I know it’s hard to believe but when I was a kid I was a bit of a geek. Lol. I was obsessed by Archaeology and Greek and Roman mythology . My mom used to take me to presentations at the San Diego Archaeological Society so I learned all about excavations in Turkey, Italy , Greece and Egypt.

I used to lie on the floor of the living room of my childhood home writing reports about Ancient Greece . They weren’t for any class they were just for “ fun”. Like I said a bit of a geek

All my life I had read about Delphi. Home to the famed mystical oracle of Apollo . People literally came from around the Hellenic world to seek the advice from the famed oracle . The advice was always a bit nebulous like the time she told a king when asked if he should go to war “that a great empire would fall “ he didn’t quite get it that the empire was his own.

Delphi was adorned with gold and marble statutes from cities and rich individuals who sought advice from the Oracle and sought to one up each other in terms of opulence .

The Oracles high priestess was Pythia. Named after the Pythian beast Apollo slayed on the spot to control this holy ground.

Science has determined that it wasn’t so much prophecy being dispersed as the hallucinations from the ethylene rising naturally from fissures in the ground. The gas produces a narcotic effect..perfect for a soothsaying prophetess . An earthquake in 400 AD ended the gas leak and they were out of business

Our fantastic private guide we hired tried to create a rich image of the place. Imagine a pagan Vatican . It suddenly was clear to me.

Visiting Delphi really was the culmination of a childhood immersed in ancient history and myth . The geek in me was very happy !