We awoke to the sound of a rooster crowing. Or did we?
Any doubts we had early that morning in the small village just outside of Olympia, Greece, were soon erased by follow-up announcements that morning was, indeed, upon us.
Although additional, repeated, incessant calls confirmed its nearby presence, my husband and I somehow felt compelled to locate the menace.
Upon opening the balcony door, our frustrations diminished and gave way to the appreciation of the rolling countryside dotted with olive trees in various shades of green. Suddenly, the aggravation associated with the rooster subsided.
Our alarms weren’t too far behind, anyway, because following breakfast that morning, our plan was to head to the Archeological Site of Olympia. As excited as we were to visit one of the most celebrated and significant sites in Greece, we were also captivated by our humble accommodations.
After polishing off our second of two home-cooked meals created from family recipes, my husband and I poked around the modest lobby of The Bacchus Pension and Taverna. Behind the counter, pictures and small pieces of memorabilia hung with pride alongside two Olympic torches. Two of the family members had the honor of carrying them, the receptionist, who was also a family member, explained.
While we had her attention, we also inquired about the virtual reality glasses promotion on one of the shelves. The glasses offered a “Unique View of Ancient Olympia” by creating 360-degree interpretations of how the original people and the monuments may have appeared. Additionally, the glasses were paired with a narration by Pausanias, a famous Ancient Greek traveler.
Intrigued, we made arrangements to rent the glasses for our visit. While the majesty of the ruins of this site that first staged the Olympic Games in the 8th century BC was not lost on us, we welcomed the opportunity to “experience Ancient Olympia in a totally different way” and to allow the “VR glasses to open a window to the past.”
While we stood at the actual site, the glasses allowed us to “enter” the Temple of Zeus and gaze upon the 43-foot tall gold and ivory statue of Zeus. While we physically walked among the fallen stones, the glasses allowed us to “enter” the Temple of Hera. Most noteworthy, they allowed us to be among the spectators cheering at the finish line of the foot races at the stadium. Through the lens of the glasses, we visited Phidias’ workshop and the Echo Portico, and we “watched” athletes practice at the Palestra and the Gymnasium.
From waking to the old-fashioned alarm clock to immersing ourselves in the past through advanced technology, at the end of that particular day last summer, I couldn’t help but relish the contrasts we’d experienced.
(Note: Marjorie Appelman is an English, communications and journalism teacher at Mason County High School and co-founder of the travel blog Tales from the Trip, which is on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. She can be reached at marj.appelman@gmail.com.)
