Welcome to the enchanting world of Delos, a Greek island jewel nestled near Mykonos in the cerulean waters of the Aegean Sea. Delos island is simply captivating, rich with history and intrigue. With the help of Greece Travel Director Nikos, we’ll get a fascinating taste of this mysterious isle.
Visit Delos with Nikos or other Travel Directors on the Greek Island Hopper tour.
HI NIKOS. WHAT’S IT LIKE GETTING TO DELOS?
Insight: Like the Odyssey?
Nikos: Yes. You will reach your destination but sometimes you arrive wet, because you are splashed by the waves. And you have to leave early. As soon as you have breakfast in the morning you are called to go to Delos.
SO WHY IS IT YOUR FAVORITE?
You’re under the scorching sun. The strong winds are blowing. There is no tree to find shelter. It’s not the easiest site to visit, but I love it because it’s very unspoiled and very authentic. And there are a lot of places to visit. You don’t have to go when you take the Greek Island Hopper tour, but the guests who chose to do it say that it was really memorable, exciting, and they never regretted it.
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TELL US ABOUT THAT ARCHAEOLOGICAL HISTORY AND WHAT GUESTS LEARN WHEN THEY GO
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SO OVER THE YEARS, IT WAS A VERY SACRED SITE. IT WAS VERY SPECIAL.
And then Mithridates, that is the king of the Black Sea of Pontus, came and destroyed everything. To punish the Romans, he found Delos exposed and destroyed it step by step. It then decayed and declined, but the antiquities were always there.
Now it’s an island with no inhabitants, which makes it more mysterious and interesting to visit. There is nothing and no one lives there. You wonder, on this small, barren island, how how did 30,000 people live here? It’s difficult to grasp.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE OF THAT TODAY WHEN YOU VISIT DELOS?
Most of the guides take you through the sacred way. That leads to the sanctuary of Apollo, the god of light, the god of balance, the god of symmetry. There is one tree left, a palm tree that still stands there. It’s believed that Leto gave birth to Apollo under this palm tree. You visit some mansions of the past, some Roman residences of the rich aristocrats that have these mosaics. Unfortunately, you cannot enter these, but you can see from outside as you walk. There is even a theater that you can sit down and imagine the theatrical performances used to take place.
When you go to Mykonos you can see pillars from Delos decorating the houses of the rich people. In the past, people picked up things from Delos and decorated the facades of their houses before the Greek archaeology arrived.
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SO WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE ISLAND WAS USED AS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE LIVED AND WORKED?
All these sites that you visit are destroyed places, but you try to uncover the past by observing everything. Even the small rock has something to say. That’s why I like it, because you see something and if you know the background, you can recreate it and have it in front of you. So I love it. It’s another unspoiled place that is waiting for you to discover it.
IT SOUNDS VERY UNIQUE
It is important because there is ongoing excavation and ongoing archaeological digs. Often they’re closed because they’re waiting for more funding to come from the European Union. When these funds arrive, they keep on excavating, but until then they don’t want people to interfere with the sites.
It’s impossible to guard this exposed site – it’s six square kilometres, and 1/6 of the surface is covered with things aren’t identified yet. There are amateur gold diggers or grave hunters…The longer the day goes, the more visitors, which might be a threat to this island staying intact and without intruders.
We’re grateful to Nikos for sharing his wisdom and time with us. Visit Delos with Nikos on the Greek Island Hopper tour to uncover the sights and insights of this unique island and more.
