Wednesday, May 27th: Olympic Park & Visit to Marathon

After arriving in Athens the previous afternoon, we again prepared to witness and experience an entirely new city. Quick side-note to explain what I mean. This trip has been phenomenal and more than I ever dreamed it to be, but after a while, the wear and tear of constant travel and activity takes a toll both on you. I found myself sore and lacking energy multiple times while in Olympia and over the course of the day in Athens, not to mention we are still getting over the severe jet-lag. Nevertheless, back to the events of the day. 

We once again boarded a coach bus and ventured out around twenty-six miles away from Athens to the town of Marathon. Our Greek liaison Nike (pronounced Nikki) prefaced the day with facts and stories about the Battle of Marathon, which occurred directly in the center of the town itself. In the middle of her presentation, Brendan Crowley (affectionately known a Pops to us) gave a five minute speech about the same subject on the orders of Professor Ryan. This was purely due to the fact that he chose the Battle of Marathon as the topic of his class paper, but it was educational as well as lighthearted for the group to receive the presentation. 

Now the Battle of Marathon itself has two major components, the actual battle, and the events that took place afterwards. During the bus ride, we focused on the latter. A soldier by the name of Pheidippides was tasked with running back to the city of Athens in all haste to deliver the message that the Athenians had prevailed in the battle and a warning that the Persian fleet could attack. He completed this task, whether or not in full hoplite armor is a matter of debate, and according to legend, collapsed and died after. Nike explained to us that there are two possible route that Pheidippides could have taken, either through the mountains or along the coast. Our journey to the town of Marathon was through the mountains, while we returned by the coast. This gave us a better idea as to how strenuous both routes must have been to the original marathoner. 

In total we visited four sites: the 2004 Greek Olympic Park, the Tumulus of Marathon, the Marathon Museum, and the Trophy of the Battle of Marathon. 

The Olympic Park was the only site we visited that pertained directly to the class, and did not fail to impress us. We were greeted by two Greek officials who gave us a tour of the Olympic Stadium, that resembled Wembley Stadium rather closely. We watched a video on the major events that had taken place at the stadium during and after the Olympics. Then we toured the facility and were allowed to walk onto the track and football pitch itself. The sun was rather overbearing, but we ventured into the shade and held a group 100 meter dash between Jeff, Lee, Ethan, Brendan, and Rob. The loser Jeff, who ironically enough was the one who thought of the race, was labored with buying lunch for the group. 

After the stadium we visited the Tumulus of the Battle of Marathon which is the tomb where 196 Athenian soldiers who died during the battle are buried. It is also believed to be the exact spot where the two armies clashed. Now this battle took place in 490 BCE, which highlights just how significant events of antiquity are to the modern Greek people. We followed this up with a visit to the regional museum and then the victory column that was built to honor the Athenian triumph. 

The day concluded with a trip to the beach, which was very beautiful and tranquil, except for the fact that a thunder storm followed us from Athens and ruined our chances of swimming. However we did get to enjoy some relaxation time and the company of a stray puppy that brightened our moods. Altogether it was was another successful day in Greece; another reason I grow fonder of the country every day.