Athens - Day 5 (Part 2)

17 July 2025

Above the temple, carved into the mountain, is the ancient theatre, one of the best-preserved in Greece. It could seat 5,000 and offered music and drama against a jaw-dropping backdrop. Even higher lies the stadium, once host to the Pythian Games, second in importance only to the Olympics.

Kings came here before battle. Cities sent ambassadors. Even Socrates is said to have received a message from the oracle declaring him the wisest of men. She never gave simple answers – her gift was to provoke reflection, often with double meanings.

Example:

“You will go, you will return, never in war will you perish” – depending on how you read the punctuation, it could mean exactly the opposite.

To stand at Delphi is to feel as though the air still hums with possibility. The mountain holds its breath, the stones lean in to listen. It is a place where time folds, and where mystery, rare in our world, still lingers in the wind.

Silvia and I stood near where the Oracle’s chambers would have been all those years ago (underground, we were not) and asked her our futures. We were both greeted with SILENCE. Silvia said the Oracle had gone on vacation. Just my luck.

Before leaving Delphi, we visited the museum, nestled just below the ancient sanctuary of Apollo, which houses some of the most remarkable treasures of classical Greece. Its collection brings to life the sacred site’s long history, from early votive offerings to masterpieces of ancient sculpture. Among its most celebrated pieces is the Charioteer of Delphi, a life-sized bronze statue famed for its serene expression and exquisite detail. There are also fragments of friezes, columns, and inscriptions, as well as offerings from cities across the Greek world, testament to Delphi’s role as a spiritual and cultural centre. With its elegant layout and breathtaking mountain views, the museum offers a powerful sense of connection to the ancient past.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing that I saw here was an ancient piece of music sheet – lines of ancient Greek (I presume) with what looked like chords above, just like how modern guitar sheets look like – you have the lyrics, and the chords above the lines. This is one of the reasons I like music so much – every time I play a classic on the piano, I am fully aware that the same song was played, or created, centuries ago by someone real, someone who had feelings, and thoughts, and dreams, and through his music, those emotions continue to live today. As if the composer is still communication with us today through his music, across plains.

Then finally we sat down to lunch, almost at 3 pm – we were all properly starving! Luckily the food was good this time around – bread with tzatziki, salad, pasta and chicken, and coffee and orange cake with ice-cream. Just nice for a very hot day outside, and with very good friends inside.