Trip to Delphi, Greece
Trip to Delphi, Greece
The Olympic torch is lit in Olympia, Greece several months before the winter Olympics. The winter Olympics which were to be played in February, 2014 in Sochi, Russia, the torch was lit in Olympia on October 7th, 2013. It was headed to Delphi where the flame burns here only if it is for a few hours while it stopped there before it arrived in Athens. Delphi is an archaeological as well as modern town in Greece. It is considered to be the center of the world.
The Olympic Flame
Unbeknownst about the olympics, we drove to Delphi on October, 8th. the uphill drive to Delphi took almost three hours from Athens through the beautiful countryside. The site itself was truly amazing. Apparently, there is a theatre and a stadium, but we did not get to walk up. We stopped with friends who were traveling with us at a café for coffee and some refreshments and saw nature’s amazing spectacle from the window where we sat. Had coffee and relaxed.
When we were ready to leave, we were told that the Olympic Torch relay was passing right by where we were. We were excited and were ready to stay as long as we had to. But it was not long before we saw the relay passing right outside where the mayor of Delphi was waiting to receive the torch to do his run until he handed it over to the next torch bearers. We were ecstatic at once in a life time chance to be part of the unique and historic occasion, and to record it personally.
Mayor of Delphi waiting to
It was an amazing piece of luck to actually be there where the torch relay began. Since we were driving back to Athens where we were staying, we had the good luck to be able to see it a few more time when it was changing hands on its way to Athens.
The Olympic Games torch relay tradition began with the Olympic flame being lit by the sun’s rays at the ancient site of Olympia, after which the torch was passed from runner to runner until it reached the Olympic stadium in the host city.
Until 2009 the torch traveled through 5 continents until it reached the stadium where the game was going to be played. But rules were changed since then, and in 2013, after traveling through Greece, it went to Russia where it passed throughout Russia before it came to Sochi, host city for the games in February for the winter Olympics.
Mayor handing it over to another torch bearer
Next stop where the torch was to be handed over to next torch bearers.
Rasheeda, Your travel blog is very interesting and well written. i like the way you set the scene for your reader. I’ve never been to Delphi and to picture your group there in October, witnessing the passing of the Olympic torch and the sheer luck of being “at the right place at the right time” was ecxiting to me.
Terry
Hi Terry, I was reading all the comments on my blog again. I just realized that I did not thank you for a wonderful comments. Thank you so much. I am not sure if you saw my latest post on Wadi Rum, Jordan. this is the link if you have time to read it. https://rasheedablogs.org/wadi-rum-jordan/(opens in a new tab)
please keep in touch.