When anyone says they would hate a massive cruise ship, it is clear they have never been on one. The Celebrity Apex is so huge it is never crowded and rather like living in a very upmarket small town with fabulous food, great cocktails, and the best views. We left Porto di Civitavecchia right on time at 5pm. Thursday was spent at sea and I think the at sea days are my favourite. Strolled between the pool, a number of bars, one of about ten lovely restaurants, great coffee shops, a fascinating lecture on Ancient Greece and an awesome acrobatic practice in a fabulous bar.
Friday we docked in Katakolon right on time at 7am. I want this trip to be as easy as possible so had booked a trip to the archaeological site of Olympia and left on a new airconditioned coach at 7.30. No matter how many times I visit amazing ruins of classical antiquity I can never get my head around standing looking at buildings built between the 8th and 4th century BC. The stadium is amazing, and I dug my toes into the starting stones, looked up at the temples of Zeus and Hera and imagined myself as an ancient Olympian – yes, a wild imagination.
I had a stand on the 590 BC Altar of Hera where they light the Olympic torch using a parabolic mirror to the sun. The Greeks do museums so well and the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Olympia was fantastic. The sculptures off Zeus’s Temple were fantastic but I think my favourite was the winged goddess, Nike of Paionios from 425 BC.
Sleeping under the stars 