You can’t see the sweat dripping from my face but there was no way I was not going to have this once in a lifetime achievement recorded with a photo after making the steep climb up to the stadium. This ancient stadium at Delphi was built around the 5th century B.C. and the track is 580 feet long by 84 feet wide. May 20, 2015

Mountains, valleys, a gulf and a stunning panorama of views…then add an oracle, women who channeled the spirit of the god Apollo to dispense advice and tell fortunes…and you can understand why many made pilgrimages to Delphi. Again, walking the path of the ancients in the ruins of this bewitchingly beautiful place is humbling.The impressive site of the Oracle of Delphi sits high on the slopes of Mt. Parnassos and overlooks the Gulf of Corinth. Pictured is the Temple of Apollo where the oracles, always female, ever since the days when Delphi was devoted to the Mother Goddess worship. May 19, 2015

As I climbed up to the stadium, I looked down to see a portion of the theater, which was built around the 4th century B.C. It was where song contests in honor of Apollo were held. May 20, 2015

Ancient writings on a column in Delphi. May 20, 2015

Kalavryta was under Byzantine control until 1460 when the Ottoman Turks took over. With the exception of a 30-year interlude of Venetian control, the town remained under Turkish rule until the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, in whose early stages Kalavryta figures prominently: it was here that on March 21, 1821 the flag of the revolt was raised and the nearby Monastery of Agia Lavra became the birthplace of the Greek War of Independence. Then, at the end of 1943, near Kalavryta, Greek partisans captured 81 German soldiers and eventually, all but two survived the capture. On Dec. 13, 1943, in retribution for killing the captured German soldiers, German troops ordered all male residents of Kalavryta, ages 14 on up, to gather in a field just outside the village. There, they machine-gunned down 696 of them. Only 13 survived. After that they burnt down the town and the next day, the monastery. May 21, 2015

The Holy Cathedral of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Kalavryta honors the massacred townspeople with a plaque that reads: “The hour of destruction left a scar on time. The silenced clock will always read disaster and death, blood, fire and pain at the exact hour when the lament began…Dec. 13, 1943.” May 21, 2015

Another long day on the bus but we did stop for a scenic cog railway ride, a stroll through the town of Kalavryta where we found out about its traumatic history with the Germans and then made our way to Lagkadia where we spent the night and I enjoyed my first taste of lamb. May 21, 2015

Kalavryta was under Byzantine control until 1460 when the Ottoman Turks took over. With the exception of a 30-year interlude of Venetian control, the town remained under Turkish rule until the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, in whose early stages Kalavryta figures prominently: it was here that on March 21, 1821 the flag of the revolt was raised and the nearby Monastery of Agia Lavra became the birthplace of the Greek War of Independence. Then, at the end of 1943, near Kalavryta, Greek partisans captured 81 German soldiers and eventually, all but two survived the capture. On Dec. 13, 1943, in retribution for killing the captured German soldiers, German troops ordered all male residents of Kalavryta, ages 14 on up, to gather in a field just outside the village. There, they machine-gunned down 696 of them. Only 13 survived. After that they burnt down the town and the next day, the monastery. May 21, 2015

Apollo

Centur

The pediments of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia are some of the best surviving examples of early Classical Greek sculpture. The pediments were completed c.460 BCE and comprise of forty-two figures in total. These west side pediment statues, from the Temple of Zeus, show Apollo in the battle between the Centaurs and Lapiths at the Olympia Archeological Museum in Greece. May 22, 2015

These east side pediment statues are from the Temple of Zeus and it depicts the chariot race between Oinomaos and Pelops at the Olympia Archeological Museum in Olympia, Greece. They appear in the moments before the race, in a calm and ordered composition. In the center of the group, Zeus is the ultimate observer and is flanked by the two heroes and their wives. Next to them are their horses and chariots (now lost) and several auxiliary figures. May 22, 2015

This is possibly the status of Poppaea Sabin, the second wife of Nero as a priestess. It is dated as the 1st half of the 1st century A.D. She looks pretty good for her age as she stands so regally at the Olympia Archeological Museum in Olympia. May 22, 2015

The clay head of Athena from around 490 BC at the Olympia Archeological Museum. May 22, 2015

This Nike is by Greek sculptor Paionios of the late 5th century B.C. from around 420 at the Olympia Archeological Museum in Olympia. The statue, even in its ruinous state reveals a strong sense of movement with her body and drapery being manipulated by the wind’s force. Her spread wings and face are gone. May 22, 2015