Day 4
Hey everyone,
So on the fourth day we left Athens for a tour of the mainland. The first place we went to was Delphi, the ancient sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, the Greek god of light and prophecy. As a classics major, Delphi has special significance to me because I read about it all the time in Greek tragedy. Oedipus hears about the prophecy that ultimately destroys him from the Delphic oracle, and it was really amazing to finally see it in person. We started the 3 hour drive and headed towards Mount Parnassos, the major mountain where Delphi is located. Can you imagine in ancient times how long it must have taken for the Greeks to travel to Delphi? Such a long journey! Mount Parnassos is now used as a skiing and snowboarding location. After stopping for a quick break at a local rest stop and eating my first spinach pie of the day (they are delicious but we ended up eating them ALL the time so we got tired of them!) we finally reached the museum at Delphi.
Delphi is located high in the mountains, just past the little town of Arachova. The museum is located below the actual sanctuary. It holds many old sculptures and statues unearthed from the sanctuary. Apparently all the contributions to the exhibits came from a French archaelogical team, who spent 11 years excavating the site. The one sculpture that I really liked was “The Charioteer”. He was made of bronze and sculpted in such great detail. He even had eyelashes!
After the museum, we got to explore Delphi and began the hike up the hill to the sanctuary. We saw the Temple of Apollo and learned about the Delphic oracle who inhaled fumes from earthly gases and delivered the prophecies of Apollo. The temple was quite large and it had a great view of everything below. We also saw a theater and a sports arena, which was at the very top. I will definitely add photos to this post when I get back!
After Delphi, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch. A friend of mine and I shared the mixed dish, which was comprised of different foods. There were cabbage rolls stuffed with veal, fried cheese, tzatziki, fried zucchini balls, and salad. It was delicious! The food has been absolutely amazing here.
After lunch, we headed to Arachova to explore a bit. Arachova is now a popular place for skiers since it is close to Mount Parnassos. There is this one set of stairs, 200 in all, that leads up to this church and plane that gives you a great view of the city. My 3 friends and I ran up the stairs in 3 minutes! My legs were trembling on the way down! The views were phenomenal though, so it was definitely worth it. And apparently every year a bunch of old men run up the stairs following some custom. They must be in great shape because the climb was no walk in the park!
After that, we drove to the city of Delphi to check into our hotel and unwind for the night. It was a great day!
