It was January 11th, 2024. We had arrived in Olympia late the night before. I had immediately done laundry in the bathtub since I was running out of clean clothes to wear and there was FINALLY a bathtub in our hotel rooms. I had brought laundry detergent sheets with me as well as a rope for hanging my clothes up to dry. I hooked one end of the rope to the rod inside of the closet and the other end to the balcony railing. My system worked quite well! That night, my friends and I stayed up late playing cards in the hotel lobby. We did this frequently, but I remember this night being especially fun.
Anyway, let’s get to the exciting part of this story.
Racing at the Ancient Stadium
We started the day by touring the Olympia archaeological site and museum. At the archaeological site, there was an archway leading up to the ancient stadium. I enjoyed imagining that my classmates and I were Olympic athletes as we walked through the arch and into the stadium.
When we reached the stadium, Jason asked us all to line up at the start line. He backed up until he was so far away that we could hardly hear him. Then, he started explaining how he was going to say, “ready, set, go!” and wave his hand. However, we only heard the “ready, set, go” part… so we all took off sprinting as fast as we could!
When we reached Jason, he told us that he didn’t actually want us to start racing yet — he was just explaining the process!
So, we lined up again and waited for the real “ready, set, go”. It was a blast!
The winner, Elijah, was awarded with a crown made of olive branches.
Racing on the first Olympic stadium was a truly memorable experience, and sometimes I still can’t believe we did that!
Jewelry Shopping
Early in the afternoon, we were given a couple hours to explore Olympia before heading to our next destination which was Klio’s Honey Farm. My friends and I decided to go to a jewelry store with the hopes of finding a few souvenirs for our friends & families.
We walked in the store to find one white-haired, old lady. Right away, she asked us if we were from Minnesota in the US. We all looked at each other like, “HOW does she know that?!”.
She proceeded to tell us that she knew Amy’s (Jason’s wife’s) mom. As proof, she pulled out pictures of this lady along with Amy’s mom & her class. We were amazed. What a small world!
Then, she asked us if we had been to the stadium yet. We replied that we had, and that we had a lot of fun racing each other. She then pulled out a real Olympic torch and let us take turns getting photos with it!!! Apparently, her brother had participated in the Olympics. She showed us photos of that too.
I was very happy to find a beautiful pair of earrings for my mom at this store, since they carry so much more meaning with an experience as great as this one!
Honey Farm Tour
Our next stop this day was Klio’s Honey Farm: a small family-owned bee farm in Olympia. The group was split in half; one in the house with Klio’s mother and father, and the other in a separate room with Klio herself.
In the house, we sat at the table and tried diples —a Greek dessert— with fresh honey. It was one of the best desserts I have ever eaten in my life! Next, we went to the other room where we learned about the history of bee farming in Greece. Klio had several artifacts to show us which was pretty neat!
Before leaving, I purchased a small container of bees wax lip balm. It was the BEST, and I was truly devastated when it ran out months later. I would go back to Olympia just to get more of it!
Greek Folk Dancing
Later in the evening after dinner, we got to learn Greek folk dancing! This was one of my favorite activities that we did during the entire trip. I had taken a class called “World Dance Traditions” during the interim of my sophomore year in which I learned a number of traditional dances from all over the world & re-discovered my interest in dance.
There were a few men and women that came into the hotel in their traditional clothing. First, they performed a very sophisticated dance. Then, they taught us step by step how to do a few different dances as a group. We all held hands in a circle and practiced the footwork for nearly an hour!
At the end of the session, we did a freestyle dance. The instructors randomly called people into the center of the circle to dance in front of everyone! I remember Jason being a hilarious dancer, and I’m pretty sure my friend Ellie was standing on top of a chair at one point?! I wish I could remember all the details, but this will have to do…
Until next time!
Clara