The Elon University women's track and field and women's cross country programs are embarking on a trip of a lifetime as the teams are spending this upcoming week in Greece as a part of the Elon Commitment to its students achieving a global experience. Check in to elonphoenix.com to view the daily updates of the program from its athletes on the overall experience! Be sure to also check out posts and updates on the team's social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
Also view the team's ongoing photo gallery on Facebook page here.

Day Six (Nov. 25)
 

Hey there!

After a hilly morning run around a mountainous town in Delphi (where we befriended a few friendly stray dogs), the team showered, ate breakfast and packed up to head back to Athens. Along the way we had the opportunity to stop at a number historical sites including the ruins of monuments and treasuries dedicated to Athena, the archeological site of Delphi, and the Ossio Lucas Monastery.

Driving through the town on our way to our first stop, I noticed how tourist oriented the town really was. I reflected on the evening before, at how hospitable everyone in the local shops and restaurants were and I felt a pang of sadness leaving it behind. Most of the businesses were either hotels or souvenir shops and the locals did not seem to be in the least bit interested in our tour bus, which barely squeezed through the narrow and winding roads, showing how accustomed they had become to visitors. Arriving at the ruins of the monuments dedicated to Athena, the most interesting piece of architecture was the circular monument; our tour guide, Dafni, reminded us that this was relatively rare and only seven monuments had been discovered that had been built in a similar manner. The only other one we had seen on this trip was in Olympia; it was dedicated to Zeus.

The archaeological site of Delphi was a little further up the mountain. After one of our girls took a tumble and almost fell off the side of the temple, we learned the origin of how Delphi received its name relates the Greek god Apollo. It was believed that some mariners of Crete got lost out in the Aegean Sea during a storm and Apollo appeared to them in the form of a dolphin. He then led them to safety and requested that in return for saving their lives that they build his temple up on the mountain he had brought them to and become his priests. Therefore, the name Delphi was given because it derived from the Greek word for "dolphin". As a sacred place, Delphi was supposed to be a neutral area, belonging to no city or mortal. However, due to the accumulation of wealth brought in by visitors, there were a number of times where cities would attempt to attack and take over the sanctuary. This never ended well for the offenders, as the priests were very strong and always able to defend themselves. The juxtaposition of purity and violence that came along with these wars is also illustrated in a play called Ion, written by Euripides. In the play, the character Ion was raised at the Temple of Apollo as an orphan. In one scene he is depicted as peacefully taking care of the gardens, but then when he sees a swan he becomes very aggressive and threatens to kill it. I can't help but to wonder how strange it is that back then, as well as today, people find themselves resorting to violence in order to preserve peace.

The monuments of Delphi were similar to the others we had seen in the sense of how massive, gorgeous, and intricate they were. This reflects how important religion was to the ancient Greeks, as they dedicated so much time, energy and money into worshipping their deities. Greek mythology is fascinating from a religious perspective because of the plethora of stories and the humanization of the gods. It shows how much the people of this time period sought to relate to their gods.

Religion was incorporated into every aspect of life, and the stories may have been a tool utilized by elders in order to teach the children morals. For example, when looking at a monument depicting three intertwined snakes that had been dedicated to Apollo, Dafni relayed the story of how Apollo had once killed a giant snake that had been guarding the area. Supposedly, he felt so guilty that he left the Delphi for eight years and traveled all around Greece. When he returned he created a rule that only people who had never murdered were allowed to visit his temple and receive prophecies from his oracle.

After spending some time taking in the stunning views and a brief visit to the local museum, we carried on to the Ossio Lucas Monastery. We were warned that the monks may request for us to wear long skirts over our jeans, but when we arrived we found out that the Monastery was actually very progressive! Their only request was for us to remain quiet, as many of the monks were resting up in their dormitories. The Monastery itself was incredibly beautiful, with complicated designs etched into the stone and bricks on the outside walls. On the inside, the church was even more breathtaking, as the marble walls had been inlaid with hundreds of thousands of tiny golden tiles that formed murals. The murals depicted saints, the mother of God, and Jesus. Looking around, I noticed that one of our girls had quietly made a small monetary donation, and was lighting a thin candle to place with a handful of others that were already lit within the church. It was a lovely gesture.

After leaving the monastery, we made our way back to the city of Athens, where we are now spending the night. Tomorrow is our last day in Greece, as well as a race day! So stay tuned!

Over and out.

Corey Weiss