Delos

Wednesday, April 11: Delos

Went to Delos by ferry, and once again the Aegean appeared in deep and sparkling blues and greens. I still don't get the Homeric characterization of the "wine dark sea" however. Doesn't look remotely like any wine I ever saw.

Our guide for Delos said that it is "the most plundered site of antiquity." Thanks to Mithridates, who trashed the place twice (killing 20,000 Roman citizens during one of his forays) there is not much left standing.

Nonetheless we walked through the ruins, including a theatre, and visited the museum with a few pitiful remains of cult statues and mosaics. Outside there are two nearly featureless lumps which represent all that is still extant of the colossal statue of Apollo, presented to the island by the inhabitants of Naxos. The base where the colossus once stood is now filled with wild flowers. How's that line go? "Look on my works you mighty, and despair."

Delos was supposed to be the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and a palm tree currently marks the spot where Leto bore them. But there are many other ruined temples here as well. I think my favorite was a temple to Dionysos, with two proud, though broken, phalli on pedestals marking the former entrance to the temple. When I gazed closely at the pedestal on the right the bas relief looked a bit odd. "Is that a chicken?" I asked. The guide said it was supposed to be a rooster, a symbol of virility. Maybe. But I still think it looks like a chicken. Rather reminds me of the villain from my favorite "Wallace and Grommet" animation, actually.

Janice, Mary and I almost missed the boat off the island, we had to make a mad dash down through the ruins to the dock, me with my bad foot, Mary with a bum ankle, and Jan with a trick knee. We weren't quite the last aboard, but Vagilis was standing anxiously awaiting us. I think we gave him a few more gray hairs.

Lunch at our hotel, time to catch up on rest and our travel journals, then dinner at a very classy hotel. Hate to say it, but I think our less pretentious hotel had a better cook. We leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn for Athens and then a trip to the Peloponnese.