Wandering Bard: Delphic Ruins (Greece)

Ah, it’s been a while since we traveled anywhere, hasn’t it? Well, you’re in luck! This week we’re heading back to Greece and sometime very soon we’re heading somewhere even more interesting and new! In fact, even I haven’t been there! More on that later.

Last time we were in Greece, we hit up the Acropolis. This time we’re at the Delphic ruins – my second favorite place after Athens.

This is the archaeological site at Delphi where the Delphic oracle once lived. The oracle was a priestess at the temple of Apollo and was famous for reciting prophecies handed to her by the god himself. She was the most prestigious and well documented oracle in Greece, and a whole host of authors and famous historians have documented their meetings with her.

The mountains around this area surround it like a fortress.

The most prominent attraction in the navel. The story goes that Zeus took a rock and threw it, saying wherever it landed would be the center of the universe. It, of course, landed right here in Delphi! People would touch it and get a boost of energy and power.

The above rock is actually just a copy, but the real one is in the museum just off-site. You can see it below:

Here’s a temple to Apollo.

This wall was like a newspaper. There’s Greek written all over it and people would go to it to get their news!

Here’s an ampitheatre.

And cuties like this were everywhere!

What question would you ask the oracle if she deemed you worthy enough to see her?

Treasures from Around the World

Wednesdays are usually reserved for art, but today I’m going to stretch that definition just a little bit. I want to show you guys some of the cool things I’ve picked up from my travels over the years.

Now, I’ve been known to keep everything from my receipts for chocolate (because I can’t go to a new country and not try their chocolate) to my tags for luggage. But these souvenirs are more beautiful, and all picked out to represent the country I was in.

First up is a gorgeous plate from Morocco. It’s all hand-hammered metal, inlaid with different colors. It was so hard to pick out just one because they had a million of them! I love the colors in this one though, and it was the perfect size. I gave it to my Mom.

This vase on the left is from France. Normandy, to be specific. They had these things all over the place. They’re handmade and so beautiful! On the right is a mini Eiffel Tower. Both were also gifts for my mom. (Although she was a little put off when she saw the size of the Eiffel Tower that I got myself, haha.)

My mom loves the ocean and the beach, so naturally she’d collect sand. These are from my various trips. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, I can find a bottle with the name of the country on it too.

Here’s my Eiffel Tower. Mom’s is about 2” tall. Mine is about a foot tall. She was a little jealous, haha.

I actually didn’t pick this up on one of my trips, but it did come from another country! My friend from Argentina gave it to me. It’s used to hold mate, a type of tea. (I tried the tea. It was really gross.)

These came from Greece. They’re two of my favorite goddesses – Artemis and Aphrodite. I wanted a whole set of them, but that would’ve been waaaay expensive.

Yes, yes that is a chocolate frog box in the background…

Here’s another gift I’ve received. This is a keychain/cell phone charm from Korea I got as a present from a friend who went there for a Karate tournament.

These are also from Morocco. We went into a giant store full of awesome mosaics and neat pieces like this. I know they’re miniatures of some traditional dishes in Moroccan culture, but I can’t remember exactly what they were for.

This one is from France. I love the original painting, and it seemed only fitting to get this neat clock! Only…it’s really, really loud. So it stays in our basement.

Lastly, this is a beautiful fan I brought home for my mom. It’s from Seville, Spain. These are the big thing over there and I have a weird affinity for fans anyway, so I had to get one! They’re hand painted and made of wood and cloth.

What kinds of things have you picked up from your travels? What is the one thing you would have to pick up if you got a chance to go to your dream country?

Wandering Bard: Greece (The Acropolis)

I need a vacation. Like, right now. Let’s go to Greece, shall we?

The view from the Acropolis. That's pure history spread out beneath you.

I’ve been obsessed with the Greeks ever since I can remember. The mythology is what really got me started – all those stories passed down from generation to generation about gods and goddesses? How could I not fall in love with that? And then I discovered this wonderful thing called art that brought these stories alive. I was hooked!

Enter the Parthenon.

Too bad there's all that construction going on around it. Funny story: we almost didn't make it here, as Putin had it shut down the day after so he could visit it uninterrupted. Close call!

My favorite goddess is Athena, though I’ll admit that there are a few that come in a very close second (like Artemis). It seems logical enough, then, that one of the places I just HAD to see while I was in Greece was the most famous temple dedicated to her. And isn’t it beautiful?

And, luckily enough, one of my all-time favorite groups of statues is near by: the Caryatids.

These are simple columns sculpted in the shape of women. They help to hold up the porch of the Erechtheion temple (though the term can be applied to more than just this group alone). The ones pictured above are the ones that are on display, but they’re not actually the real statues. Those are safely stored in the Acropolis museum (which is fabulous, by the way).

As I was flipping through my FB pictures to find ones suited for this post, I came across this and a caption from my best friend that simply read, "How can they smell if they have no noses?" Doing these posts brings back SUCH good memories.

There’s just something about this place that speaks to me. The naturalism of the statues, the ancient feel of the buildings. The Greeks were fascinating people and they put everything they had into their way of life – everything was extraordinary, from their political views to their religious beliefs to their artistic endeavors and beyond. It’s no wonder that so much has lasted through the generations to allow us to appreciate it all to this day.

Have you ever been to Greece? If you ever got a chance to go, what would you most like to see? And, more importantly, who is your favorite god or goddess?