January 31

Today was entirely devoted to the museum and sites at Delphi. We left the hotel at the usual 8:30 and walked about 15 minutes to the Delphi Museum. I was very impressed with the design of the building’s interior and how they displayed the items. The impetus for the reconstruction was the 2004 Olympics, an effort most likely to capitalize on the increase in tourists and to show off Greece’s history. But nevertheless, the design of this museum certainly increased the significance of the different pieces. To me, the time and effort put in to the exhibit reflects the value, both inherent to the object itself and in the opinions of the Greeks, of the items on display.
This museum had large, spacious and well-lit rooms. These rooms were modern and clean. There were many clear and informative explanations, and almost every item had its own plaque. Items both large and small had spotlights, but the light was never too harsh for the piece. The color behind the artifacts helped also helped them stand out. I enjoyed seeing the pictures from the excavation behind the pieces themselves. The juxtaposition of the time periods (the item from classical antiquity, the picture of the excavation from a hundred years ago, and the modern display) added depth to the exhibit as a whole. The well-placed benches added to the experience for a different reason, but were also much appreciated. My desire to take a closer look, and even second and third looks, increased because of the clarity of design and flow between exhibits.
After the museum, we went to the lower of the two sites, hoping that the rain would let up a bit more by the afternoon, because we planned to spend more time at the higher site. Just in case you were wondering, it was in the 40s today and got colder as the day progressed. The rain and the cold dampened (pun intended) our spirits and made it harder to appreciate the ruins, but the lower of the two sites is less impressive.
We took a few hours off to break for lunch and to change into warmer clothes, and then headed out again at 2. When we got to the entrance of the higher site, I noticed a sign warning visitors that no one would be let in after 2:15 and that the site closes at 2:30. Apparently, this is a new schedule change and we only go to look around for about 20 minutes. We sped through most of the site, but didn’t have time to visit the stadium. (The Temple of Apollo, which housed the Delphic Oracle, is very unimpressive as it stands today. It has been taken apart over the years, and its materials – esp. iron – have been removed and used in other building projects.) We reconvened outside the gates and decided to scrap half of tomorrow’s schedules. We won’t be visiting the Neolithic site of Dimini (which is interesting, but not visually so). Instead we will go to the higher Delphic site tomorrow morning and take notes on Dimini while we are on the bus. I was in favor of this plan, especially with the hopes that the weather will be better for pictures.
The rest of the day has been devoted to reading and calling on skype. It’s amazing how quickly time passes when you have a lot to do. I even stayed in and had cereal in the lobby for dinner as I used the internet (and got several strange, but justified, looks from the Greek hotel guests). I think I walked off most of the soreness from yesterday’s hike, but boy did I need a hot shower this morning to losen up my muscles! We have a long bus ride tomorrow, unfortunately, but we end up in Thermopylia, the site of the famous battle of the 300 Spartans. I’ll fill you all in with details when they come!