Delos, the Sacred Island
Delos is the birth place of Apollo and Artemis. According to the Greek mythology, Zeus had an affair with Leto who got pregnant with twins. Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus tricked the god of birth so Leto could not give birth for days, years and then centuries. Poseidon took pity on the poor woman and offered his hidden island of treasure, Delos for Leto to give birth. Delos was originally submerged under water, thus the name "adhilos", meaning invisible in Greek. When the island appeared, the name became "dhilos", visible in Greek. It was inhabited five thousand years ago and by association to the gods, it was always famed as the sacred island. Even the Persians who invaded Athens and burned the Acropolis, only came on Delos, paid tribute to the gods and left without destroying anything. 
We boarded the 10 AM ferry from Mykonos and arrived on the island around 10:30. The tour guide was a middle aged woman who walked fast and talked fast. Out of the many interesting historical stories she told us, the most intriguing ones were that Delos was the world's largest trading port for centuries, it had the world's first military treaty, the island's residents were up to 25,000 and all were rich therefore no social uprising despite its mix of culture and cult development. Delos had a mixture of people from Greece, Egypt, Italy, France, Syria and etc. each speaking different languages, using different currencies, practicing different religions and worshipping different gods. For example, the Temple of Isis is still standing today marking the Egyptian glory.
After the tour, we had our own free time to climb Mount Kynthos. There was a fabulous view of the nearby Cyclades once we got to the summit.
The past few days were so windy. The Flying Cat, a fast ferry that travels from Mykonos to Santorini was cancelled. It is not possible to know the weather and ferry travel forecast until 6 hours ahead of time. I have my fingers crossed since we are leaving Mykonos to Santorini tomorrow.
One other note is about the Greek yogurt. It is not sweet but is very creamy. Served with honey, it is perfect for breakfast. So far all the lamb dishes have turned out great. I had grilled octopus for dinner once but it was not remarkable.
We boarded the 10 AM ferry from Mykonos and arrived on the island around 10:30. The tour guide was a middle aged woman who walked fast and talked fast. Out of the many interesting historical stories she told us, the most intriguing ones were that Delos was the world's largest trading port for centuries, it had the world's first military treaty, the island's residents were up to 25,000 and all were rich therefore no social uprising despite its mix of culture and cult development. Delos had a mixture of people from Greece, Egypt, Italy, France, Syria and etc. each speaking different languages, using different currencies, practicing different religions and worshipping different gods. For example, the Temple of Isis is still standing today marking the Egyptian glory.
After the tour, we had our own free time to climb Mount Kynthos. There was a fabulous view of the nearby Cyclades once we got to the summit.
The past few days were so windy. The Flying Cat, a fast ferry that travels from Mykonos to Santorini was cancelled. It is not possible to know the weather and ferry travel forecast until 6 hours ahead of time. I have my fingers crossed since we are leaving Mykonos to Santorini tomorrow.
One other note is about the Greek yogurt. It is not sweet but is very creamy. Served with honey, it is perfect for breakfast. So far all the lamb dishes have turned out great. I had grilled octopus for dinner once but it was not remarkable.
posted by Koshka at 8/05/2008
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