Delphi and a really big fort

Trip to Delphi, a white party, a bozoukia, and a cantakerous camera.

A guy playing a bazouki, compliments of Google

Well, here I am again, on the far side of another eventful seven days.  It hasn’t been busy enough for me to notice something, though – there’s only 2 ½ weeks left in this program!  I can’t believe that it’s been over two months since I’ve last seen the States. 

Last Friday my two roommates and I hosted a “White Party” in our apartment, complete with a large fort.  The only rule that comes with a white party is that you can’t get in the door unless you’re wearing white.  The fort, which consisted of 5 blankets, two bed frames, two mattresses, two drapes and a flag, and could hold up to 20 people at a time, is usually not a part of a traditional white party.  (But it was still a lot of fun.)

Come Saturday, I went with a group to a bozoukia.  A bozouki is a Greek musical instrument that bears a remarkable resemblance to a guitar.  The music played on the bozouki reminds me of American folk music, and usually features songs to which every Greek in the place can sing along.  A bozoukia is a Greek music club that features bozouki bands in a restaurant-type setting.  The interesting thing about these bozoukia clubs is that they don’t open till very late – 1 or 2 a.m.  But it was definitely an experience worth having, and quite affordable.  We spent the early morning listening to bozouki music while sipping an expensive bottle of wine and eating an assortment of cheeses.  If I’m not mistaken, I think that was the last item on my “Things I Aboslutely Have To Do Before I Leave Greece” list.

On Monday, we left for our final overnight field trip to Delphi.  The town of Delphi is one of my favorites on this trip – virtually built into the side of a mountain, the entire town has a terraced feel, with each street higher than the one below it.  Because of this, the valley below the town, which is filled with an ocean of olive tree groves that spill into a large bay, is visible from most places in the town.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  The archaeological site was also quite neat.  Delphi used to be the site of the oracle of Apollo, so it was a huge site back in the day for people who needed answers.  It also had a large theater built into the wall as in Epidavros, and a stadium with a running track for the religious festival games.  Because of moderate reconstruction, I was able to get a feel for what the town must have felt like back in the day, and that’s always appreciated in my book. 

I would love to show you pictures of everything that’s been happening around here, but I can’t because of one final event - my camera broke.  Actually, it’s not broke, it’s just not working at the moment.  So hopefully I can get you some Delphi pictures from someone else, and really hopefully, the camera isn’t permanently hurt.  I’ll get back to you on that.  See you in a week!