Yesterday we sailed from Patras to Itea, where we grabbed a bus up to Delphi.
It was exciting to arrive by sea, since so many pilgrims most likely did so during the 1000+ plus years that it was the dominant oracle.
We had visited in 1980 with backpacks, but failed to really enjoy the experience. It sits on a rocky shelf about 1300 feet above a sea off olive trees that lead to the bay on which Itea is located.
We arrived late in the day and hit the museum first. It seems all of the archaeological museums in Greece have been extensively revamped since 2001. Delphi is no exception. The attached bowl is an example of one of the pieces in the collection.
We ended up wandering the site between 6:30 an 7:30 as the sun was sending shadows over the site.
The stadium, which we didn't visit in 2001, is at the top of the site and is in incredible shape and is a wonderful example of an ancient stadium, even better than Olympia.
A recent find was the debree from a temple that burned. It was all buried at that time in two pits. The picture of the gold work was part of what was found.
We are now in Kiato, about 20 kilometers West of Corinth. We are picking up my parents, Mike and Myrt, and our brother-in-law, Art, and dropping off our friend, David. We head for the Corinth Canal on Friday.
After Bob and I left you in Patras, we spent the night at Glyfada, a tiny seaside village west of Itea, and headed to Delphi early the next morning. As Tara reported, it was stunning. Lit a candle for your safe journey at Moni Osios Loukas. Got lost in the mountains taking the back roads to Corinth, asked an old blind man for directions, and were, of course, unable to understand what he told us. Finally found Corinth, and saw Old Corinth and the acropolis the next morning, at George's suggestion. On to Nafplio, via Mycenae, where we vegged out for two days before our trip back home.
ReplyDeleteEager to here more of your adventures....
Still jet-lagged. We're anxious to "hear" more...
ReplyDeleteAlso, got a very fast peek at the canal as we zipped by - wow, really narrow. How was that???