Europe 2018 Delphi

Tomorrow would be another big tour: Delphi! I wanted to go somewhere close to the hotel. Saw a sign: Roof Garden. It was the place I could see from my room. There was a large screen that showed silent movies. I ordered a glass of wine. The waiter brought it out with a plate of tapas. Olives, bread, cheese. I had just had the lamb, but what the heck. When in Athens... I watched a couple of Charlie Chaplin shorts. In one he was in the trenches of World War I.   

The last tour. One I was really anticipating. The Delphi Full Day Tour. The sky was overcast with threatening clouds. There was a bit of a drizzle while waiting for the bus. The morning traffic was a bit tough and it took the bus a while to get out of the Athens area. It was an interesting look at Greece outside the tourist zone. 

Our guide was Mariana.  A real sweetheart. We would be on the bus for about two and a half hours, with a short break in Livadeia. She gave us a great running commentary on the places we were passing while in the bus, and many fun facts on the geography and history of Greece. We would not be taking the exact route that pilgrims used, but it would be close. She talked about the agriculture of the province of Boeotia as we passed through. She pointed out the road to Thebes where Oedipus had run into his father.  

We got our first look at Mount Parnassus. The top was shrouded in the clouds. We made a pit stop at a modern domed facility that looked designed for tourist rest stops. Levadeia. I had a great Baklava. The clouds still looked threatening. “Of course we can’t guarantee weather conditions at the archaeological site.”

We were headed up into the mountains. The scenery was getting more dramatic.  There was a view of Corinthian Bay and the Ionian Sea in the distance.

Passed through the mountain town of Arachova. It’s a resort town for nearby winter sports on Mount Parnassus. It’s famous for its carpets and wool. 

In Arachova we got into a medieval traffic jam. The streets are small. We were behind what Mariana said was probably a funeral procession. Someone “going to their last residence on earth.” It was a similar situation to the tight spots on Ireland’s roads. Our bus faced another tour bus. There was no confrontation. No yelling, swearing. Each driver backed up so each bus could squeeze past on the narrow street. It did take some cooperation and time. When we started rolling again our driver Socrates got a round of applause.  

Delphi was “the center of the ancient world.” It was the home of the fabled Oracle of Delphi. A mountain pass made it a crucial spot for trade, but it took on even more importance as a spiritual center. This was a sacred place even before the Greeks.

We kept winding up the mountains surrounded by spectacular green scenery. Mariana said that not only the area is protected, the view is protected. There are no power lines or industrial development. Bauxite for aluminum is mined here. It is done totally underground.

We left the bus and entered the site. A stone path went up the hill. Mariana pointed out the ravine formed by “The Phaedriades.” This gap had made the area the center of a crucial trade route. It’s easy to see why the Oracle was here.     

Marinana explained that the pilgrimage was a big investment for the people of ancient times. There was lost time and income. Many had to borrow money to make the trek. Here at the Agora pilgrims could buy “what we would call souvenirs” to thank their sponsors. There were also souvenirs to prove that you had completed the pilgrimage. The walls dividing the shop stalls are still visible. 

Delphi was the center of the universe. It was the “Omphalos,” the navel of the earth. The business model is pretty much the same. The Acropolis, Delphi and other sites draw people from around the world. Now they’re called tourists, but they have to be fed and lodged. An industry grows around it. The tourist dollar rules now. It’s easier to travel, but it’s still a bit of a pilgrimage to get to a place that is as revered as Delphi.   

 

We came to The Polygonal Wall. Mariana said it was one of the first structures excavated at Delphi. It was covered with inscriptions. Hundreds of them. We passed several more “Treasuries.” The Treasury of the Athenians. The Treasury of the Boeotians. The Treasury of the Thebans. Treasure and gifts poured into Delphi from all Greece. The gods had to be thanked or appeased. Some of the Treasuries look pretty good considering how ancient they are. Their facade and columns are still intact. 

Mariana pointed out a rock that was covered in brush and dried roots. It looked unusual, like a large overturned tree stump. I would have noticed it, but would have walked right past it without knowing what it was. It was the Sibyl rock. Legend says this is where the original Oracle answered questions. It’s great to have a tour guide. 

Mariana says that the scientists and archaeologists don’t have all the answers. The room where the Oracle sat has not been found. Excavations continue.

We come to the columns of the Athenian stoa. Plunder from the Persians was offered  to the gods here to thank them for the victory. 

We went up the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo. This was the goal of pilgrims for centuries. It was hard to imagine what it must have been like for the fervent pilgrims reaching the end of their journeys. Delphi definitely has an aura of its own. The ruins seem to take on a life of their own.

Mariana talked about the Oracle. She was always selected from the “normal” part of the local population. She wasn’t a priestess. The answers she gave were usually vague. Then it was up to the priests of the temple to interpret what they really meant.  

