Leaving Athens behind we set off to see more of Greece with our first stop being at the Hosias Loukas Monastry which is considered to be one of the finest examples of Middle Ages Byzantine Architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded in the 10th century by the hermit St Luke it has been a pilgrim site for hundreds of years as the tomb of St Luke is here and the relics it contains are believed to exude Myron which is an oil of sorts and produces healing miracles. The mosaics in the church and tomb are absolutely beautiful and in wonderful condition considering they are 1000 years old. Several monks still live on the site today. The vistas over the mountains and valley were so peaceful that one could certainly see why a hermit would choose such a location.
Our next visit was to Delphi, considered by many to be the most spectacular of Greece's ancient sites. Perched high on the slopes of Mt Parnassos Delphi was famous throughout the world as home of a prophetess known as the oracle and people came from far and wide seeking her advice. As Delphi's fame grew an athletic contest second only to the Olympics called the Pythian Games started. Once settled into our hotel Eric and I hiked down to the Sanctuary of Athena Pronea which is the site of a ruined temple somewhat removed from the other ruins yet it has become the iconic Delphi photograph. Our guided tour started in the museum which houses some of the most wonderful artifacts retrieved from the site and dating back to 600 BC. The craftsmen ship from that time with the tools they had available is unbelievable. The piece that I could not stop looking at was the Bronze Charioteer which dated back to 474 BC. His left hand is missing but the rest is in amazing shape including the eyes made of inset stones and enamel. His face is perfect and the folds in his gown fall gracefully. Apparently he was buried in an earthquake which helped preserve him.
Touring the actual site was amazing. Lower down one sees stones written on 2000 years ago which give historians clues to life in those times. You wind up the sacred way past the reconstruction of the treasury,ruins of homes and shops to the highlights. Tha massive Temple of Apollo was the centerpiece of the whole sanctuary and housed the oracle. Only pieces remain but one can imagine its immense size. Further up we came to the theatre which is one of Greece's best preserved from the 4th century BC and was built to house song contests honoring Apollo. It could seat 5000. Winding yet farther up the hill we arrived at the stadium. This stadium was built in the fifth century BC Nd hosted the Pythian games every four years. The games lasted for a week and were held during a three month truce amongst warring Greeks so that the athletes could train. Of course only men could participate and view the games. Quite awesome to stand there and soak it in.
Leaving Delphi we took a very scenic cog railway trip up a very steep mountain to the picturesque town of Kalavrita. Picturesque now this town was the location of great tragedy in December of 1943 when after the Greeks had captured some German soldiers in retribution the Germans sent in troops and gathered up all the males over the age of 14 and executed all 696 of them. The atrocities of war are indeed horrific.
Unbelievable what they built 1000 years ago
Beautiful arched passageway
Inside the tomb of St Luke
Sanctuary of Athena Pronea
The ruins of a shop at Delphi
Standing there we could almost imagine the excitement of the games of old
The displays outside the shops were so inviting and really made you want to see more
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