POTD: Olympia

"No marble remains,
yet a stride can still be felt.
The race never ends."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 09 05 Olympia

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the ancient stadium in Olympia, Greece, "where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years throughout classical antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD." There's not much left of the stadium except the bowl itself. After the jump is a bonus photo of a modern athlete demonstrating how heroes are made.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

The Residence (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Residence (TV 2025): A fun whodunnit in the White House during a State dinner with a large cast of suspects. The eccentric Detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) is the standout character in this overstuffed murder mystery. A-

Netflix

POTD: Santorini Blue

"Domes of quiet faith,
curved against the cobalt sea.
Santorini blue."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 09 04 Santorini

Today's photo-of-the-day is the classic view of Santorini, "the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera." The city clings precariously to the rim of an ancient volcano. "One of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history struck the island about 3,600 years ago, leaving a large water-filled caldera surrounded by deep volcanic ash deposits." Today, it's a Greek paradise in the Aegean Sea.

POTD: At Anchor in Santorini

"High on donkey trails,
buzz of tourists fades away.
I hear only wind."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 09 04 Santorini

The curse of the Greek Island of Santorini is its popularity. It's usually packed with tourists. So for this photo-of-the-day, I had to use this photo of our Viking cruise ship at anchor in Santorini to try to tell a different story — one of aloneness. Maybe it requires a little too much imagination, but this is my memory of Santorini and I'm sticking to it.

POTD: Back in Greece

"The theater sleeps.
We walk among its old dreams.
Past lives whisper still."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 09 03 Delphi

Today's photo-of-the-day shows us back in Greece, back in antiquity, in Delphi, "the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The ancient Greeks considered the centre of the world to be in Delphi". For fifty years, my favorite kind of travel has been time travel. The theater at Delphi was first constructed in the 4th Century BCE. It holds 5,000 people. Standing where they did and imagining all the plays, poetry and musical recitals that our predecessors saw brings the joy of travel to life.