Greece - The Final Installment (Mom's Version)

Journey to the Center of the World!

For our final day in Greece, we decided to take a guided tour to Delphi, several hours outside Athens. It was truly difficult to choose a tour, as there are so many amazing places as well as dozens of beautiful islands you can visit in a day trip. I was seriously tempted to choose the tour to Philipi, where St. Paul visited and preached during his missionary journeys. The New Testament book, Philippians, is a letter from Paul to the Philippian people and their young church after he left, encouraging them to keep their Christian faith strong. Very hard to pass up an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Paul!

In the end, we chose Delphi, based on the recommendations of just about everyone we spoke to.

Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Pytho, a deity who lived there

and protected the navel of the Earth. The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi was the birthplace and center of the known world. Our tour guide pointed out a particular rock that is believed to be the symbolic sculpture of the "navel." It is considered good luck to rub it, so of course we did! (It does kinda look like a belly-button!)

The following passage is borrowed from Wiki:

Delphi is perhaps best-known for the oracle at the sanctuary that was dedicated to Apollo during the classical period. Apollo spoke through his oracle: the sibyl or priestess of the oracle at Delphi was known as the Pythia; she had to be an older woman

of blameless life chosen from among the peasants of the area. She sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. When Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, according to legend, and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied.

It has been postulated that a gas high in ethylene, known to produce violent trances, came out of this opening, though this theory

remains debatable. While in a trance the Pythia "raved" - probably a form of ecstatic speech - and her ravings were "translated" by the priests of the temple. People consulted

the Delphic oracle on everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs."

Fascinating! People made pilgrimages from all over Greece and the surrounding area to ask the oracle for guidance. And in reality, the oracle was an old woman hallucinating from the toxic fumes rising up from the ground.

Delphi was also host to early athletic competition, precursor to the Olympic games. Due to recent earthquake activity, we were not able to climb to the highest level to look down into the stone amphitheater but we were still awed by the ruins left behind and the stunning Greek countryside.

The tour included admission to the Museum at Delphi, which again, was filled with more amazing artifacts and history than one could absorb in a day. But the girls were done. Done with

old marble statues. Done with appreciating ancient fluted columns. Done! And since I was so very grateful for their great attitude during the trip, I let them go back outside to play with the 400 stray cats and kittens begging for food near the museums outdoor snack shop. They fell in love with one particular kitten, named him Apollo, and begged me to smuggle him home in our suitcases.

After the tour, we ate lunch at a beautiful, rustic restaurant and shared a table with several other tourists, all from Canada. The weather was warm and the dining room was "open-air," which you

don't often see in NJ! We ate more pita bread, cheese pie, lamb, and rice. The girls played outside and used the last of our film to take pictures of the lonely horse wandering around the fenced in yard next to the restaurant.

By the time we returned to the hotel, it was late. We had just enough time to eat dinner and pack for our long journey home.

Thank you Greece. Thank you for your hospitality. Thank you for your wonderful food and balmy weather. Thank you for letting us see and touch your amazing history. Thank you for your friendly people. We can't wait to visit again some day!