Our friend Darren came in from London for the weekend to spend more time in our delightful company……plus he got a cheap flight and could stay in our studio. So, he and Molly et al went out to clubs until about 5 am that night. A wild night of backgammon for me, I left at 9 am the next morning on a tour to the center of the universe; Delphi. Molly and Darren slept all day.
The bus ride to Delphi was 3 ½ hours. A few others I knew from the hostel came, including a very hung over Patrick, who had been out late the night before (I bought him a box of crackers and he sat in the front of the bus with a plastic bag). I sat next to Wim, and we chit chatted out of Athens, into the country side, thru remnants of cotton fields and along windy roads. We climbed into mountainous areas and went past a couple small ski areas. No snow yet on the hillsides, ski season is short in Greece and this November had been unseasonably warm.
We f.i.n.a.l.l.y arrived to the site of the Delphi ruins, so called because some Greek God disguised himself as a dolphin and took over the area (Delphi=dolphin). The location of the site gave it its uniqueness and charm, the ruins themselves were a bit uninteresting after Pompeii, the Roman Coloseum, the Acropolis etc……but the area was steep, rocky, pine trees, cedars and lots of fresh air. Lots of kitties too. Pompeii had dogs, the Delphi had cats.
The story of Delphi is that it was declared the center of the universe by a Greek god who let two eagles free in different directions. Where the two birds crossed paths was declared the center of the universe and that was what happened to become Delphi. If you touch the stone marking this center, mythology says you will have a series of weird dreams. I touched it, but I have weird dreams anyway, so I haven’t noticed any difference.
People came from all over Greece on a pilgrimage to have questions answered by the Oracle of Delphi. They cleansed themselves in a pool of freezing water and stood in front of the Oracle to ask their question. The Oracle was an older virgin woman, stoned on opium and laurel leaves, who mumbled an answer the priests interpreted for the pilgrim…….wow, what a job. I would like to know what kind of questions she answered.
I have decided I am “ruined” out. No more marble columns for me for a while. I have lost my appreciation for the ancient peoples building skills and efforts carting heavy stone up mountain tops. To me, the stories from Greek mythology are ridiculous, and I don’t understand how a culture could ever be based on such nonsense. I wonder if in 2500 years, someone will look at our culture and feel the same.
After an excruciating long bus ride back, I reunited with Molly and Darren and a group of eight went out to dinner at Plaka Taverna. We had wine from Santorini, made with grapes fertilized by the volcanic ash from the island of Santorini. Owen had octopus, Patrick had a whole fish and the fish eyeball, and there was spanikopita, Greek salad, deep fried potato balls, moussaka, lamb and pork dishes, with flan for dessert. It was a long, but good, day.
