Delos
VISIT House of Dionysus
EXPLORE The Museum
FIND The Temple of Isis
GO Day Trip from Mykonos or Naxos. Book travel at agencies near the port in each.
christina
Visiting Delos is witnessing a time and place of cross-cultural exchange in the Mediterranean. The grounds are extensive and the history deep, having been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BCE with multiple versions of cities, purposes and Gods present from across the sea. What struck me were all the places of worship to different deities - the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Jews, the Italians. Known as a holy place even before the Greeks named it the birthplace of the twins Apollo and Artemis (the Sun and the Moon), visiting Delos is like looking through a kaleidoscope of human existence in this area. It holds a special place for me in understanding the nature of spirituality, cross-cultural understanding, and history. What's fascinating is that it turned from being a sacred place of worship into a place of trade - where ideas, spirit and commerce were being exchanged... Makes me think a little of the Internet and the ports we use now to do this same type of exchange.
JULIO
From Naxos, we ended up taking a boat tour that takes you to the living museum island of Delos. The boat was a little rough for me, it was a round bottom boat from the fifties and very turbulent. I usually do well on boats but definitely felt ill and as this very sweet couple were talking our ear off I was seeing myself projectile vomit all over them. Somehow I survived with pride and breakfast in tact.
Delos gives you a peek into a working Greek archaeological site. It is a wildly windy and majestic site filled with culture and history. Having been inhabited since the 3rd Millennium BCE, it is rich with mythology, history and actual monuments to the Ancient Greek culture. The island of Delos is home to Greek temples to Hermes, Hera, Dionysus and the King of the Gods, Zeus. We saw the House of the Dolphins, Masks and the House of Cleopatra rife with ancient mosaics. You literally walk amongst the foundation and layout of what was once a thriving Greek city carved in Naxian Marble. The famous lion plaza statues pictured below exude a haunting historical quality transporting you to another time. It held a special place in Christina’s heart (being Greek) and seemed to be a place of pilgrimage for her, which I enjoyed witnessing.
The boat ride back to Naxos was no better. We sat in the back of the boat among a gaggle of short haired French women who were all whooping and hollering as we crashed on each wave. Each wave would splash a ton of water on us and by the time we arrived we were soaked and green. It was paradise when we stepped off that boat and I'll never forget it.
Delos is only reachable by ferryboat and is a living archeological site with no inhabitants.
The theater district and its water storage system
Establishment of the Poseidoniasts
The House of Dolphins with intact mosaics of its time.
The row of lions were built by the people of Naxos to honor the sun god Apollo.
The Temple of Isis.
The House of Cleopatra
Yes, those are testicles and this was a giant phallus.