The time has come to an end

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It has been quite awhile since I finished up on our travels and what I am doing now but it has been difficult to get near a computer. Still a little to go in Greece and that is it for our trip and need to go back to Ancient Olympia where the old Olympics were held between 776 BC and 394 AD. It is mainly ruins there now but some of the place is still standing and the main arena is quite easy to see.

When each games was held over the 1169 years a sacred truce was put in place so all the wars stopped so that the games would be able to go ahead and back then some one was at war all the time. At the beginning they only lasted for one day then up to 5 days in 172 BC (77th Olympiad). To announce the games since most people didn't even know what year it was special officers in groups off three travelled to all the major cities to set the time and place of the games in Olympia. This is still the place where they light the flame for each Olympics.

It is a big area and since the competitors had to be there a month before the games and also priests and judges they were all cramped in the place. It was a nice place and Olympia now is a tiny town with not much to do other than check out where the games were held.

We were staying in a town called Zacharo not to far from Olympia and we stayed for three nights in the town off two thousand Greek people in the middle of know where. There was not one other tourist in this place and quite easy to see why really. Nothing much to do with the weather we had and the beaches were not the best only because of the time of year though. On the surrounding hills is where the massive bushfires were in Greece and we heard about them in the UK but didn't realise how bad they actually were.

So from here we went to the Greek Islands, which I have already done then to Athens our final city before going home. We went to all the sights of course and the main being the Acropolis and up on the hill is the Parthenon and is a temple built for the Greek goddess Athena built in the 5th century BC on the Acropolis of Athens. After coming off the Greek Islands and doing nothing for ten nights we struggled to get our selves to go and have a look around but think we went to all the main things in the city. There are several ancient cities which we looked at, and plenty of temples but we were all sight seeing out by the time we left Athens to go back to London. Our last night in Athens we went with our host and some friends of his to a Greek restaurant and we had a bloody great meal there but there is no throwing the plates on the floor here! It was dishes put in the middle of traditional food and just digging into all sorts of things.

Back in London from Athens, it was freezing! Getting dark at 4pm is not the best either but it was good to see London in winter and the city is getting covered in Christmas lights and looks great. Some people may think it sounds easy but getting up at stupid times running to catch busses/trains for 10 hours, working out what to do each day and money matters it gets stressful but now it is over and trying to get back into some kinda routine and save again for the next trip which is going to be Eastern Europe latter next year.

Now I am in Belfast where it is even colder than London and gets dark even earlier. Doing some work here in a Hardware store for a couple of months before heading back for the big wedding in March. It is nice up here and maybe will be getting a white Christmas this year! It is cold enough though it should be snowing all the bloody time. Thinking about going to London for new years this year but not sure yet, that or Dublin I think.

Well that is the end off our trip around some off Europe, covered a fair amount of ground in the four months. UK, Germany, Austria, Swiss, France, Italy and Greece and bloody hard to pick out a favourite place but would have to Gimmalwald in the Swiss Alps stands out for me. We have certainly had some weird and wonderful experiences during our trip and had a great time. So this is it for now but will keep updating every now and again exp if it is a white Christmas pics will be going up!

Have a great Christmas everyone!

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Photos

Athens
Parthenon

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Athens
Roman Agora

Athens
Erechtheion - the six maidens

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Old remains around the place

Olympia
Where the games used to be

Olympia
Where the games used to be

Olympia
Where the games used to be and where they still get the flame going from

Olympia
Where the games used to be and where they still get the flame going from

Olympia
Where the games used to be

Olympia
Where the games used to be

Olympia
Where the games used to be

Olympia
Where the games used to be

Comments

[Erin]

Merry Christmas
Hello Sluggar, Merry Christmas Mate, i hope you have a fantastic day!!!! You get to have a white christmas you lucky thing!!! Love ERIN