MSC Splendida Eastern Mediterranean Cruise: Part 3, Olympia and Mykonos

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Day 7, Katakolon (Olympia)

Day 7 started with an arrival to Katakolon (or Katakolo, per Google Maps and Wikipedia). I was particularly excited about this stop, as it is the gateway to the ancient city of Olympia. We had an almost a full day here, which gave us much opportunity for exploring. Just outside the port you will find many tour buses that will gladly take you to Olympia for roughly half the cost the ship charges. The only downside was that we had to wait for at least 30 minutes for the bus to fill up.

MSC splendida in Katakolo Greece — Our ship parked in Katakolon.

The first stop at the Olympia site is the Archaeological Museum. This place was really spectacular, although in the "give you a headache from too much information" way. I felt like I was back in high school trying to cram for world history exam. All this stuff about Etruscans and Mesopotamia that I remember learning in my early childhood but have since clearly forgotten. The museum houses many ancient artifacts, such as a large terracotta disc that is thought to have adorned the Temple of Hera constructed around 590 BC. It also houses the statues that filled the "pediment" (the triangular area below the roof) of the Temple of Zeus, dating back to around 460 BC, as well as many bronze and marble statues.

bronze figurine — Bronze (I think) figurine and a large Terracotta disc possibly from the Temple of Hera.

terracotta disc from Temple of Hera — Bronze (I think) figurine and a large Terracotta disc possibly from the Temple of Hera.

Temple of Zeus statues — Statues from the Temple of Zeus.

Temple of Zeus statues layout. — Statues from the Temple of Zeus.

We then headed to the actual archaeological site. Olympia served as a religious sanctuary and featured multiple temples mostly dedicated to Zeus. It is also the site of the original Olympic games, which were athletic events dedicated to the gods. It is quite easy to get lost here, or at least lost in history, as there is so much to see. Unfortunately, the once mighty temples are now reduced to the supporting pillars, so it is up to your imagination to envision what the place looked like in its prime. This may be a contentious topic, but I wish that at least one temple got rebuilt, perhaps using different color stone to highlight the original components. We first passed through the Palaestra, which was once a mighty building housing a martial arts academy. We then continued strolling among the many other ruins, again trying to visualize their original form. Here we ran into our dinner table companions: the lady from Los Angeles with her niece on the niece's first ever trip out of China. We continued strolling through the park and even visited the original athletic field.

Olympia, Greece — Walking around the ruins of the ancient sanctuary. We also ran into our dinner table mates.

Walking around the ruins of the ancient sanctuary. We also ran into our dinner table mates.

olympia — More sights from the Olympia archaeological site, including the Philippeion in the last picture.

We then took the bus back to Katakolon with about an hour to spare before needing to reboard the ship. We stopped at one of the port restaurants for what was for me one of the best tasting meals of the whole trip. We didn't have anything fancy, but I truly enjoyed the fresh flavor of locally sourced olive oil mixed with the characteristic tomatos, feta, and more olives. Then back on the ship it was the usual dinner followed by an evening show.

Excellent meal at a port restaurant waiting to rejoin the ship, next to a Russian-speaking family with everyone their phones...

MSC Splendida — And back on ship, for more food!

MSC buffet — And back on ship, for more food!

Enjoying an evening cocktail watching the sun set.

Day 8, Mykonos

The next day we were in Mykonos. I barely had any time to go through my pictures from the day before, and yet here we were, doing more sightseeing of a place totally new to me. Mykonos offers so many opportunities to capture the idyllic white facades! The ship docked at the cruise ship pier located a short water taxi ride away from the old town. Mykonos is actually the island, but I imagine that most first time visitors just end up strolling through the buildings surrounding the old port. Which is what we did. We walked around a bit, visited the windmills, sat down for coffee and pastries, and later fish, before my mom decided to head back to the ship early to rest. I then continued on my own, and hiked up the hill to another sole windmill from where I got an excellent view of the bay and the all the cruise ships visiting for the day. Some of them just anchored in the sea and used tender boats to transport passengers to shore. Given that each ship holds let's say 4,000 passengers, and I counted four of them, that's 16,000 visitors (not counting the crew) descending on your town like locust! I imagine that the city slips into a total different, quiet, mood once the evening hits and the ships depart.

We later stopped for coffee and pastries.

Some scenery pictures from my strolling around Mykonos.

Boni's windmill — At Mykonos Boni's Windmill.

Making my way back down, and also stopping at some cafe for a refreshing drink.

Mykonos cat — Making my way back down, and also stopping at some cafe for a refreshing drink.

Watching Mykonos shrink away from the spa relaxation room.

MSC Splendida spa relaxation room — Watching Mykonos shrink away from the spa relaxation room.

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