The rest of the Sacred Way was closed, so we couldn't get up to see the Theater (for a once-every-four-year ancient song contest) nor the Stadium (for the once-every-four-year Pythian Games). But there's still plenty to see in Delphi...
There's a nice modern walkway out to the other sites: the Kastalian Spring (closed to visitors), a gymnasium, and the Sanctuary of Athena. The Kastalian Spring is where the oracle, the priests and the pilgrims would purify themselves before the rituals.
There's a nice modern walkway out to the other sites: the Kastalian Spring (closed to visitors), a gymnasium, and the Sanctuary of Athena. The Kastalian Spring is where the oracle, the priests and the pilgrims would purify themselves before the rituals.
We had a picnic lunch (mostly purchased at the Central Market in Athens yesterday) while sitting on this wall. Those are olive trees in the background.
At the bottom of the hill some distance away from the Sacred Precinct lay the ruins of a gymnasium where the athletes trained for the Pythian Games.
OK, so we're not ancient Pythian wrestlers.
A steep path leading from the gymnasium took me to the Sanctuary of Athena. (Ma stayed behind at the gymnasium.) Supposedly of lesser importance than the Temple of Apollo, it appears on far more postcards.
There's also a museum in Delphi. Among its many treasures is the Sphynx of Naxos that used to sit on the black rock in an earlier picture.
A glass case near the exit showed what the Sacred Precinct would have looked like in its prime.It was a long walk back to the bus station, a long ride back to Athens, another long walk to the metro station followed by a short walk back to the hotel. We ate what was left of our picnic lunch, packed our bags, and got some shut-eye. Tomorrow: Africa!
