Foto: The Temple of Athena Pronaia (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Greece - The Temple of Apollo is just outside of Delphi. Yesterday, I already walked past the entrance. Although it’s a short distance, we’re picked up by bus. Outside the hotel, I meet Jorgos, the new driver. It still feels a bit strange to step into his bus. At the archaeological site, Maria is already waiting. She gives us the tour. Since temperatures are forecast to rise above 30°C today, we first visit the temple, then finish with the museum. It’s still relatively cool. Maria enthusiastically explains that Delphi was once seen as the center of the world. According to legend, two birds were released from east and west, and they met exactly in Delphi. Here, the god Apollo, in the form of a dolphin, defeated the serpent Python — hence the name Delphi. Apollo had a temple built here, which was rebuilt several times. The fifth temple was the first to use stone and marble. After an earthquake destroyed that structure, the current temple was constructed in 330 BC. The navel, a large round stone in the temple, was considered the true center of the earth. This was where the Oracle of Delphi spoke. Thousands came to the oracle for advice on difficult decisions. The oracle was always right, though its answers were often open to interpretation. One warlord, for example, was told that if he crossed the river, a great empire would fall. He crossed — and it was his own empire that perished. Just behind the Temple of Apollo lies a 3rd-century BC amphitheater, which seated 5,000 people. At the top of the mountain is the ancient stadium — nearly 200 meters long with stone stands. Dating back to the 2nd century BC, this stadium hosted the Pythian Games.
Surprisingly trendy Xanthi
Greece - From Alistrati we continue to the overnight stop in Xanthi. The hotel is located in the city center. Here too, the Land Rover does not fit under the entrance to the parking lot. We are allowed to park right in front of the hotel. On the central square, ...
The Acropolis
Greece - Today, we leave early with a large bottle of water and a bulky Weekend Telegraaf newspaper on our way to the Acropolis. We’re still unsure what we’ll have for breakfast, but luckily the small corner shop is open. Problem solved. At the Acropolis, ...
The caves of Alistrati
Greece - We continue to Alistrati. In the center, we park our Land Rover in front of a little eatery. The owner immediately comes to meet us. He has worked in Germany for 30 years and wants to know everything about our trip. He translates our travel program for ...
The Games of Olympia
Greece - At the entrance to Olympia, I meet Saskia. She is guiding our travel group through the old city today. Saskia used to be a tour guide but met a Greek man. She has now lived in Greece for 23 years. In Olympia, the ancient sanctuary of the god Zeus, games ...
The island of Santorini
Greece - On the way to Santorini, the wind is directly against the ship. It gets so cold that I get up. At quarter to five, almost two hours later, the ship arrives in Santorini. It seems as if the entire population is on the shore with signs reading “rooms.” ...
The monasteries of Meteora
Greece - The landscape becomes more rugged as we approach Meteora. Steep rock points protrude in the landscape. In the 14th century, hermits lived in these hard-to-reach places. Later, monks built monasteries on the rock points. Many monasteries were destroyed ...