Of all the fantastic archaeological sites we visited in Greece, Delphi was the most rugged. This was the one place we didn’t make it all the way to the top, as I wasn’t feeling well that day.
Greece is a tough tour in general (everything is situated on mountains!), especially for those of us with arthritis and over 50, but absolutely worth it!
Nonetheless, we did get most of the way up, only missing the theatre at the very top. The tour guide assured us it was similar to Epidaurus, which we had explored the day before.
Delphi is another on the list of World Heritage Sites. Located on Mt. Parnassus near the Gulf of Corinth, the sanctuary was home to the famous oracle of Apollo which gave cryptic predictions and guidance to both city-states and individuals.
Although it dates back to 1500 BC, its pinnacle as the centre of the ancient world was in the 6th to 4th century BC.
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First glimpse of Delphi.
This sanctuary is about 800m from the main site, at the foot of Mt. Parnassus:
Look up; look waaay up!
One of the most well-preserved edifices, about halfway up:
The Temple of Apollo, home of the famous Oracle:
The famous Oracle Stone, aka Stone of Pythia (Priestess). Originally, it lay flat on the ground. According to legend, she sat on a tripod, inhaled mysterious vapours and went into a trance, whereupon she made her predictions. Speculation is, the tripod fit into the three holes on the left and the vapours came up through the hole on the right.
Scale model, housed in the Delphi Museum:
In hindsight, I wish we had had the will and stamina to finish the tour,
but what we did see was absolutely incredible!
What’s the most incredible place you have been?
Looking forward to your comments!
#AtoZChallenge, 2014: D is for DELPHI #dogladysden #travel Share on X
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
38 thoughts on “#AtoZChallenge: “D” is for DELPHI”
Those photos bring back memories!
I seem to remember we had running races on the flat area of grass in front of the ruins too.
That’s interesting, Stevie. 🙂 There was a lot of that going on at Olympia, on the old playing field. Will be under “O”. Thanks again for dropping by.
I too have enjoyed the spectacles of Greece on three occasions, though I do wish that they would catch up on the plumbing 😉 lol Just kidding Greece is an awesome country to visit 🙂
Love your posting by the way, it’s wicked 🙂
Andro xxxx
The plumbing! Funny you should mention that, Andro, because there’s a post coming up about that, too. 😀 Greece is truly magical despite that, isn’t it? Thanks for visiting and I will see you again, soon.
What a fascinating place, and such gorgeous photos! Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the photos, Laurel. Tomorrow’s post is even more fascinating! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
Aw, too bad you missed the theater, but I get it. I had a similar situation in Machu Picchu last year. I\’m only barely past 40 and (to my knowledge) don\’t have arthritis yet, but my knees gave up the ghost. I could barely make it down to the bus to get back to the hotel, haha. Boyfriend took lots of pics, but… nah, not the same. Maybe next time I can hire a couple of big, good-looking and kind-hearted Inca descendants to carry me piggy-back 😀
(Thanks for stopping over at Quiet Laughter earlier today.)
Yes, I regret not going, now. It was hubby who ran out of gas this time. He had been the one propelling me along most of the time. Although my knee was killing me, I seriously wanted to go up there, but didn’t have the strength to do it alone. At least your friend got pics. Love the piggyback ride idea! 🙂 It’s my pleasure to visit your sites. They’re two of my favourites in this challenge.
This is soo nice. Feels like I’m taking a trip around the world in 26 alphabets! Delphi sounds great!
It was fascinating Maggie and tomorrow’s post is also. Stay tuned! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
gorgeous pictures! One day hope to make it there too 🙂
Thanks Joanne and welcome to The Den. 🙂 It was the trip of a lifetime!
The high places–yes. In Mistretta (where I used to live, in Italy) the castle, which was originally used as a Military fort, was placed at the top of a hill. Although not too high up (only 1000m) you could (in ancient times) see most of Sicily and beyond the Eolean Islands (on a good day). I have to say it’s a toss-up between Mistretta, Rome and Bologna for the most fascinating place I’ve ever bee to… Oh, all right, throw in Florence and Venice, too, if you must. 😉
I’ve been to Rome, but would love to see those others Mary, especially Venice! Travelling is wonderful, isn’t it? 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
Aaahhh – yet another post from my beloved second homeland. Beautiful written and presented Debbie:-) Yes, Delphi is wonderful:-) I love your fascination for Greece (of course:-) ) , and have a feeling our paths may cross again before this challenge reaches the final “Z” . Polla filakia, fili mou:-)
I’ve been fascinated with Greece since childhood and visiting there was a dream come true. Eli. 🙂 Unfortunately, my attempts to learn the language fell short. Efharisto ευχαριστω
Greece is now my dream destination. Those pictures are amazing.
