Delphi, GreeceHappy, happy birthday, Lisa! We wish you a fantastic day!!
After a delicious breakfast in Aegli Hotel, Arahova, Tom and I headed out to find a bit of the ancient history of Delphi.
Delphi became important to early Greeks because, according to legend, Zeus released 2 eagles from opposite ends of the world. The eagles' paths crossed in the sky above Delphi, so Zeus chose Delphi as the centre of the earth, and the home of Apollo.
People used to come from all over to consult with Apollo on what actions they should take in a war, in their private lives, in politics, in commerce, etc.
But, as people couldn't talk to the god Apollo himself, they spoke through a priestess. She was called Pythia, and sat on a tripod over a crack in the earth. Gases came out of the crack and there's some interpretation that she was in a trance or hallucination from the gases. Her words were interpreted and shared with the worshiper who was asking for answers.
Arriving at the ruins, we started up the Sacred Way. It is a path that leads past all the treasuries on the way up to the Temple of Apollo. A treasury is a small building full of the gifts of money, over 3,000 statues, gold etc. When a city was successful in its war campaign against an enemy, the city donated gifts to the Temple of Apollo is appreciation for its good prophecy from the priestess Pythia.
Passing the treasury of Athens, which is still in really good shape, we arrived at the Temple of Apollo. A temple has been here since the 7th century BC.
We continued up the marble stone stairs to the ancient theatre. It's similar to the one we saw in Epidavros, but smaller and not as well preserved. It held 5,000 people who came to watch tragedies, comedies and celebrated the winners of the Pythian Games. Pythian Games, held every 4 years like the Olympics, began as a musical festival to celebrate Apollo's slaying of the mythical serpent, Pythos. The festivals included poetry and music and athletic competitions.
Carrying on to the top, we came to the very well preserved stadium. At 180 metres long, with stone seats for 7,000 spectators and extra special stone seats with backs for the judges, it was also impressive.
We enjoyed the Delphi site, but both feel it is over-rated. There were hoards and hoards of tourists pouring out of tour buses from Athens, and the ruins haven't the same sense of wonder and awe that we've experienced elsewhere.
But, Delphi does boast delicious meals. We've had one of the best we've had since arriving in Greece. The waitress was so helpful and friendly. Greek salad, souvlaki, tzatziki and bread was delicious, but the best was saved for last. Our waitress insisted we try dessert - a delicious plate of Greek yogurt with fig preserves. Mmmm, Mmmm. We do remember places by our stomachs!!
Back to our apartment for a few minutes (and to try to figure out why we can't open our emails all of a sudden) and then we walked into the old town of Arahova for the opening celebration of St. George's Day. More on that next time ....
2025-05-22