Turkiye and Greece - May 2, 2026

May 2, 2026

Our journey today took us inland to the mountain city of Delphi.  What is now an archeological site is still accessible by a long climb up the side of the mountain.  It was colder at Delphi, only about fifty degrees, windy, and damp.

In Delphi you could view the ruins of the city as well as the temple.

In this next image if you zoom in between the corner pillar and the next one to the right you will see three pillars of another temple far down in the valley.

Delphi was considered the center of ancient Greek civilization.  They had a Greek term for that which roughly translated meant ‘navel’, or in American terms, ‘belly button’.  This next image was discovered and labeled as the navel.  We think it was an ‘outie’.

Nearly every city at the time had a treasury.  Delphi had three.  One was rebuilt from donations from the people of Athens.  It was then renamed as the Treasury of Athens.

The long wall adjacent to the Treasury of Athens was built with several hundred stones.  They were all engraved with good wishes and were written in ancient Greek.

Like any other city in Greece they too had a theater.  Although this one is no longer in use (probably due to the remote location and climb).

At one point you can turn back and not see the stadium where chariot races were held or you can continue the climb for another few million feet (just kidding, it took about another ten minutes at a good pace).  Out of the thirty-one people in our group only four of us accepted the challenge.  It was worth the effort.  The stadium appeared to be maybe thirty or forty yards wide and one to two hundred feet long.

Adjacent to the archeological site is the Delphi Archeological Museum.  This museum contained a host of artifacts.  There were many statues made of marble or bronze.  A frieze from one of the temples was located nearly intact.  Golden jewelry and adornments could also be found at the museum.

frieze showing Zeus battling Poseiden

Cats were everywhere in Turdiye and Greece.  It is said that these cats helped keep this region somewhat free from the plague in the middle ages.  This was probably due to their effort to keep the rodent population at bay.  We found one today that would drink from a fountain for as long as you would keep it running.

Flat Lizzy went with us again today.  She sure looked excited to be traveling on the bus OUTSIDE of the backpack.

She was so excited she wanted to climb one of the pillars.   Again!

But she came along with us and seemed to enjoy the archeological site.

She did seem to be disappointed when she was not allowed to run around the track at the stadium.

But she had a good time anyway.  Like the rest of us I think she took a nap on the way back to Athens.

Tonight is packing night as we are leaving Athens to head back home.  We will travel from Athens, to London, to Chicago, and finally to Kansas City.

Tomorrow will be another adventure.