Day off in Delphi by Laura Kwong

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today was my day off, so Andy and Nick dropped me off at Delphi on their way to Itea to get some paperwork done. Delphi hosts the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, most prominent in 4th century B.C. when votives arrive from across the West and East. Everyone wanted to be in Apollo’s favor. Who wouldn’t want the god of victory to be on their side? The ruins were impressive in and of themselves, showcasing two ancient treasuries, a Roman theater, an ancient stadium, and three columns of the once-exquisite Temple of Apollo. I equally enjoyed the museum, which displayed a few of the actual offerings that have been recovered. These included a bull made out of silver plates, a bronze statue of a charioteer preparing for a race, a thirteen m marble column topped by “dancing” girls that once held a bronze cauldron, and an enormous sphinx (a mythical chimera composed of the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle).

While the scenery, archeological site and artifacts were intriguing, I must say that half of the pleasure of Delphi was talking to two Americans from LA who have been traveling the islands of Greece for the past three weeks. It is disappointing but somewhat reassuring that I am not alone in my not-so-great impression of Greece. (I really feel that I shouldn’t say that while I’m still in the country, but that really is how I feel.)

Before I came to Greece everyone told me how friendly Greeks were and how “there are a lot of people who speak English”. Unfortunately, not so much on either account. “Filonexia” seems to have disappeared with the inundation of tourists. Nick told me that there has always been tourism, which I believe, but I think the way Greeks interact with foreigners must certainly have changed when tourism became Greece’s number one industry. I don’t feel that I am seen entirely as a moneybag, as I did sometimes in Southeast Asia, but I do feel that I’m treated as “just another tourist,” not anyone with whom to have a good conversation, just a tourist who might come in and buy your kitshy merchandise or sit down at your taverna. In my mind, Greek filonexia meant that people would smile and say hello, they would invite you in for coffee if you were lost in the middle of nowhere, they would chat with you in the street. But the first person that smiled at me in Athens (after three weeks in the bumbling city), was a Danish woman who had just come to visit for a few minutes. As far as striking up a conversation or being into a farmer’s house, the language barrier has prevented. The filonexia I have encountered came from connections to Yeoryia and her family. It seems that without connections, there isn’t much of filonexia left for the tourist to encounter. Maybe I’ve just been in the wrong places; I hope so.