Greece Part 2: Delphi

We woke up early one morning and were driven a couple hours to the town of Delphi in northwest Greece. In ancient times, Delphi was the seat of Pythia, the major oracle, who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world, and the Greeks considered the center of the world to be in Delphi. The site was excavated in the 19th century by French archaeologists, and is located in the side of a mountain. Starting this trek up the hill at the beginning of the site.

The first set of ruins was the sanctuary of Apollo. People of those times that that earth was the first divinity, and they worshipped earth from this site. But it was most known for where the cult of Apollo came to and the role played by the oracle in Delphi.

Next we came to the stoa, or gathering porch, from around the 4th century BC. The stoa was the only remnants left from the Agora, which is where meetings and trade took place. When people came to Delphi to seek the oracle’s guidance, they would enter through this stoa. 

Next was the Rock of Sibyl, which is where the first prophetess of Delphi, Sibyl Hierophile, stood to utter her oracles. It was said that she foresaw the fall of Troy, and this rock is considered the oldest cult place at Delphi.

This was a library, amazing how much of it still remained standing.

This was the stoa of King Attalus, from the 3rd century BC. 

View of the stoa as we headed up the hill.

At the top was the stadium

The stadium was built in the 5th century BC as a running track, to host the Pan Hellenic Pythian games, and spectators used to sit on the ground. Under Emperor Hadrian’s Roman Empire rule, in the 2nd century AD, the seats were added to the stadium. The Pythian games were held in this stadium, on the 5th day of a 6-8 day religious festival, and they were second in importance to the Olympic Games. 

It was impressive to see how well in tact it was!

View from the top of Delphi, heading back down the mountain.

Once we got down, we briefly visited the museum, then started making our way back towards Athens.

Delphi was a very interesting place to visit, and we enjoyed seeing the scenery along the drive as well.

We stopped for lunch at a quaint town called Arachova. In the winter it is a popular ski resort, and it was such a charming and picturesque place to stop and enjoy the views.

We got back to Athens mid-afternoon and decided to go see a couple sites nearby to our apartment, and we took one more trip to the stadium. It was so hot out, and the kids enjoyed Coca Cola slushies to end the day.

We had a great quick visit to Athens in Delphi…next stop, Rhodes!

Greece Part 1: Athens

After spending a week in Georgia, we flew to Greece to explore Athens and Delphi for a few days, then continued on to Rhodes. Our AirBnB was very close to the main sites in Athens, on a busy street in a small building. It was a rainy afternoon and we were hungry, so we found a nice nearby Italian restaurant to eat and watch the storm.

The apartment the we stayed at was only about a quarter mile from the Panathenaic Stadium, which we explored next. It is a 50,000 seat stadium built of marble, that was originally built in 330 BC to host the Panathenaic Games, then rebuilt several times over the centuries. It hosted the first Olympics in 1896 and the 2004 Olympics. It was a very impressive sight to see.

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On your mark, get set, go….

Caleb and I climbed to the top and watched Benjamin run a lap around the stadium. Caleb had a very bad cough so he sat the lap out.

Then it was Nathan and my turn for a lap, and Eliza joined in tow for a while.

And this is what happens when you give your 10 year old high tech son the phone to video your run, haha!

Winners!

Benjamin showing off his abs.

Underneath the stadium was a long tunnel leading to the hall of fame museum.

There were photos from each of the Olympic Games held over the years, and had facts about the construction and reconstruction of the stadium. It was really impressive and inspiring.

We left the stadium and wanted to explore a nearby park to get photos of the Parthenon at sunset. The kids were amazed at all the graffiti around town, lots of murals along the buildings.

Hiking in the the park

We had beautiful views of the city from this high point.

There it is, the Parthenon, at sunset.

The next morning we woke up early to visit the Parthenon, which was only about a mile from where we were staying, but we knew it would be a lot of walking so we taxied over to preserve mostly Eliza’s energy. Greece was barley starting the tourist season and it was packed with people, as you can see. This was the line we stood in to get into the Parthenon. The line went fast, and were great views to keep you busy, but man was it hot and crowded!

Looking down at the coliseum.

Going through the gates to enter the site.

The Parthenon, dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena, started construction in 447BC and finished in 437BC, with the finishing decorative touches continuing for another 5 years. In the 6AD it was converted into a Christian Church and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, then in the Ottoman period it was converted to a Mosque. In the late 1600’s it was bombed, then in the 1970’s it began undergoing major restoration projects to protect the integrity of the structure. You could see the differences in material. 

I don’t remember what this temple was called 

We had great views of the city from this site. We stayed for a little longer then began the walk down hill to keep exploring.

We walked through some shops and stopped for a cold drink.

The next stop was the Ancient Agora, which is an old Market area where merchants sold food, clothes, pottery, products, and other items, and there were inns and churches there too. It was the center of Greek life in these times. 

One of the main features of the Ancient Agora is the Stoa Poikile, which is the main place where people came to socialize. This particular stoa in famous because it is where Zeno of Citium, the father of Stoicism, taught about this philosophy. The school of Stoicism takes its name from having first been taught here, and is derived from the Greek work stoa, which means a roofed colonnade or porch.

Nathan the Stoic.

Eliza was wise and decided this was a good place to nap.

Nathan went out with boys to explore the area.

I don’t remember the names of the churches and surrounding structures.

View of the Parthenon. It was prominently seen from throughout the city.

After the Agora, we kept walking the streets making our way back to our apartment. All throughout the city, there were random ruins. I think this was an ancient library. 

More ruins as you walk the streets. 

The next morning we woke up early for a guide to take us to the ancient town of Delphi. Stay tuned….