brandonladzinski1

[brandonladzinski1]

Today, Day 12, was our last day in Momevasia so we had to get up bright in early. I got up for a 4 mile run before we departed to soak in the scenic views that Momevasia had to offer. We then departed Momevasia at 9 am for a long bus ride to the villages of Olympia, but before we departed Gabe and I made sure we got coffee and smoothies before we hit the road. When arriving in Olympia our first stop was for olive oil tasting. I was very ecastatic for this because I love new ways I could enhance my diet and I was very interested in learning about all the differently types of olive oils that they had on site. One thing that fascinated me was that the Olive Oil was stored at a certain temperature to keep it fresh and ready for consumption. This accounted for why the olive oil must be kept a certain cool temperature and a certain humidity. After tasing the olive oils, I tried some of the olive oil infused face creams. Some of them were very refreshing and definitely sparked my interest. Lastly, at the olive oil place we tried different types of dressings. One dressing that was very interesting to me was the Rose dressing. It tasted very good but I just was not sure what would I put it on. The olive oil tasting experience was a great experience and definitely showed a very important aspect of the Greek diet and how olive oil promotes the healthy lifestyle that Greek life in comparison to the rest of the world.

After the olive oil tasting experience Rivers, Gabe, Sean, Taylor, Rachel and I went to go get Gyro’s and pizza for lunch. I enjoyed a lamb gyro with tzatziki, french fries, tomatoes, and lettuce really showcasing the the variety of the Greek diet. This was much needed as we all wanted authentic Greek food and have been on the lookout for the best gyro over the entirety of the trip. In my opinion the Gyro I had today was the best one I had on the whole trip and and I hope to make it back there sometime while I am in Olympia.

Then we went to the ancient Olympic stadium and museum. Something’s fascinated me from the second I stepped on the premises of the location. First, we walked in and learned that Olympia was most know for worshipping of the gods. I learned that 776 BC were the start of the games in the heat of June evrey 4 years. All competitors workshopped the same gods and have the same beliefs and love to compete. I also learned that Women could not be around the early games because the men competed in the nude. One thing that astonishing to me was the equipment that was shown to use from the first marathon runner ever. I also was very intrigued by thiz as I want to run a marathon soon. We then walked around the inside of the museum and looked at all the fascinating sculptures of all the Greek gods and all the art behind the sculptures. The museum really gave a great look at olympic history and the orgins behind it. After looking at the inside of the museum we went to outside were the original games took place. Something’s that I learned was the there an Oath that all olympic athletes had to say. The oath was “I am Greek, I am not willing to cheat, I have trained for Atleast a year in my home city.” While taking oath, athletes must squash boar testicles with their feet. Showing the gods will do that to them if they break the oath. Another thing that was astounding was that at the entrance of the Olympic stadium the god of luck was on the right side, and god of punishment on left. This reminded the athletes as they entered the stadium that the harder you work, the more opportunities you give yourself the chance to get lucky and be successful. This is a great mantra to live by for the rest of your life and something I hope to keep with me forever even when I get back to the states. One thing that was very fun and memory I will take with me for ever was the sprint on the track that Rivers, Gabe, Sean, and I completed. It was very cool to compete and do something in something so significant and historic. This place really blew me away and one of the favorite places we visited over the trip.

After this we went back to hotel and enjoyed a great Greek buffet style dinner. I enjoyed on pork, grilled chicken, potato wedges, spinach pies, tzatziki and watermelon really hitting all aspect of the Greek diet. Today was great day out in Olympia and I was very fascinated with everything I experience today through the olive oil tasting and the tour of the ancient Olympic museum and stadium.

[brandonladzinski1]

The beginning of my 3rd day in Athens began with a nice run through the heart of Athens. This run was relaxing and much needed. After the run I met with the group and sipped on coffee and ate breakfast before bussing our way over to the Olympic Athletic Center. We toured the beautiful facility and then made our way over to the beach volleyball courts. At the beach volleyball courts we heard from Paralympian Methos. Methos talked about his perseverance and hard work during his journey to becoming a paraolympic athlete. His story was very eye-opening and gave a new perspective on how hard you need to work no matter the obstacles you may face. Methos also educated us on the Olympic history with special populations and within those who face obstacles. After hearing his story, a very nice volleyball instructor carries us through drills in the proper technique and form on how to play volleyball. The instructor led us through sprints and stretches to get our legs and muscles loose showing the Greek’s influence on sports performance and injury recovery and how important stretching is in sports performance. After this we played 6 v 6 volleyball and had some very fun games. The instructor told me I looked like I had some volleyball talent and the few games that I played. After playing on the indoor sand volleyball court we made our way over to the 2004 Olympic stadium. We ran on the track and learned more about the 80,000 facility. It was cool to learn that this facility serves more than just the Olympics as it has held many concerts as well. From here we went to the Olympic Museum. The Olympic museum told many cool and eye-opening facts about both Olympics and Paraolympics. We looked at very cool all-time Olympic gear and memorabilia. My favorite part of the tour was touching the touches they used in the opening ceremonies. I also loved learning about how the Olympic Games grew from a start of only around 30 countries in 1896 to where it is now. From here, Rivers and I then both got Salmon Salads at a nice restaurant inside the mega mall located at the Olympic museum. This meal really opened our eyes at how satisfying and healthy the Greek diet really is. We then window-shopped through stores and got ready for our last stop of Round 1 in Athens at the original 1896 Olympic Stadium. At the 1896 Olympic stadium we did a self guided tour of the facility and looked at the amazing architecture the stadium has, even 100+ years after being built. My favorite part of the stadium was walking the track and looking at the vault as it had amazing architecture. This stadium really showed how historical this monument is in Olympic history and how it’s the location where it all started! We also took some amazing pictures in the stadium highlighted by its amazing architecture. To conclude our day, we bussesd over to the port were we loaded a cruz to end round 1 in Athens. Athens was a very aesthetically pleasing and cool city to visit and it was awesome to learn about the infrastructure of the Olympic host city and all the significant stadiums and facilities that play into it all.

Next Up Crete!