Greece walks between history and reality. In the minds of ancient Greeks, the ancient capital Delphi was the "navel" of the universe, the center of the world, and the origin of life. In fact, modern Western civilization, such as drama, art, philosophy and science, all originated in Greece. Walking among the ruins of Greece that have been preserved to this day, you seem to still be able to hear Plato's eloquence, Homer's chant, or Agamemnon's charge order...
The Acropolis in the dusk is solemn and peaceful. Ancient great men and mythical figures make every brick and tile left over from ancient Greece exude a mysterious charm, attracting you, shocking you, and comforting you. The Acropolis is in Athens. You can see the Acropolis at an altitude of 156 meters from any direction. The Parthenon, located at the highest point of the Acropolis, is the most dazzling pearl of the Acropolis and one of the world-famous seven wonders of ancient times. one. The Parthenon was built in 447 BC and is a masterpiece of the famous architect and sculptor Phidias. After more than two thousand years of ups and downs, only a general outline of the temple remains. In this huge space that is 70 meters long and 30 meters wide, the huge 12-meter-high golden statue of Athena, the patron saint of Athens, has long disappeared, leaving only 46 Doric columns with a height of 10.43 meters. However, you can still feel its glory from this majestic pillar. Hadrian's Arch, built in 132 AD, is another landmark of the Acropolis. The pillars of the arch are beautifully carved, with multiple leaves on the capitals and a linear pattern on the base. The arch is engraved with the words "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus" towards the northwest of the Acropolis, while the words "This is the city of Hadrian, not the city of Theseus" is engraved towards the temple of Olympian Zeus. In addition to the Parthenon and Hadrian's Arch, the Acropolis has many dazzling historical sites. The Acropolis Museum near the Parthenon can help you uncover the mystery of the Acropolis. The ancient Olympic Games in Olympia originated from religious activities, and Olympia was one of the centers of religious worship at that time. In 776 BC, the ancient Greeks held the first Games in Olympia. To this day, there are still ruins of ancient stadiums in this oldest Olympic village. It is located to the east of the temple area, surrounded by stands built on earth slopes, and can accommodate more than 40,000 spectators. The Namfion Altar is also world-famous because it is the place where the torch of the modern Olympic Games has been lit. In addition to the ruins of sports facilities, Olympia also has ruins such as the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera. Among them, the Temple of Zeus is the most spectacular, with its stone pillars more than two meters in diameter. The famous Trojan War took place in the city of Mycenae around 1150 BC. According to "Homer's Epic", the war was triggered when Queen Helen of Sparta was kidnapped by the Trojans. Ten years later, the Spartan army relied on the "Trojan Horse Strategy" to capture the Trojan War before the war ended. The city of Mycenae was the headquarters of the Spartan army. Passing through the famous "Lion's Gate" is the ruins of the ancient palace of Mycenae. However, some archaeologists believe that it was the residence of Agamemnon, the Greek commander at the time. The palace is not plastered, has a complex internal structure, and has mysterious tombs structured like a honeycomb. Delos is located in the Aegean Sea. Legend has it that it is the birthplace of Apollo, the sun god, and Artemis, the moon god. For this reason, births and burials were prohibited here in the 4th century BC. Despite this, this island of gods gradually built a prosperous world by mortals. From the 4th century BC to the 1st century BC, Delos became an important trading center and of course an important part of the Cycladic culture. Unfortunately, in 80 BC, Delos was looted by invaders and the local residents were massacred. Since then, it has become a forgotten corner. It was not until the 19th century that it was remembered again. Today, Delos is booming again with tourism. Visitors are all fascinated by the exquisitely crafted temple on the island. Back then, devout believers used their wisdom and sweat to build these "palaces" for Apollo or other ancient Greek gods with respect. Not far from the Temple of Apollo is the holy lake where he was born. The holy lake is guarded by a row of marble lions, solemn and sacred. The palace of Dionysus, the god of wine, still retains exquisite mosaics, while only a headless statue of the goddess remains in the temple of Cleopatra. Exciting food and wine. Greek food is unique and often uses special condiments. Because of this, some people "fall in love with it" while others are just the opposite. In general, lamb, fish and olive oil are the most commonly used ingredients, and many times they are eaten with bread, but the flavor is definitely different from your usual "sandwich". Greek restaurants have different styles and forms, ranging from high-end food to popular snacks. The most common place in the area is a tavern, where dining is much more casual than in a high-end hotel. Among the many "family-style" restaurants, barbecue restaurants and seafood restaurants are good choices. Outside of the hotel, the aroma of various Greek snacks will hit visitors anytime and anywhere, making your index fingers twitch. The fragrant ones include garlic cheese, the lighter ones include spinach pies, tender garlic lamb skewers, simple cheese pies, sweet baklava, etc. Among them, baklava is famous far and wide. Of course, good food cannot be complete without good wine. Greece has a wide range of wines and dessert wines and a great reputation. For example, Ouzo, an after-dinner anisette usually mixed with water, is one of Greece's famous specialties. When it comes to brandy, try Metaxa. As for rosin wine (Retsina), it becomes unique because it absorbs the fragrance of pine barrels. Compared with the refreshing aroma of pine, Mavrodaphne is sweet. In short, every kind of wine is worth tasting. Don’t easily identify with a certain type of wine without trying another type of wine, because you can easily fall in love with another type of wine.
Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
(large version)Delphi is a city of ancient Greece, home to the Delphic Oracle, dedicated to the god Apollo and inhabited by the nymph Cassotis, which was revered throughout the ancient world. The ancient Greeks considered Delphi the center of the universe. Delphi was located in a plateau on the side of Mt. Parnassus. This semicircular spur is known as Phaedriades; it overlooks the Pleistos Valley. Southwest of Delphi, about 15 km away, is the harbor-city of Kirrha in the Corinthian Gulf. The name "Delphi" probably stems from Delphinios, an epithet for Apollo stemming from his connection to dolphins. Apollo allegedly came to Delphi with Cretan priests on the backs of dolphins. According to another legend, Apollo walked to Delphi from the north and stopped at Tempe, a city in Thessaly to pick laurel, a plant sacred to him. In commemoration of this legend, the winners at the Pythian Games received a laurel wreath picked in Tempe. Delphi was the site of a major temple to Phoebus Apollo, as well as the Pythian Games and a famous oracle. As a young man, Apollo killed the vicious dragon Python, which lived in Delphi beside the Castalian Spring, according to some because Python had attempted to rape Leto while she was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis. This was the spring which emitted vapors that caused the Oracle at Delphi to give her prophesies. Apollo killed Python but had to be punished for it, since Python was a child of Gaia. The shrine dedicated to Apollo was probably originally dedicated to Gaia and then Poseidon. The oracle at that time predicted the future based on the lapping water and leaves rustling in the trees. The first oracle at Delphi was commonly known as Sibyl, though her name was Herophile. She sang her predictions, which she received from Gaia. Later, "Sibyl" became a title given to whichever priestess manned the oracle at the time. The Sibyl sat on the Sibylline Rock, breathing in vapors from the ground and gaining her often puzzling predictions from that. Pausanias claimed that the Sibyl was "born between man and goddess, daughter of sea monsters and an immortal nymph". Others said she was sister or daughter to Apollo. Still others claimed the Sibyll received her powers from Gaia originally, who passed the oracle to Thetis, who passed it to Phoebe. This oracle exerted considerable influence across the country, and was consulted before all major undertakings -- wars, the founding of colonies, and so forth. She also was respected by the semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world, such as Macedonia, Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt. Croesus of Lydia consulted Delphi before attacking Persia, and according to Herodotus received the answer "if you do, you will destroy a great empire." Croesus found the response favorable and attacked, and was utterly overthrown (resulting, of course, in the destruction of his own empire). The oracle is also said to have proclaimed Socrates the wisest man in Greece, to which Socrates said that if so, this was because he alone was aware of his own ignorance. In the 3rd century AD, the oracle (perhaps bribed) declared that the god would no longer speak there. The temple to Apollo at Delphi was built by Trophonius and Agamedes.