Delphi, shmelphi

Delphi shmelphi…I have resorted to this beginning for my blog because I have literally attempted to find an adequate introduction for the past twenty minutes, and this is all I can come up with.  Creative right? 

            We kicked our Saturday morning off with a two-hour bus ride into Delphi at 7 am, and as you could probably guess, this resorted to “nap time” for our group of college students who are unaccustomed to waking up at such an ungodly time.  About half way into the trip we woke up to Mr. Dr. Kaplan informing us about a pit stop we were going to make that had bathrooms and food.    Little did we know that we were about to be submerged in as much Greek culture that one could pack into a gas station-sized store on the side of the road.  The “90 café” served a variety of pastries, coffee, and probably 20-30 different types of traditional Greek items.  Our bus was the first to arrive at this little shop and was immediately followed by four or five busses of Greek men and women.  If you do not know the stereotype of a Greek individual, let me take this time to inform you that they are loud, pushy, and have no idea what a “personal bubble” is.  Picture me having just woken up and thrown into this type of environment.  I’m sure you pictured the correct scenario in your head; I was completely overwhelmed and almost angry at the fact that I could not move or even function in this mad house!  I felt as if I could not even control my own thoughts due to the cacophony of Greek voices flowing in and out of my ears.  I finally decided to stand outside for a bit and collect my thoughts.  After some consulting with some of my peers, three of us decided to man up and buy some pastries! I felt like I was Chuck Norris walking into an ally way ready to fight, the wind was blowing my hair back and I put on my “don’t mess with me” face, walked right over to the pastry lady and I ordered my baklava, dang it! I was not even hungry, I just wanted to prove to myself, and the rest of that 90 café that I could hang with the Greeks if I wanted to.  I walked out of that place a changed individual.  I boarded the bus with my pride, dignity, and a hurt tummy after forcing down my victory baklava.  Nonetheless, I knew that I would remember that experience for years to come.

            Needless to say, we continued onward to Delphi.  As we traveled the bus filled with the unmistakable stench of fresh fertilizer, and the views from my window were unlike any other.  Farmlands, mountains and enormous windmills flashed by for the next hour or so.  Our bus climbed the winding mountain of Parnassus, which is the second highest mountain in Greece, after Mt. Olympus. 

            A little history lesson: Individuals would take a pilgrimage all the way from Athens, to Delphi seeking advise from the oracles that inhabited some of the temples.  When they finally arrived, they would go through a series of rituals, the first of which was to take a bathe in a spring in order to cleanse and purify them before seeking wisdom, from Athena.  So naturally, this was our first stop.  After a quick wash, we walked around the ruins atop the mountain.    Everything is was so beautiful and its mind boggling to think about how sacred of a place this once was, and all the history that can be told through a few beaten down columns.  I was able to act as the “stand in oracle” as my classmates and friends asked me for “advise” to solve their troubles.  

The Bellybutton

After taking some goofy pictures, we hiked up the very strenuous path to the stadium where some of the first Olympians competed in foot races.  We all joked that the first part of the competition was making it up to the stadium itself.  We also saw the “belly button” of the world.  Supposedly, Zeus wanted to find where the center of the world was so he released two eagles that flew until the met in Delphi, where the “naval” was placed.

            Next we found ourselves at the temple of Athena, which is one of the most photographed places in Greece.  It was so beautiful and again, words cannot begin to describe the scenery.  

Me playing "oracle"

The roommate picture

In the monastery

Temple of Athena

            At this point I hope you can understand that our days are jam packed of activities.  In saying this, we boarded the bus yet again and made our way to the monastery in Delphi.  Out of respect, the girls were asked to wear long skirts that covered our knees.  The original paintings on the walls were still intact and I could just feel a huge emotional wave engulf me.  It was amazing to just stand and stare and all of the originally beauty this place had to offer.  PS: sorry my pictures are awkward... ive been fighting it for a while.