Fall Break in Athens, Day 2

We left the city on Day 2 and headed out on an adventure with our tour guide Nikos. He picked us up in his car and we drove a few hours out into the hills and mountains, and then stopped in Livadia. It was a charming little town with a clear spring-fed river running down the hill.

It was a quiet Sunday morning and a perfect moment to enjoy the serenity of the area.

We walked a little farther up the canyon and found the local theater where they have outdoor performances during the summer. We also learned that the Greek kids like graffiti a LOT.

Our next stop was the 10th century Monastary of Hosios Loukas (St Luke, but not the author of the new Testament book Luke). It was an impressive sight on the hill in the distance.

We drove through countless olive groves on the way there.  Interesting fact - most families own their own olive trees somewhere and have their own olives harvested and pressed into oil each year.

The monastary is no longer active but the complex is huge and has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

The artwork inside the church was stunning - all mosaics depicting the life of Christ and His followers. It is still an active church and we saw a baby baptism while we were there.

Next up was the main event - the UNESCO site at Delphi, where the temple of Apollo resided in 600BC. Pilgrims came from all over the ancient world to ask a question of the oracle and brought fantastic gifts and offerings.

The Temple of Athena Pronaia would have been the first place visitors stopped.  It was unique as a round temple and would have been one of several temples, although the others have been destroyed.  Lots of earthquakes have happened in the past 2600+ years.

We stopped to sample the Castalian Spring, which has been flowing since at least 600BC. Travelers would have stopped here for a drink and pilgrims would have bathed in the nearby pool, which was created with aqueducts when the temples were built.

There are still remnants of an old track where athletes competed in physical games.

As we worked our way up to the Temple of Apollo, we saw the remains of what would have been fantastic gifts and offerings from pilgrims and entire regions.

The "treasure" offering from Athens along the Via Sacra

Most of the delicate pieces were moved to the nearby museum, but some pretty incredible pieces are still standing.

This was the base of the Serpentine Column, which dates back to 450BC. It was a trophy from a military victory and would have had 3 serpent heads holding up a cauldron, but they are all long gone.

The remains of the temple of Apollo.

The site the ancient people chose was pretty fantastic.  The sea is just behind the farther mountains.

There was a theater higher up on the hill and even a stadium beyond it!

Amazing views!

It was really interesting to see what still remained and how well they planned this massive complex on a steep hill.

The archaeological temple next door housed many beautiful remains that were found in the excavation in the 1800's and need more protection from the elements.

After our incredible afternoon, we went back to Arachova, a quaint little ski town in the winter, to enjoy the sights and have dinner.  Or to our Greek tour guide, a 5pm lunch.

Alex found that he was a huge fan of Greek steaks, much like any steaks he's ever met.

By the time we were done, the sun was going down and the temperature was dropping. It was a beautiful and chilly evening!

 Our sweet guide Nikos never rushed us and we had over two hours to drive back to Athens.  We arrived after 9pm at our hotel completely amazed and exhausted from our day.