It is a worthwhile place to go to. We got in for free because we are archaeology and classics students, which has been a common theme throughout the trip- I haven't paid to get into a site yet. We got there at about 8:30, half an hour after the site opens, and for most of it we were by ourselves- shortly before we left, a small group of British tourists arrived.
It is in a beautiful state of preservation- the pediment sculptures have been removed and now are on display at the National Archaeological museum, but at the site itself, most of the temple is still standing and there are lots of signs to point out what things were. This is actually the second iteration of the temple- an older version was burned down in the Archaic period.
The version that is standing now is the one that was completed sometime around 490- there is some dispute about the dates in question. The columns that you can see are typical of Doric temples- they're incredibly plain, with capitals that are only minimally decorated.
All in all, everyone who was on my trip agrees that the Temple of Aphaia is a must see.
And here I am, looking happy and pink-ish. (Don't worry, I'm not very sunburned at all. There's a patch of skin on my left shoulder that was burned, but otherwise I just got a few more freckles.) (Also, please excuse the hair. The tap water at Agia Marina was incredibly salty, and we decided that showering would only make things worse. It also was quite windy.)More to come- the adventure had only begun!
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