Awoke this morning (Wednesday) for our trip to Delphi and Meteora. Breakfast was once again amazing; the only thing which detracted from the awesomeness of the dining experience was the four Grecian food hostesses eyeing us off like we were stealing from them. I have no idea why there were four staff working a breakfast room with only us in it, but we see now why Greece is in financial ruin. Anyway, the meal was still tasty, and we were scooped up by the tour guide soon after.
Once on the bus, it became apparent that half of the tour group that went to Mycenae and Epidaurus the previous day had also signed up for the two-day tour to Meteora and Delphi that we were about to embark upon. Unfortunately, these were the only people in yesterday's tour that we neither liked nor spoke to. This included two Asians, two British people, and one lost Greek man who I think was named Stavros. Or maybe he was the bus driver. In any case, he didn't fill us with confidence.
The tour guide today was very knowledgable, and spent the -entire- drive to Delphi talking: either to the tour group in English, or to the bus driver in Greek. She rattled off a few of the same Mythological stories that the guide from yesterday told us, as well as a few interesting (???) facts about local industries (do you know the four most important? We do!) and agriculture (we now know how to farm cotton, olives and oranges - useful!), so we tuned in and out. It didn't take too long until we arrived at Delphi, the "Navel of the Earth", where the Ancient Greeks and Romans had built a temple to Apollo on the mountainside, to thank Apollo for slaying a massive Python.
People in ancient times would come to Delphi to visit the Oracle, and to have their futures told to them. Though, according to our guide, the answers were always cryptic and could go either way. For example, if a Greek couple went to ask if they were going to have a boy or a girl child, the answer would be in the form of "Boy not girl" putting the comma wherever you liked. For example: "Boy, not girl", or "Boy not, girl" - kind of like today's Star Signs really. It was also interesting that because one of the Grecian city states (Hios) had donated the money to build the altar where the animals were sacrificed pre-consultation, any person who came from Hios had first-rights to a consultation - no waiting (inscribed on the altar). Kind of like Event Cinema's "Feel like a Star" red carpet for those who pre-order online. Consults then went in order of who had given the priests the most money/gifts for temples. The original definition of a corrupt church.
Delphi also had a theatre and a stadium for those of us brave enough for the large climb (which we were, and it was epic).
Sadly, we didn't get time to visit the Museum before the tour whisked us away to Thermopylae and the monument to Leonidas (aka. Gerard Butler) and the 300 Spartans who defended the Hot Gates from Xerxes and the invading Persians. They were ultimately unsuccessful in keeping the Persians out, however the phrase "Thermopylaean" has become synonymous with fighting valiantly, win or lose. At this site, there was also a monument to the Australian and New Zealand "Thermopylaean" soldiers who gave their lives in an attempt to keep the Germans out of Greece. Like their namesakes, they too were unsuccessful, though we were both proud to see a monument to our boys nonetheless.
The next day, the tour took us to the site of the Monasteries of St. Stephen's and St. Barbara's at Meteora. Some of you may recall these sites from the greatest ever James Bond film, "For Your Eyes Only", starring the sublime Roger Moore in his most compelling role since "The Saint". And who could forget the classic tones of Sheena Easton? Well, if you're unlucky enough that it's you, you'll feel my pain. Zach sung the entire theme song while dancing his way through patches of Greek Orthodox Nuns. They loved it. He thinks.
We didn't get such amazing pictures of the monasteries hanging off the rocks as seen in the film because it was misty and raining, though we think the rain and the mist added a sense of… gravitas to the place.
Each monastery contained a myriad of amazing gold covered icons (sort of like painting-portraits), which showed disproportionate humans and animals. Apparently at the time the church was trying to decide whether or not to ban icons as idolatry and to prevent people from worshiping icons instead of God, they decided unnatural scenes were best.
The frescoes covering the walls and ceilings all documented important biblical events, and were incredibly detailed, as were the decorative ornaments and woodwork (no photos allowed, but we snuck some film). It was a beautiful place to behold.
We then had a six hour drive back to Athens, which was boring as all hell. The weather, because it was misty and foggy, made it so that we couldn't see much of the landscape. The worst part was the American tourists on board the bus. More specifically, their children. *Shudder*. The American parents had two children - a son and a daughter, though we weren't really sure that the son was in fact a son. It was only later confirmed by the excessive amount of time he spent talking (drawling/yelling) to his sister about succubi, ghosts, vampires, and zombies. Plus, he loudly reported that he "had plenty of friends on the internet" - cool story, bro. So does Mugabe.
Today (Friday), we awoke to an action packed day - we were running short on time thanks to a Grecian airline fail involving them shifting one of our flight times from 6pm to 8am. You would think with the impeding financial ruin of their country they would want us here longer to spend more money. Silly Greeks. We visited the Acropolis & Parthenon first - jokes aside, it was absolutely majestic to stand up there.
We went early so as to avoid having pictures with any other people in them, which turned out to be a fantastic idea, because as we were leaving, a horde of approximately 400 rowdy tourists was ascending the steps. Phew.
Next, we visited the two Agoras (Roman and Greek), Hadrian's Library, Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Syntagma Square, where we had lunch at an authentic Greek restaurant - McDonalds. Admittedly, (and thankfully - Shannon) for the first time this trip.
At parliament, we watched the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Shannon is now in love with the Evzones, Greece's answer to the Buckingham Palace guard - with job requirements to be a handsome, tall, gifted male in military service. Well that, and to look good in a dress and ridiculous pom-pom shoes. The ceremony was an experience itself - practically choreographed by John Cleese - though the crowning glory belonged to Zach, who managed to stand still just long enough to become a pigeon roost. The look on his face as he tried to remove it from his head will forever be ingrained in my memory.
The afternoon brought us a trip to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, which although INCREDIBLY windy, was glorious as the sun set. The Greeks sure know how to do breath-taking.
Tomorrow we head to Rome… 5:15am wake up!
Zach & Shan.
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