Since Sparta

From Sparta we drove to Pylos and then to Olympia. Olympia is a fascinating site, where the first Olympic games took place in 776 BC. Crutching to the site, through it, and through the two museums there, was exhausting. I was unable to get around the on my own with all of this walking. The group was very sensitive to my needs, and they helped me along by carrying me some of the way. I was tossed around but mostly carried by Reed, the varsity football player in our group, and Sarabeth, our volleyball star. We were surely a site to see with me on piggyback with a bandaged yet clearly swollen leg and someone else following close behind with the crutches. I was still able to enjoy this day. What I found most interesting about the ancient Olympics is that there were no team sports. Individuals competed for every prize, and with a victory they often achieved the status of a hero. I thought this reflected on the priorities in ancient Greece and especially on the individuality and competitiveness of their human-like gods.

From the Peloponnese we took an overnight ferry to Italy. Then we spent an entire week in Cuma at the Villa Vergiliana outside of Naples. Staying at the Villa was such a treat and the perfect timing considering my limited mobility. Every meal was served to us at the Villa or packed in bag lunches for our days on the sites. So I did not have to worry about getting food or going out to eat. The food was delicious too. We were all shocked at our first dinner when we were served full bowls of pasta only to find out afterwards that this was the first of four courses. Dinners were served by Mina and her family, who own the villa. Her seven-year-old son Marco helped at dinner, and he may have stolen the hearts of every girl on the trip. We were blown away by his perfect manners, bilingualism, and enthusiasm in serving us. Every night after dinner he played cards with the boys, and they all had a great time.

While staying at the Villa, we saw archaeological sites at Paestum (ancient Poseidonia), Herculaneum, and Pompeii. I was helped around by piggyback at Paestum and Herculaneum, but I was unable to go to Pompeii because exploring the site requires hours of walking. The decision to not see Pompeii was facilitated by the fact that I spent many hours there a few weeks earlier over Spring Break.