Dear Thomas (and everyone in the Alipranti Family),
After the Ionian coast, we went to two ancient towns, Delphi and Olympia. The red arrows on the map show this:
The ancient Greeks believed that Zeus, the mythological god of the heavens, released two eagles in opposite directions and they met at Delphi, making it the center of the world. Delphi was also famous for its Oracle � a woman who could supposedly tell the future. People from all over the ancient world came to Delphi to seek her advice. Alexander the Great came to Delphi to find out if he would conquer the ancient world. She said he would.
Now there is not much left of Delphi, hence the term �ruins.� Here are some photos though. The first shows a temple; the second shows the amphitheater where shows were performed.
The next day, we drove to Olympia, for more ruins. Olympia is home of the original Olympics, which today is a world-wide sporting competition that takes place every four years. Mom or Dad can explain
the Olympics for you.
The first official Olympics took place in Olympia in 776 BC � that�s more than 2,780 years ago. The Olympics games were a way of honoring the Greek god, Zeus. As today, the Olympics took place every four years and included wrestling, running, the long-jump and javelin throwing, plus some sports we no longer play, like chariot racing. I wonder what would happen if we brought back chariot racing.
Anyway, here�s a photo of Mr. Mike and I pretending to run the 120-meter dash in the original Olympia stadium. Mr. Mike must not have heard the starter gun. It�s amazing, but the starting line we are on is the same one they used thousands of years ago.
The Olympics were banned in 394 AD as part of a purge of pre-Christian (sometimes called "pagan")festivals (like Halloween) and many temples, buildings and sculptures were also destroyed. Although I don't know anyone who still worships Zeus, it's interesting that we still enjoy many pagan traditions, like Halloween and the Olympics.
After Delphi and Olympia, we stayed in an old town called Kardylia. Don�t worry, I can�t pronounce it either. The old part had an old church and other old buildings. Near
the old church was an old crypt. Here�s the photo:
And on the crypt there was a big crack.
So I peeked inside and this is what I saw.
Old bones. Spooky, huh?
That all for now. My next email postcard is addressed to Francis.
Love, Uncle Jeff
