Wednesday, June 11, 2025
This morning, we left Athens, to travel
to more countryside destinations. Our
first stop was Arachova, a nice little town where we had lunch and some time to
wander about. Before we actually came
into town, we made a brief stop on the mountainside overlooking the town.
Knowing that we had a group dinner
tonight, Lyle and I opted to share a hot feta cheese pie from a local bakery,
then just to wander the town, looking for likely photo ops.
From the little Church of the Virgin Mary, to backstreet courtyards and porches, we found multiple opportunities for nice photos. As in Anafiotika, local cats seemed to have the run of the place.
The entire town was so neat and clean. So much so that I had a hard time finding a trash can to throw away our lunch wrappers.
After lunch, we
continued on to Delphi, the site of the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle referred not only to the person who
prophesied, but also to the entire complex on the site. There were multiple temples, treasury
buildings to hold the offerings, a theater, a stadium, and also living quarters
and schools.
The Seer, or Oracle, was a prophetess who, in a trance, would give mystical advice. People would come for miles around to consult the oracle, who never gave straightforward answers. The site itself was found by scientists to exist on a fault line where the tectonic plates meet. In this spot cracks in the earth allowed the escape of methane and ethane gas, which likely contributed to the oracle’s trance -- and to her death if she inhaled too much! 😟
There were also physical and musical competitions taking place in this complex.
The theater was set into the hillside with the mountains in the distance provided a stunning backdrop for the stage.
The stadium was the site of athletic
competition: races, wrestling, and
exhibitions of prowess with bows and spears.
Athletes competed nude, but lest all you ladies become too excited about
the prospect of scores of muscular nude athletes, alas, only men were allowed
to attend or participate in the competitions.
The one exception was Sparta, where women had their own competitions, but still separate from the men.
The omphalos, or naval, represented the
center of the world. According to the
legends, Zeus took two eagles and released them on opposite sides of the
world. They met here, at Delphi, and
Zeus threw down a stone to mark the spot.
This was the omphalos, or navel, of the world.
There were many other treasures in the
museum, all unearthed at the site. This
piece of a temple frieze shows the colors originally on the stones. All temples were beautifully decorated, but
unfortunately, much of the color has been lost to erosion.
The Greeks also had their own version of
the Sphynx. Where the Egyptian sphynx
had the body of a lion and the head of a man (usually the Pharaoh), the Greek
version had the head of a smiling woman with ornately styled hair. The Greek sphynx also had wings.
One thing that struck us immediately was the much smaller stature of the ancient peoples. The armored helmets unearthed at the site were much too small for anyone older than a young teen today.
We ate family style at one of the local restaurants. I couldn’t name anything we had, but it was all good. And the view was fantastic.
Coming up: Our Road Trip to Olympia!