Greece - 30-31 March

Delphi Apparently shepherds in ancient Greece noticed that there goats were acting a little unusually (falling over and staggering) when they spent time grazing on a particular slope. On closer inspection they discovered vapiours coming from the rock of the mountain and decided that only the Gods could be responsible for such a miracle. Immediately a temple dedicated to Apollo was built and the Oracle was born. Delphi, the site of this temple, becomes an overnight success story with people from all regions travelling to Delphi to consult with the Oracle. The Oracle spoke through the priestesses who were in a trans. They now know that the vapours were gases such as sulphur and methane all of which wold cause people who breathed in the gases to hallucinate. Thesite became a very important part of the culture of ancient Greece with consultations taking place before all great battles such as the Spartans against the Persians etc. As was usual those that could not afford a direct consultation with the Oracle traveled to the site to leave offerings resulting in a further number of Treasuries being built to house such offerings. Games were held in a stadium built at the site and a theatre for the poets and music performers was also provided. They also believe that a hippodrome (horse racing track) was built somewhere in the area. The museum at Delphi is small but houses some very important finds. There are gold and ivory masks, a navel stone (representing the centre of the world) and two very special items. The first is a stone with words and a set of symbols above the text. It has been discovered taht this is the oldest written music in the world. The second is a bronze statue of a chariot rider. This statue is special as it is the third oldest bronze statue ever discovered. Bronze statues from antiquity tend not to survive as they were often melted down and recycled. Leaving Delphi we travel past a deep valley over a set of snow covered mountains to the plains of Thermopolis. We make a brief stop at the site of the battle between the Spartans and Persians portrayed in the movie 300. We then spend another two hours traveling to our next overnight stop below the monastries of Meteora. Meteora This morning we visit tow of the many monastries perched on the tops of rocks in the area known as Meteora. St Barbara requires that we climb just under 200 steps and presents us with a tiny church where the interior is covered form floor to ceiling with very old Byzantium paintings of Christian stories of martyrdom. Our second monastery of St Stephens is a little larger, requiring only a gentle stroll to the entrance. Each of these monastories is the home of nuns so women are required to wear a skirt into the buildings. We are able to borrow a wrap around skirt at the entrance. The Church at St Stephens is also painted but by a modern artist. The monastery has a small museum which contains stunning embroidered cloth, various silver and gold items and very old manuscripts used by the monastery over the centuries. For movie buffs it may be of interest to know that one of the monasteries was used in a James Bond movie. It is not open to the public but we passed it while travelling to St Stephens. After our morning site seeing in the mountains we travel by coach for a few hours to Athens. Our tour guide keeps up an interesting dialogue about Greece. Back in Athens we join a small group of fellow travellers at the Plaka for dinner.