Grecian Adventures: Delphi & Arachova

Saturday, 13 November 2010

We just had our last school sponsored excursion to Delphi & Arachova. We travelled 3 hours north, up the coast, & finally arrived in Delphi. I stress finally because the stale cigarette smell that filtered through the bus the entire ride was strong enough to give someone cancer from second-hand smoke! Gasping for air, literally, we hurried out of the bust to find ourselves smack in the middle of Grecian mountains - faced, once again, with an indescribable view.

I feel as if I sometimes forget the beauty of Greece after long periods of time in the city. While parts of Athens never cease to amaze me it is those parts outside of Athens that truly check me in with reality!

...back to Delphi, home of the Oracle. It is here that Apollo was worshipped and where the Greeks came to ask the Oracle about their futures. In Greek culture this place is described as their "mecca" and every Greek should visit this place at least once in their lifetime.
The Greeks believed that Delphi was the center of the world - an eagle was released from the West and another from the East, they supposably met in Delphi & the spot was marked as the center of the world. Delphi was not only the center of culture, but also of religion & the world.

"THE Center of the World"

The main attraction of Delphi, however,was the Oracle. The story of the Oracle is a little indepth and far-fetched (to say the least), so stay with me...
Main Characters:

The Oracle - "wise" old woman
The High Priest - the "middle-man", relays questions from citizens to the Oracle

Greeks could consult the Oracle or the God Apollo, but all questions went through the Priest.

For consulting Apollo:
Step 1: Please submit questions to Priest at least 1 month in advance
a.k.a. - give the Priest time to make up an answer
Step 2: Please provide and sacrifice a goat for Apollo
Step 3: If Priest cannot think of an answer, please come back next month. Oh - P.S. thanks for the goat anyway

The answers about their futures were blatantly fake and fabricated by the Priest, yet they truly believed these answers were from Apollo.

Temple of Apollo

For consulting the Oracle:
*the Oracle was slightly different in that she provided "wise words about the future" rather than answers to specific questions
Step 1: Oracle enters the cave and sits in the presence of the spirits
a.k.a. - Oracle went into the cave, hovered over a crack in the earth that was emitting fumes and got mind-numbingly high.
Step 2: Oracle shares her knowledge with the Priest and all others
a.k.a. - Oracle stumbles out of the cave and slews off inaudible words. The Priest interprets/ makes something up and shares the "wisdom" with all who have gathered.

I may be a little cinical, but come on people it's fake at the highest level! It was pretty neat to be here though and walk through the ruins. The views weren't bad either...

The following are just some random pictures around Delphi...

Janine, Jessica, Me, & Jessi

me & my Italian nugget

After we finished at Delphi we ventured to a local ski-town named Arachova. We enjoyed a 4-course meal at a local taverna. Which means I once again over-indulged on Greek cuisine... NOT! After lunch we had time to kill so we were able to wander the streets and take in the sights. Arachova is a quaint little town with lots of cute little bakeries, shops, and tavernas. It was nice relaxing day away.

Here are some pictures from Arachova...