We had some free time to wander. I went a little farther up the hill. I would have spent more time here, but I did want to make sure I got a look at The Delphi Archaeological Museum. The small museum displays objects of great archaeological importance. Like the Acropolis artifacts have been moved into the museum for their protection and safe keeping. 

Original friezes have been moved indoors. Each room has at least one large, stunning statue. The Kouroi of Delphi. Statue of a Bull. The Sphinx of the Naxians. The facades of the Temple of Apollo. The ancient statues of humans are amazingly lifelike. The last room displays The Bronze Charioteer, on of the most famous and best preserved statues of antiquity.   

Even Delphi fell out of favor. Greece is plagued by earthquakes. Over the centuries Delphi was shaken by them. Other trade routes had been found. Religion changed. It had a rebirth under the Romans. It’s hard to believe, but Delphi was forgotten and buried. There were a few visitors who knew it was the site of the Oracle, including Lord Byron. Some drawings were made of buildings at the site.   

Delphi was “rediscovered” in the early Nineteenth Century. Over the years a village had grown on top of the buried ruins. The village was “relocated” after an earthquake. Excavation started in the 1890s.

Delphi isn’t just another pile of ruins up in the mountains. It’s a part of the spectacular surroundings. Delphi is not only a sacred spot, but the whole area is holy ground. 

We meet the bus outside the museum. We could see other ruins from the bus, including the Tholos. Mariana says that the wind creates waves in the many olive trees on the hillside. The trees have two colors. They are darker on the bottom and lighter on the top half. It’s usually windy and the wind and tree colors create wave effects. It’s part of the view from here. Mariana has the heart of a poet.  

We have lunch at Symposium. Everyone is blown away by Delphi and are very glad they took the tour. Lunch was another great fried chicken. We compared travel notes. “Where are you headed next?” On the way out I see a photo of a much younger Hilary Clinton posing with the owners.  

We stop at Arachova on the way back. We had thirty minutes of “free time.” A shop owner, John, greets everyone getting off the bus. Arachova is famous for rugs and carpets. It’s also famous for the view and the bell tower. 

I heard the shop owner John: “We’ll split the difference!”  

I was walking back to the bus. A large rainbow arced over the mountains and the road back to Athens. One of the largest I’ve ever seen. Really spectacular. Mariana said that, “We didn’t get the rain, but we still got the rainbow!”    

It was a long bus ride home. My epic trip was drawing to a close. I would fly the next day. Back to reality. It seemed like a long time ago that I had left San Francisco. Or Dublin. I had seen a lot. 

I was getting impatient. Wanted to get off the bus. My hotel would be at the last stop. I thought about getting off at Monastiraki, but I stayed on. I would get a look at a part of Athens that I hadn’t seen. We passed through some neighborhoods that looked pretty shaky. 

In one neighborhood there were fruit and vegetable stands set up in front of stores. It was getting dark. Maybe that added to the paranoia. I saw signs for Pakistani businesses. Maybe it wasn’t as dangerous as it looked, but I wondered what would happen if I went strolling through this part of town with my Rick Steves bag in tow. There were stone buildings that looked abandoned with boarded up windows. Some of them had impressive facades,. They had seen better days. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. There was always the graffiti.  

We were near Syntagma Square and The Parliament Building. The bus stopped. We would not be able to go any further because there was a demonstration. At least I knew where I was. I headed towards the hotel and turned a corner. I had walked right into some riot police. They had their game faces on. They were putting on helmets and adjusting equipment. Most of them had large riot shields and batons. These guys looked serious.  

I went another block and looked down Mitropoleos Street. My hotel was close. There were about a thousand demonstrators marching up the street. Right between me and my hotel. Might as well just watch the demonstration. There was definitely some hostility in the air. They were chanting and some demonstrators carried iron rods that they pounded on things as they marched up the street. They weren’t smashing everything in sight, but the menacing sound created tension. I pulled out my iPhone and started shooting video. I couldn’t see, but it sounded like they were attacking an ATM. There was a crash and then some cheers.

A young guy standing behind me yelled, “You can’t film this!” I put the iPhone down. “It’s for your protection, man. You can’t film this!” I felt foolish and I certainly wasn’t going to argue with him. I realized he was doing me a big favor and thanked him. Efharistoh! 

I was quickly losing my curiosity. It was a good time to go around the block and avoid most of the demonstration. Somehow I wound up on a street that was not Metropoleos. I wandered a bit and entered the now familiar Cathedral Plaza, which wasn’t far from the hotel. The demonstration was long gone. Syntagma Square is where most big demonstrations wind up. That’s where the action was.

Took a short break at the Pan Hotel. I wanted to get a last look at the Acropolis lit up at night. Wasn’t that hungry, but I did have some great fried calamarI. 

Tomorrow I would be flying back.