Italy and Greece Day 10: Patras to Tolo

July 11, 2024

From bus about an hour outside of Tolo, Greece …

The overnight ferry is an adventure! I share a cabin with Brad and Juan. It’s tight, but there is good AirCon and everyone sleeps well. Not everyone on board the ferry has a cabin. Many people find a chair in the lounge for the night. And others bring air mattresses or sleeping bags and sleep in every nook, cranny, and stairwell of the ferry!

The ferry arrives a little after 1p in the port of Patros, Greece. We board a new bus and meet Costas, our driver for Greece. We stop at Pic Nic for a quick slice of pizza or chicken stick. (I thought it would be a kebob here, but no … it’s chicken stick! And it’s delicious.) Then it’s a 60-minute ride to Olympia passing the many farms and agricultural areas that line the roadside in this part of Greece.

A general strike was declared in Greece yesterday, and that means no tour guide on our visit to Olympia.

Olympia is an archaeological site located in the western part of Greece. It is the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games, which were held here from around 776 BC until AD 393. The ancient Olympic Games featured a 200 meter sprint, wrestling, boxing, pankration (wrestling/boxing), the pentathlon, and equestrian events. The site includes athletic facilities, the Olympic Games stadium, the Temple of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), and the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

After a one-hour walking tour through the site, we’re back on the bus headed to Tolo, a three-hour ride from Olympia. Tolo is a seaside village in the Peloponnese region of Greece, known for beautiful beaches, clear blue waters, and charming atmosphere.

This has been a fast-paced trip with two nights each in Venice, Florence, and Rome. But an even faster pace the last couple of days with just one night in Sorrento, one night on the ferry, and just one night tonight in Tolo. After that things slow a little with three nights in Athens and then four nights on the cruise. Tomorrow we make our way to Athens with stops in Mycenae, Epidaurus, and the Corinth Canal.