Delos & Folegandros, Greece
As we all waited for sunrise on this clear day, we could already see the island of Delos with part of its archaeological treasure. Delos is a relatively flat island, set among the Cyclades group, southwest of Mykonos. According to mythology, Delos was the birthplace of Apollo, the God of light, poetry and healing. This island flourished between the third millennium BC as an important commercial and religious center. It reached its zenith around the 5th century BC. We had the unique opportunity to visit Apollo's sanctuary and the Terrace of the Lions, the most famous landmark of this vast archaeological site. The old town in itself was another adventure, with the House of the Tridents, probably the home of a rich wine merchant, and the amphitheatre that, though quite destroyed, is one of the larger such structures of the Greek World.
Before the island became too congested, we had taken off and were headed for the island of Folegandros, which we reached at mid afternoon. Here we disembarked and took our Zodiacs to land. Buses took us to the quaint little town of Chora, where we meandered around, viewed the fantastically flowering bougainvilleas and the two churches, and sat in the shade of local cafes to wind down the haste of the last few hectic days. Suppertime arrived, and some of us remained in town to enjoy a typical Greek dinner.
As we all waited for sunrise on this clear day, we could already see the island of Delos with part of its archaeological treasure. Delos is a relatively flat island, set among the Cyclades group, southwest of Mykonos. According to mythology, Delos was the birthplace of Apollo, the God of light, poetry and healing. This island flourished between the third millennium BC as an important commercial and religious center. It reached its zenith around the 5th century BC. We had the unique opportunity to visit Apollo's sanctuary and the Terrace of the Lions, the most famous landmark of this vast archaeological site. The old town in itself was another adventure, with the House of the Tridents, probably the home of a rich wine merchant, and the amphitheatre that, though quite destroyed, is one of the larger such structures of the Greek World.
Before the island became too congested, we had taken off and were headed for the island of Folegandros, which we reached at mid afternoon. Here we disembarked and took our Zodiacs to land. Buses took us to the quaint little town of Chora, where we meandered around, viewed the fantastically flowering bougainvilleas and the two churches, and sat in the shade of local cafes to wind down the haste of the last few hectic days. Suppertime arrived, and some of us remained in town to enjoy a typical Greek dinner.
