Ancient Delphi

The bus picked us up at 8:30. We never do organized tours. We expected to be on the younger end of the spectrum and we were but not the youngest. At the end, we gotta say that going on a tour was an excellent choice. We got so much more out of it with a guide. Tour operations are big business in Greece as tourism is one of its main industries. Cotton is also one of the most important sectors of the Greek economy and it is grown in abundance on the plains of Thessaly. We drove past loads of cotton fields.

fields of fluff

freshly picked cotton

The bus that picked us up went on to collect more passengers. We went to a central location and from there we were split up into our chosen tours : Delphi/ Meteora 2 day (ours), the 4 day, the one day Athens, 5 days Northern Greece, 7 days Greece through the centuries, etc. The bus was plush and comfortable. There were about 20 people along with us. As we drove north out of Athens, the guide talked about historical evens that took place on the plains we were passing, or pointed out villages and their importance.

a Thessalonian village

Also the guide talked about Greece's myths, customs, playwrights and philosophers. My favorite was, "If you look to the left you'll see a crossroads. This is where Sophocles set up Oedipus to unknowingly kill his father." Incredible! We passed through the village of Arachova which I got excited about because it was my favorite feta that I used to buy in Astoria.

Arachova, where they know how to make one darn good feta

The countyside was lush with pine forests as we approached Mount Parnassos and Ancient Delphi. Unfortunately, most of the archaeological site was closed due to rockslides earlier in the week. The temple, stadium, and theater, which is the majority of the sight, were all in the closed area. The guide told us about the Castalian Spring, which played an important part in the rituals surrounding the oracle. Its waters were used for purification and while today the source was closed to the public, the water is channeled down the hill to a spigot.

purifying myself at the waters of the Castalian Spring

We got a thorough explanation by our tour guide and she helped us to envision what it looked like in antiquity. She explained the purpose of certain areas of the site and remaining structures. One place was the treasury of the island, Sifnos, which is on our itinerary. The island was wealthy when the oracle was in operation and they made such large tributes they needed their own depository to hold them.



The location of Mount Parnassos is really beautiful and serene. Pine trees and rocky mountains plunge into the valley surrounding it. Not one modern eyesore is in sight.

stones from ancient buildings litter the grounds

zig zag

Ken and the valley

columns laying to rest

guard of the oracle

kitten taking tributes along the Sacred Way

We went on the tour with the guide for about 20 minutes then we had time to explore on our own until going to a meeting point for the museum. Normally the museum isn't included in the tour, but because most of the site was closed off, we were treated to it.

what does it say?

inscriptions of tributes

Stoa of the Athenians at the base of the temple




reconstructed Treasury of the Athenians

this as far as we could go




as much of the Temple of Apollo we got to see




me and the temple

The Delphi Museum and our guide was really a great experience because it brought to life the ruins outside the door. She took us through and told about the uses and identity of the artifacts and statues found and collected from the site. She was great because even though she had done this tour a million times, she had enthusiasm and passion. The 2-day tour people were then to be driven to modern Delphi to rendezvous with another bus to take us on to Meteora. We were told we wouldn't be stopping for lunch and we were ravenous so we grabbed 2 cheese pies or tiropita for the road. They were outrageously good. Unfortunately tour guide #2 was not as great as #1. He was less enthusiastic and a little harder to understand.

the mountains near Parnassus

We pulled up to the massive Hotel Amalia in Kalambaka. It is built like a mountain lodge. Because we were with the group right when we arrived the front desk had all the room keys out and after telling her your name, she checked a list and gave you the correct room key. After dropping off the bags, we went to the bar to get a drink and sat poolside just before the buffet dinner was served.

cheers!

We weren't the only group at the hotel and the place was packed. It felt like being at a wedding reception because we had to share tables with fellow tour-goers and make small talk. The food was really great and there were a lot of veggie and fish options. We met a nice younger Canadian couple and chatted with them for a bit. Here's a lit of some of the foods we ate: grilled fish fillet, green beans in tomato sauce, saffron rice, cheese crepes, grilled eggplant, lemon potatoes, boiled veggies, greek salad, pasta with pesto, and desserts. After dinner we headed back to the room because we had an early wake up tomorrow.