5/14 Delphi
Our ferry pulled into shore by Athens at about 5 a.m. We were all glad to be alive; while we waited to disembark, the exhaust from all the vehicles in the ferry's "garage" got a little thick. We boarded a bus and after a slow three-hour ride up into the mountains and a short stop for breakfast, we arrived in Delphi. We first stopped at our hotel and then walked to the site of ancient Delphi. We hiked around the ancient ruins and tried to imagine what it would have looked like about 500 B.C. Delphi is known as the "Navel of the World." According to legend, the god Zeus released two eagles one day, one from the east and one from the west. They met at Delphi and so the Greeks believed that Delphi was the center of the world. Delphi is also the site of the famed Oracle, to whom Greeks would come to hear their fortunes or get advice. We saw the stadium, the theater, and temples to Apollo and Athena, among other things, and then walked back to town. We ate lunch and then this afternoon, some climbed the mountain; most slept. We dined at a local restaurant in town.
Milling around the stadium, probably the best preserved of all ancient stadiums in Greece.
Resting by the stadium.
Sitting over the theatre.
The striking 4th century BC Tholos, where only 3 of the original 20 columns still stand, is located in the Santuary of Athena Pronaia.
Most of the Delphi museum is being renovated for the expected crowds associated with the 2004 Olympic Games, but the Bronze Charioteer is still available for viewing.
The city below.
The Delphi landscape.
The Temple to Apollo.
The Theatre at Delphi.
A view from Mt. Parnassos.