Delphi

Temple of Apollo seen from the amphitheater above

On Monday morning we bid adieu to Athens after three wonderful days soaking up its history.  We left our apartment bright and early to travel back to the airport and pick up our rental car.  After experiencing Athens traffic and narrow streets, I'm glad we are picking up our car outside of the city.

I've dubbed this trip the Ancient History Tour as our itinerary is filled with visits to historical sites and ruins.  We won't have time to visit any of the islands.  We'll have to reserve that for a return trip.  After about 2 hours of driving, we've reached our first destination -- Delphi.

5th Century B.C. Stadium

Delphi was known throughout the world as the home of the Oracle of Delphi, a prophetess who was the mouthpiece of Apollo on earth.  Pilgrims would travel from all over to seek her advice.  During this period, Delphi was considered to be the center of the world and one of its sacred sites.  Our first stop was the archaeological site to walk the Sacred Way and see the Temple of Apollo.  Ancient Delphi was a place of worship centered on the Temple of Apollo.  The temple site is surrounded by the remains of grand monuments that were paid for and built by grateful pilgrims.

Charioteer circa 480 B.C.

The ancient site and the nearby modern town are located in the side of Mount Parnassus.  Seeing the site requires a nice uphill hike from the road.  For me, one of the most interesting aspects was the ancient stadium built in the 5th century B.C.  It's at the highest point of the site (up a very steep trail) and hosted the Pythian Games, second in importance only to the Olympics.  It's remarkably well preserved, so much so that it could probably host athletic competitions with a minimal amount of renovation.  Not bad for a 2,500 year-old stadium.  The archaeological
museum houses many of the original artifacts from the ancient site, many of which date back 2000 years or more.  Their prized possession with a room unto itself is a bronze charioteer circa 480 B.C.  It is believed that a great earthquake some 100 years later buried the statue in debris, helping to protect it from the elements.

Sanctuary of Athena Pronea -- Athena was also worshipped
at Delphi along with Apollo

The modern town of Delphi is defined by two narrow, parallel streets.  We spent the night here and our hotel provided great views of the valley, lined with groves of olive trees all the way to the Gulf of Corinth.  Delphi is a popular day trip, especially from Athens, so there were lots of tour buses when we arrived.  However, by about 3:00 pm, they were on their way back to the City and it felt like we had the town to ourselves.  Another great day soaking up history and enjoying the hospitality of our Greek hosts.

The view from our hotel balcony -- Hotel Fedriades