Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Olympia--the site of the ancient Olympics (by Gabe Lee)


Today we went to ancient Olympia. We saw Zeus’s temple and his wife, Hera’s, temple. There once was a huge statue of Zeus that was about 38ft tall. It got stolen and taken to Turkey, where it was later destroyed in a fire. The temples are mostly ruins, but you could see some old columns where the temples used to be. We even got to run on the actual track where the competition was held. Back then the Olympics only involved track and field sports. We learned the winner of the Olympics received the gift of victory from Zeus represented by the goddess, Nike (the winged goddess of victory). Do you see where the athletic company, Nike, got its name?Then we went to a restaurant and had traditional Greek foods—lamb, baklava, and mousaka. My favorite was the lamb. We also watched a traditional Greek dance called Zorba. There was a lot of arm and leg movement that required coordination. It was kind of weird but I guess it was o.k. My mom and dad enjoyed it and when they asked my mom to dance, she did.

So our day today was good. It was cool to see the ancient ruins and old Olympic fields. Also to eat Greek food and I guess see a native Greek dance!

8 comments:

  1. Gabriel--I like your post about Olympia. You included details that you found to be interesting. I think they will be interesting for your readers as well. Mom

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  2. Sounds fun Gabe did you like the baklava I think it tastes good!

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  3. Oh, I love baklava and mousaka...learned to like that when I lived in Bulgaria! I also love reading about your trip! Thanks for creating a blog for us to follow. :)
    Pam

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  4. Gabriel,

    Did you know that it took over 638 years to build the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Keep in mind that the United Stats has only been a country for 235 years. That's a long time. Any ideas why it took so long to complete? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

    Kim

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  5. yes kirby, i did like the baklava!

    say high to the class and i will see you guys on tuesday when we skype!

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  6. Hi Gabriel,
    Nice job with the blog and that's cool about the Olympics and Nike--I didn't know that was were the company got its name. Next time we need a video of your mom dancing :-).
    Glenn

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  7. I am enjoying your comments. The summer will pass in a hurry and it will be back-to-school. Grandpa

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  8. We all all waiting to see Hiller do that Grecian dance. Trust all is still going well. Look forward to your reports. Continue enjoying!

    George

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