grounds of the Olimpea complex. In the next room we saw the reconstructed peaces of the East (front) adn west pedements of Zueses temple. Many of the peaces servive today and have ben reasembled with with steal rods to holed up the peaces as they would have originly ben to span the gapes of the missing peaces. We then looked at some other statues and also saw a helmet of one of the warers from a famous solger.

Folowing the museum we left down the newly built path and acrosed a foot brige to a parking lot that was also new. Then it was off to lunch at a local restrant. Then we started our drive home. We drove along the cost most of the way home and stoped twice. First stop was at a Goodies (like McDonalds chain) and I got something to dirink and some ice criam cone. This was about 2 howers into our trip. The next stop was about 2 howers later and it was at another Goodies. Acrost you could see what was the longest brige in the world as of last year. It was very butiful. The brige is built on extermly deep watter with strong currents and also has a falt line with active earth quakes underneath. It is an engnering marval along with its buty. I wached a movie on laptop on the trip with my roomat back at campous and we continued along cost untill we crosed the canall again. Then it was back to going thru the new tunals on the express way going thru mountons on our way to Athens and then to Porarafti. We got back to the Artamous and had sanwiches for supper. Then it is relaxing and getting ready for classes tomaor.

We leave on our next trip on Sunday by train to Northern Greece. We will be gone about 4 or 5 days and then have some test the day after our retern.

This morning we got our early wake up call at the Hotell we were at last night. I got ready and went out on our deck to see the sun rising over the Agean sea. Then I went down for breakfast. We had a asortment of bread’s and cookies for breakfast. Then it was off to the bus for our ride to see a casel.

It was about 30 min drive to Naplean where the casel is and then we drove up to where the entery gate is. We went in to the quart yard area between the different garisons and our guide Caterena gave us some background information regarding what we were seeing. Then we were on our own to chek out the many crevouses and hiding spotes throu out the Casel. This was such a neet place. It was srounded by wonderful views of the sea and srounding mountons. At this casel there is a stair case that leads to the sea. It has 856 stepts down to the town below. It seas in wrighting sed that it is 999 or 1,000 stepts but this is incorect.

Next stop was a toum that it is sed that the Siclops built dew to the sheir size of the stones. Then we went up to the aroplous area here and saw where the king would have had his thrown and saw some more amzing views. It was sed that you could see the acropolious where we were earlyer off in the distance on a clear day. Then we waled over to the old systern and thoes that wanted to cligm down the steep steps into it we could. I did and mojority of the otherd did also. It was pich dark and you could not see any light. Going down the stepts were warn and were wet so made for trikiey decent into the systern. Then when we reached the bottom we started our decent up. I wated to the end of the group and several of us went up with out our lights wich was a lot of fun. We also took photes whall down there and part of the time we turned off lights to see how dark it was at the bottom. Then I went and sat on a bench as we wated for rest of the group to get compleated. There was a wonderful coole breas. I spoke with a gentalman from Sparta who now lives in USA and has a restrant and has a summer home in Greece. He was showing some frends around the differnt sights.

Next we stoped at a local restrant for lunch and then it was off on our bus ride all the way acrosed Greece to the town of Olempea. It took us about 4 howers to get there. We went over several mountons and many of the roads had back to back swich backs as we went up and down the mountons. It was a gorgous drive. After missing a few terns and having to go thru some deturors dew to road construction we finaly arived at Olimpea.

Tonight we are staying at a 4 star Best Western. It is a very butiful hotell here. It is perched up on top of a hill in town and you can see the mountons off in the distance. We had supper and it was delishous. We had chiken and it was cooked perfectly, would joust fall of the boan and was realy good. Then after dinner I took some photoes of the sunset from the roof of the hotel. There was a profectional photogrpher at our hotell and I took some photes of the hotell with him out one of the windos of the sun set. They turned out wonderful. Then I went down by the pool and took some more photoes and tocked with some people. Then off to my room for bed. Tomaro we will be touring Olipea and get to run where the games use to be heled and where one of the events was heled in last olipics. I am going to race Pary. Then it will be off back to our home in PortRafti.

This morning we got up bright and early at 6:00 am. I went down for breakfast then and DieMye had made some banana nut bread, and blubary bread. It was delishous!!! Folowing that I went back up and got ready for the day and did some minor packing.

We were to meet the bus at 7:30 but it ended up being 20 min late so we got off a little later than originaly planed. I took a nape on the bus as we went to our first stop the Corinthian cannal linking the Agean and Adreatic seas. It was neet to look at. I walked out on a brige over the canall and there was a wonderful breaze coming thru the carved rock.

Our next stop is at Corenth. As we aproched Cprenth we saw the acroplous that is about 3,000 feet above the main land. The first place we went to was to the Agora of the old city of Corenth. There were several things that we looked at. Srounding the agora there us to be a portical srounding the area with shopes for people to bye things. One of thes sopes was probly where Paul would have soled his tints with Persila and Aquila. We then went to the area where Paul would have ben put on tryal here. We sat on the stones where he would have tood as he would have faced his sentnsing. Then it was on to see the watter baths right out side the city area and we also walked along the road that Paul would have enterd in when he came to Corenth. The original stones marbal are still there and you can see where the shopes would have ben on the sides and the side walks and waterd dranage diches on the side of the road. Then it was up to the temple located up on little bite of a hill.

We then went into the musum here and saw some statues and other artifacts that were found in the city here. We also took a walk down to the theator here and saw the inscription of Galeo that is here.

The next stop was to drive up 1/2 way to the Acroplous. Then I and severl others hiked up the rest of the way. From the top there were stuning vews of the hole area. It was sed that on clear day you could see Athens Acroplous and other places. You could also see the two seas from here. We all took several photoes and then headed back down to the bus to head to lunch at a hotell.

The Hotel we had lunch at was wonderful. It had butiful marbal flors and over looked a bay of the Agean sea. There were realy nice breases comming off the watter and joust a gorgous area. We could see there swin sute off in the distance and they had a fountan runing in to the pool.

The next stop today is Epedarous. Here is a place that people would go for healing and misauges, and tharipy. Here they are working on restorying several of the buildings here. Folowing touring the buildings we went to the museum and then it was on to the Theator there. It is all still in taced and original. It was butiful. There is a stone in the flour out in the middle of the orcistra pit where you can speak and it can be herd all over the theator. You can here a person breathing, and even paper being tourn. I then went down and sang for the people there. I sang part of Scut Charvouse and Happy bearthday to one of our mimber of our group. We then all sang several songs. We ended with Lord Bless you and keep you. Then I san part of Trumpeter. I would have to say that this is the best place I have ever sung in my life. It was an unforgetible experence. It is unbelevable how you can here your voice flote up the statum and there is no eco to speak of. Amazing!!! Then back to the bus.

We then took our bus ride to our hotell for tonight in a near by town. We had supper and then had worshop service out by the pool. Folwoing worshup service I took a walk by the sea with Benet and Mikle. Mikle went for a swin in the sea and then we walked around for a while befor heading back to the hotel for the night.

Sat around by the pool for a while and then headed to bed for night. Tomaro we will be hedding out about 8:00 in mornign.