Glad you enjoyed the photos. More to come! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
The pictures invite me. And about you getting physically strained and hence not going all the way I agree, at times we tend to over-stress or over add on trips and burn out before places.
Glad you enjoyed the photos. This was one helluva “whirlwind” tour. Go, Go, Go every day. Not that I’m complaining – wouldn’t have missed it for anything! 😀 Thanks for visiting.
Amazing pics debbie!! I wish to go on a very long journey after going through posts like this 😀
Glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂 More to come. Thanks for visiting.
These are some great pictures of Delphi! Enjoyed the visual tour of this ancient place! Thank you for making it possible via the www 🙂
My pleasure, Beloo. I enjoy reliving these moments, as well. 🙂
beautiful pictures…you bring to us the exotic world and makes me think if I should start taking notes on your recommendation.
I would recommend Greece to anyone who loves ancient history and architecture. 🙂 Fantastic vistas, everywhere!
Fabulous shots! I love traveling with you each day.. So many fascinating places with such a rich history no?
Yes, each day of this tour was fascinating. Trip of a lifetime!
Oh wow…I can actually picture how these would have been in the prime…beautiful and again I wish I could go there some day…
I know exactly what you mean! 🙂 It’s like being transported back in time. So many incredible places like that in Greece. Thanks for visiting.
Delphi looks Dashing!!! I am waiting for more enthralling places!!
It was an amazing place. 🙂 More to come. thanks for visiting.
Hi, Aditi sent me over via the link on her blog, and I\\\’m glad she did. Breathtaking photos! I was about to leave a voice message, but then the little message box said it would be turning a camera on as it records me. Sorry, but no one gets a pic of me at one o\\\’clock in the morning. 🙂
I’m happy to follow your blog.
Hi Debi; Welcome to The Den. 🙂 You must have inadvertently turned on the camera. Most people just use the microphone. I wouldn’t want my picture taken either! Glad you like the post and thanks for following my blog. I’ll return the visit shortly.
The reason you had to do so much climbing in Greece is because the Greeks (and other ancient civilizations) built their most important buildings on the tops of hills and mountains to control the high ground, an important defensive measure in the days before artillery and bomber aircraft. In 2005, we visited the Peloponnese Peninsula as a cruise stop. We went on a tour of Mycenae, the oldest ruins we\’ve ever been to. I was quite impressed. However, in terms of a man made most memorable place I\’ve been, I\’d have to say Machu Picchu in Peru. It\’s nowhere near as old as anything the Greeks have, but it is an awesome (and I hate that word) place. We visited on our honeymoon in 1982—so I guess that also might have contributed to my appreciation and fond memories of the place. If you want to judge for yourself, I have a blog post about the trip on my blog. Just use Peru as your search term.
This A-Z looks like a fun challenge, but I probably would be afraid of disappointing myself by not keeping up with the post a day schedule.
Hi Suzanne; Nice to see you here. 🙂 Yes, I’m familiar with the history and knew it would be a rugged tour. I’m thrilled to have done it, despite my physical limitations. Mycenae was fabulous too and that will be showcased when we get to “M”. Would love to read about Machu Picchu – must have been an amazing experience! This is my first time participating in the #AtoZChallenge and the key is to write the posts ahead of time, then schedule them. At least, that’s how I’m doing it. Maybe next year, for you? Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Hi Debbie – Sometimes when I’m visiting so many historical sites, I find I get mentally overwhelmed and will skip one just because I can’t “input” any more info or scenery. I think physical limitations work the same way. We did not visit Delphi; I am enjoying your pictures. It is always hard for me, even standing on the very sites, to comprehend lives so long ago.
Hi Sammy; I have a huge passion for ancient history, so I’m never mentally overwhelmed. Physically was another story and I did find it challenging. Bad knee + asthma + hundreds of stairs and rocks. Still, it was my life-long dream come true and well worth it! ♥