July 14th - Day 34

Tholos in lower site

Today was an exciting day for me...we finally made it to Delphi! The sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was built over a series of terraces in the foothills of Mt. Parnassos. Delphi was considered the religious and spiritual center of the ancient Greek world. According to myth, Zeus sent two eagles from the ends of the universe to find the center of the world. The two eagles met in Delphi and Delphi was considered by the Greeks to be the geographical center of the world. Visitors from all over the Greek world would come to Delphi to consult  the oracle whenever they were about to take a serious decision or initiative.

Gymnasium

We started the day by walking from our hotel to the lower sanctuary where we saw the Temple of Athena Pronaia - both the latest temple and the remains of the archaic temple - and some treasuries. Next we walked back up the hill and stopped to look at the Kastalian Spring and the gymnasium. We then continued up the hill to the main entrance of the site and traveled along the Sacred Way, just like pilgrims in ancient times would have. Along the way we saw the Treasury of the Siphnians, the Athenian Treasury, the Temple of Apollo, and the theatre. The Temple of Apollo, where the oracle was located, was completely roped off and being watched by guards, so we were not able to get very close to the spot where people would have gone to ask their questions of the oracle. I stood as close as I could to the spot and asked my question...no response, but maybe I will receive a vision tonight in my sleep...

Temple of Apollo

Antinoos

Most of us continued our voluntary "forced death march" to the very top terrace where the stadium is located. It is quite a trek from the gymnasium to the stadium and it gave me a new appreciation of the ancient athletes who participated in the games. Delphi, because it is built on a series of terraces, is full of inclines and stairs with little to no shade and we were there during the peak of the day, so it was a little warm out. It was just so cool to be at the site that I didn't even mind the hike.

Stadium

After we finished at the site we headed back down to the museum on site where we got to see some of the finds. My favorite was the statue of Antinoos - the beloved companion of Emperor Hadrian who drowned in the Nile River. He was supposed to have been very beautiful and his statue had fabulous hair. After the museum it was time for lunch - gyros at a local restaurant - and a little souvenir shopping.

Highlights for tomorrow include Chaironeia and Thermopylai before we head to Kalambaka for the night.