Anonymous
Today we ventured out of Athens and travelled north to Delphi. On the way to Delphi we stopped at a Byzantine era monastery that has been functioning for over 1,000 years. Going into the monastery was like stepping back in time. The mosaics have withstood the test of time exceedingly well and the traditions of the church seem to have remained unaltered in the preceding centuries.
After leaving the monastery we continued on to Delphi. In contrast to the pristine monastery we had just visited, the buildings of Delphi were unable to escape natural disaster and the unstoppable force of time. The ruins of Delphi are much older than the monastery, the city having been stripped of power by the Byzantines nearly 500 years before the monastery was built, and earthquakes and exposure have all but erased the city from existence. What has been excavated since the cities rediscovery serves as a testament to another time and another way of life and thought. Looking at the ruins, I can imagine the former grandeur of the city and the ceremonies and festivities that defined peoples lives in Delphi, much the same way as I can see how the ceremonies at the monastery define peoples lives even today.
Today we ventured out of Athens and travelled north to Delphi. On the way to Delphi we stopped at a Byzantine era monastery that has been functioning for over 1,000 years. Going into the monastery was like stepping back in time. The mosaics have withstood the test of time exceedingly well and the traditions of the church seem to have remained unaltered in the preceding centuries.
After leaving the monastery we continued on to Delphi. In contrast to the pristine monastery we had just visited, the buildings of Delphi were unable to escape natural disaster and the unstoppable force of time. The ruins of Delphi are much older than the monastery, the city having been stripped of power by the Byzantines nearly 500 years before the monastery was built, and earthquakes and exposure have all but erased the city from existence. What has been excavated since the cities rediscovery serves as a testament to another time and another way of life and thought. Looking at the ruins, I can imagine the former grandeur of the city and the ceremonies and festivities that defined peoples lives in Delphi, much the same way as I can see how the ceremonies at the monastery define peoples lives even today.
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