Cruise Lines

Some 260 people live in the Greek town of Katakolon. Yesterday four cruise ships descended on the place - Seabourn Odyssey, which I am on, Ruby Princess, Costa Fortuna and Louis Cruises' Coral - between them swelling the population by around 7,000 for a few hours.

I reckon almost everyone of those 7,000 went to Olympia, site of the original Olympic Games, which is where I found myself soon after 9am.

It's a fascinating place - made all the more interesting by our guide Giovanna. She was so good my daughter and I made sure to get her coach the next day, when we visited the Diros Caves from Gythion.

You can get a taxi from the port to Olympia but I knew from the previous visit a few years ago that without a good guide the site looks like nothing but a collection of ruins with a column here and there. My daughter had never been and my memory needed refreshing!

The buildings were demolished by an earthquake in 522AD and the place forgotten. Over the centuries, 20 feet of earth and mud buried the site, which was rediscovered at the end of the 19th century when excavations uncovered the remains of the temples, stadiums and statues.

Someone then had the idea of restarting the games. The first modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896 and of course it was back there in 2004.

Olympia was actually a religious place where ancient Greeks came to pay respects to the god Zeus and held athletic races at the same time. By 776BC, the event had turned into a five-day pan-Grecian event with competitors coming from all over the Greek world to take part. Because it was not an easy journey to get there, the priests then decided to make it every four years.

Originally competitors hid their modesty under a skirt, but one day one runner's skirt fell off so they all decided it was better to run naked - because of that women were banned from attending the games and if any were caught trying to sneak in dressed as men they were put to death!

Rather than millions of dollars or getting to name a cruise ship, as happens now, their reward for winning was an olive wreath and a statue outside the Temple of Zeus.

In the 2nd century BC, the Romans conquered the area but continued with the games. However, they ended in 392AD as they were a celebration of Pagan gods and Rome had just become Christian.

Giovanna was full of interesting snippets of information:

* The athletes tried to enhance their performance by drinking red wine mixed with honey. If found out ("I don't know how; suppose they could smell it"), they were banned from competing for life.

* In 1997, when Athens won the 2004 Olympics, money was donated for five columns on the Temple of Zeus to be restored. Work started in 2001; finally, in 2003, one column was put up. It allegedly cost £5 million so they couldn't afford to put up anymore. You judge - was it worth the money?

* Running tracks are supposed to be 184 metres long but the one at Olympia - above - is 192 metres because it was measured out by Hercules and he had big feet.

OK, so it's a myth, but who cares!