Greece: Delphi

On Thursday transportation was back up and running, so we made our way to Delphi, a short bus ride away.

 A charming street in downtown Delphi.

 Breathtaking view of the landscape, with Mt Parnassus on the left.  In antiquity, Delphi was the site of the Delphic Oracle, as well as an important center of worship for the god Apollo.  Our bus ride took about 3 hours from Athens and made its way along small, winding roads.  It's amazing to think about those in antiquity who made the trek by foot, how long it must have taken them, and the path they covered over the rugged terrain.

 A whole sanctuary was built in the hills, including a massive temple to Apollo, a stadium, a theater, and several treasuries, among other things.

Doric columns from the Temple of Apollo.

Original location of the Siphinian Treasury,

 which is now reconstructed inside the Delphi Archaeological museum.

The rock where, according to legend, the Delphic Sibyl sat when giving her prophecies.

Closeup of the remaining columns of the Temple of Apollo.  I love the juxtaposition between the ruins and the spring flowers.

Enormous Dandelion poofs!!

Holy shit!  I think red means stay away!!

View of the Temple of Apollo.  The columns in the previous shots are on the far left.

View of the theater.

Katie: "Who says women can't act in the Greek theater?"  It's a bit hard to tell, but Ashley (black dress on the left) is smiting me while Clelia (jeans and black shirt in front) tries to stop her.  As I'm dying in the center, Katie (white dress on right) is swooping in to crown me with laurel.

The ancient stadium, at the very top of the complex.

On our way down the hike to the stadium we saw what we think is a jackal.  Nature!  It's everywhere in Greece!

A half mile away from the main complex lies an ancient Gymnasium.

The highlight of this site is the Tholos of Athena Pronaia.

After our trek in the mountains we waited for the bus with drinks and desert at a cafe with a stunning view.

The bus stop itself.

Greece: Tower of the Winds and Riots

On Wednesday we had originally planned to fly home, but with the massive transit strike all flights in and out of Athens were canceled.  Unfortunately, the strike included all buses, taxis, and the metro, and since most stores were closed because of the riots nearby, we didn't have much to do that day.  We walked around a bit, and happened upon the Tower of the Winds, which was luckily open.

Tower of the Winds with the Acropolis in the background.

There were these huge ants that have plowed down the vegetation along their pathways.

Yikes.

The Tower of the Winds measured the winds (obviously), and was also a sundial.

Closeup of an allegory of a wind.

These streets were packed the day before.

Most of the shops in the market were closed.

As we were walking by, some workers at an empty restaurant invited us into the kitchen to catch news of the rioting.  The action was centered around Parliament, which was only about 500m north of where we were.  But other than the closed shops, there was thankfully no impact where we were staying.

Greece: The Acropolis

Our next day back in Athens was my birthday and we spent the day at the Acropolis and the new Acropolis Museum.  Not a bad way to turn 30!

The massive entrance, the Propylaea.

When you zoom in it looks like no one else is there.  If only.

The Parthenon, as it is meant to be viewed, from an angle.

Our group, marveling at the fact that there are no straight lines on the building.

View of Athens from the hill.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an ancient theater.  It has been restored and is once again a venue for concerts.

The Theater of Dionysus.

The Erechtheion, my favorite building of the group.

Caryatids on the Erechtheion.

We of course had to recreate the Caryatids.  This drew quite an audience.

Ongoing restoration and conservation in the Erechtheion.

Beautiful architectural details.

Among its many functions, the Erechtheion commemorates a contest between Athena and Poseidon for control of the city.  Poseidon struck a rock with his trident (of which the mark is still visible apparently, although we couldn't find it), causing a stream of salt water to burst forth.  Athena caused an olive tree to grow, and was deemed the winner.

Athena's olive tree.

Looking back towards the Propylaea.  It's amazing how much of a construction site the complex is.

The Temple of Athena Nike was unfortunately covered entirely in scaffolding and blocked off :(

View into the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

Delicious Greek salad for lunch.

I have no pictures of the Acropolis museum because photography is not allowed, which is ridiculous since everything inside is marble and therefore cannot be harmed by photos.  I understand that some museums ban photos so that you are forced to by postcards of the artworks in their shop, but these weren't even available.  Anyway, in the subway near the museum we happened upon a replica of the Parthenon pediment sculptures, and so we happily joined the drama.

Later at night (just about midnight) we saw the taxis lining up in preparation for the major strike the next day.