The bronze helmets from the Olympia Archaeological Museum in Olympia. May 22, 2015

One of many hairpin turns Panos Mist, our Rick Steves tour bus driver, took today to get us safely to our hotel at the seaside village of Kardamyli. May 22, 2015

I took this photo, while on the bus, of the seaside village of Kardamyli, where we will be spending the next two nights. May 22, 2015

I’m not one who takes a lot of pictures of flowers but these bougainvilleas are just stunning. So, here are more, but these are at home in the seaside village of Kardamyli. May 22, 2015

Getting in an orientation walk of the village of Kardamyli. May 22, 2015

It was late in the day and I was walking back to the Hotel Esperides when I took this photo from the village of Kardamyli of the marina on the Aegean and of what looked like an uninhabited island. May 22, 2015

Here’s another statue of my brother Hermes Petterson, this time holding the infant Dionysus at the Olympia Archeological Museum in Greece. May 22, 2015

A memorable place for me, not just because of the views, but because it’s the first time in my life I’ve eaten lamb…and loved it. This little mountainside village of Lagkadia, where we spent the night at Hotel Kentrikon, was built under the Ottoman rule by the Greeks to hide from the Turks. May 21, 2015

Our Rick Steves guide Danae Kousouri sharing some tips for our next stop. May 22, 2015

The quaint seaside village of Kardamyli. May 22, 2015

Today was all about the history of the Olympic games, staying in the quaint seaside village of Kardamyli and the beautiful bougainvillea that seem to be blooming everywhere in Greece.It’s called the Sanctuary of Olympia archeological site and at the entrance archeologists are still digging to find ruins. The Olympic games were held every four years as a way to honor Zeus and the first recorded game dates back to 776 B.C. At present, Greek archeologists are working to uncover more of the gymnasium. After the Romans found Christianity, they burned Olympia and for more than 1,500 years, it was covered in 25 feet of mud and dirt until an excavation team began uncovering it in 1875. May 22, 2015

This is the ancient ruin of the gymnasium where the athletes, who came a month in advance of the games, would train in Olympia. The rectangle container to the right is a bathtub where the athletes would wash themselves off after training. May 22, 2015

The tunneled entrance where the Olympic athletes would enter leads to the stadium. Okay, I’m no Olympic athlete but I got to walk in his ancient shadows. Yes, the athletes were men. May 22, 2015

This is it, the stadium where the Olympic games began. It was built in the 6th Century B.C. The first games featured just one event, a sprint race over one length of the stadium. I didn’t run it, but I did walk it and I have to say, seeing this very plain site and knowing its grand history was pretty cool. May 22, 2015

The columns are the remains of the Temple of Hera. And the remains with the patch of grass is the place that links the original Greek Olympics with today’s modern Olympics. Since 1936, this is where athletes have lit the ceremonial Olympic torch. The Temple of Hera, built in 650 B.C., is the oldest structure on the site. May 22, 2015