Kalimera! Today is the day we will be visiting the archaeological site of Delphi on Mount Parnassos, where people from all across the Greek world and sometimes beyond, came seeking advice from the gods. Fortunately for us, Delphi was only half an hour away from Itea. In the ancient times, kings, generals, city-states, and ordinary citizens consulted the oracle before making major decisions, such as going to war or enacting laws. First, we took a look at the Temple of Apollo. Eleni explained that the Temple of Apollo was built using classic Greek architectural orders, featuring heavy stone columns. Unlike the one we saw at Corinth, the columns that made up this structure were made out of stacked drums. Next, we hiked upward to the Treasury of Athenians, a single-room Doric building built to store offerings and war spoils. It was the best-preserved structure on the main Delphi site because enough original white marble blocks survived. After we were familiar with all the ruins, Eleni gave us some free time to hike up the mountain if we wanted to or to just stay and take photos. As I made my way up Mount Parnassos, I stopped at the ancient theater of Delphi, which strongly resembled Epidaurus which we visited on Day 2. When I finally reached the top, I was greeted by the sight of yet another stadium like the one we visited yesterday at Olympia. Dr Jackson made a funny joke suggesting that we were going to run the stadium again after hiking up a mountain.

Once we were all down the mountain, we visited the museum of Delphi. One of the most memorable pieces that we talked about was the statue of the famous Charioteer of Delphi, a life-sized bronze statue of a young man standing in a long robe. Even though the statue was created over 2,000 years ago, the tiny details on his clothing, hair, and face, made him feel much more like a real person than an ancient statue. One thing I noticed in the museum was a quote from Greek poet George Seferis about the Charioteer of Delphi. He asked, “We have worked like ants and bees on these relics. How close have we come to the soul that created them?” That question really stuck with me, because even though we’re able to study these artifacts and learn so much about the people who created them, there is still so much we can never fully understand.

We then drove to the town of Arachova for lunch and souvenir shopping. While searching for a gelato store in Arachova, we met the owners, who turned out to be from Queens, New York. They were excited to hear that we were a Long Island orchestra touring Greece, and we spent a few minutes chatting with them before continuing our walk. Until then, I’d subconsciously assumed that everyone I met had lived in Greece their entire lives, but meeting fellow New Yorkers halfway across the world reminded me how connected people can be, even in the most unexpected places. Once our time in Arachova came to an end, we returned to our hotel in Itea with a few hours to relax before that evening’s concert. I took the opportunity to walk down to the nearby beach, where the calm, crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of Corinth provided a peaceful break after a busy day of sightseeing.

Our time of relaxation quickly came to an end, and by 7pm, we were making the short walk to the Port of Itea for our next concert. Performing right along the waterfront was an incredible experience, but it also meant dealing with the wind that accompanied it. Before the concert, Max handed out clothespins so we could pin our music to our stands and hopefully avoid any disasters. But of course, the wind had other plans. During Gabriel’s Oboe (or as Mr. Stickley likes to call it, Gabriel’s Horn), a gust of wind caught my music before I could even pin it down. Thankfully, the sheet music landed on the stage instead of the Gulf of Corinth, and I was able to grab it before it caused too much chaos. We had set up chairs near the harbor and almost every seat was filled. It wasn’t just the people sitting in the audience who were listening. People walking along the waterfront, riding their bikes, or stopping to enjoy the evening would pause for a few moments to watch us perform. Even though we were dressed in concert black, the performance didn’t feel like a formal concert. It felt more like we were sharing our music with the entire town, and that relaxed atmosphere made it one of my favorite performances on this trip.