US in Greece 2013: Day 6 at Delphi and Day 7 at Meteora and Marathon

Day 6

We did not have internet last night (Friday), so this will be a double blog tonight.

First, Andrew Pokorny on Delphi:

After an early wake up on Mt. Parnassus, we began our exploration of Delphi, the location of the most famous oracle in antiquity. We started by looking around what is commonly referred to as the lower part of Delphi. Thanks to Mr. Millett and Mr. Frerichs, I had the privilege to see an ancient Greek digamma in an inscription, an extremely rare occurrence. Next we began the long, windy hike. Without dragging on about details, I thought the most entertaining part of Delphi was the set of statues that once lined the path. We first looked at the Arcadian statues dedicated upon the defeat of Sparta. Across the path from these statues, Athens had set up statues for its victory at Marathon. Finally, Sparta placed even more statues to the right of the Athenian ones celebrating its defeat of Athens. Because of the highly compact and competitive placement, these statues combined to create an ancient one-up-manship between the different city-states. The day ended with a couple hour's drive from Delphi to Meteora, during which the highlight of Mr. Millett's trip occurred. We stopped at a WW I grave for British soldiers. However, I slept right through the stop because no one woke me up. Tomorrow we take on the middle-of-the-air (Meteora) monasteries. Wish us luck.

And Andrew Dorogi on the images of Delphi:

The omphalos stone. Myth has it that this was the stone, disguised as Zeus, that Chronos consumed when there was a threat that one of Chronos's children would overthrow him. Also it is said that this stone was Zeus's marker for the center of the Earth.

This wall at Delphi shows a series inscriptions marking that proclaimed a series of freed slaves.

The ruins of the Temple of Apollo overlooking the the beautiful mountainous landscape. It would be here where the Oracle herself would give predictions.

At the very top of the sight at Delphi was one of the stadiums in which hosted the original Panhellenic games - one of the 4 panhellenic stadiums located in Greece.

A group photo of outside the stadium at Delphi.

An overlooking view of the Theater of Dionysus and the Temple of Apollo.

A photo of Mr. Millett just about to finish crawling through one of the underground passages at Delphi.

Two statues of twins found at the Museum located at Delphi.

In this photo is the Sphynx dedicated to Delphi. It was originally located outside the temple of Apollo in order to serve as a protective divinity.

The Charioteer is one of the few remaning original bronze statues from ancient Greece. It was found buried under the original Delphi sight.

A memorial for passed veterans of the Great War, surrounded by the beautiful landscape of rural Greece.

Day 7

Marc Manolache comments on Meteora and Thermopylae:

Today we visited Meteora where we saw several Greek Orthodox monasteries. The monasteries were located in a stunning rock complex with a beautiful view of the mountains. There we learned about Byzantine art and architecture. The monastaries had many beautiful and terrifying depictions of heaven and hell that served to remind the monks of their duty. The walls were beautifully painted, usually depicting scenes of the final judgment, as well as the martydom of early Christians and paradise. The painting on the ceiling of the dome was always reserved for Jesus. We then stopped at Thermopolae where the famous 300 Spartans took their final stand. We learned about the geography and historical importance of Thermopylae. Afterwards we returned to Athens where we were allowed to get our own dinner and later shop for souveniers.

Finally, Chris Lincoln on the images of Meteora and Thermopylae:

This is a beautiful view of the mountians from the St. Barbara Monastary. Our tour guide, Smaro, told us that we were looking at the entire length of the mountains that separate the East and West of Greece. What a nice view, ay?

We stopped the bus to look out and take a shot of these two monasteries, as well as chow down on a tasty treat given to us by Smaro. They built these monasteries on these rocks for protection.

Here is a view of St. Barabara and its flags. The yellow flag has two eagles and is the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church. You can also see the flag of Greece to the right.

Our group with the Great Meteora monastery in the background.

Walking around Greece makes me feel as if I am living in the wrong part of the world.

A view of Mount Olympus. This is the home of the Olympian gods. If I were a god, I would have lived somewhere warmer.

Here we can see the view of "The Pots". It is one of the hot springs that give Thermopylae it's "thermo". It smelled strongly of sulfur. You would not find me bathing in it as the locals we saw.