Sacred Delos

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Set off in the morning for the 30 minute ferry to Delos. This is by far the most sacred island in the Cyclades, and explains why these islands are called the Cyclades in the first place. Delos is at the very center, is the heart of the islands, which therefore surround it in a large circle (they are placed cyclically around Delos). In relation to mythology, this supposedly was the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo, the goddess of the night, and the god of the sun. Whatever the myth might be, though, you can understand being on Delos how gods of light (the night and the day) could be invented here. There's a certain magic to the light, like it doesn't quite fall right... maybe more at an angle or something. It certainly makes for a beautiful setting.

What's also interesting about Delos is that no one actually lives on the island (tourists are just shuffled in and out during the day). So it is a very quiet place, and you get a true sense of the history when the only thing you can see are the ancient ruins. On a side note, though, they do have a small cafe, and during lunch they were blaring Beatles music. I enjoyed it, and found it extremely comical. Here you are on an uninhabited island, and you can hear Ticket to Ride blaring out over the ruins. A strange meeting of the ancient and modern.

Spent most of the day here, and climbed up to the highest point on Delos, Mt. Kythnos. Extremely windy on top. Finally hopped back on the ferry and spent another interesting evening wandering around the maze of streets in Mykonos. Tomorrow it's off to another island about 3 hours away, Santorini. Excited, but Egypt is already calling out to me. Happy Fourth of July by the way!

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Photos

Entering Delos
That's Mt. Kythnos in the distance.

Interesting Arrangement
Something caught my eye about this.

Naxian Lion
The lions are the most famous monuments on Delos. They were gifts from the island of Naxos, just across the water.

Terrace of the Naxian Lions
The originals are in the small museum on the island.

Head on Column
Is that too obvious?

Temple of Isis
On the way up Mt. Kythnos. Very well preserved.

Take me to the Mountain
You can see how windy it was... look at the grass.

Stacked Rocks
This is looking inland on Delos.

Delos Below and the Harbor
You can just see the ferry waiting. I almost missed it.