IT'S ALL GREEK TO US!

Thursday, June 16, 2011
Delphi, Central Greece, Greece
When we first thought about going to Greece, my research made it clear that a stay in Athens and then visits to some of the Greek isles would simply not be enough. We needed to see more. I began by perusing tour brochures to determine where the groups were being taken. Though some, like my daughter Amy, would argue that these are likely to be the places one would least want to visit as being too touristy, others, like my daughter Tammy, would assume that these sites are the 'important' ones that people would want to see. A quick view of the map told me that we could likely do both, i.e. visit the tourist traps but also spend some time in the less well-travelled locales along the way. This would be possible thanks primarily to an intercity bus system which we’ve found can be infuriating but incredibly reasonable. While buses are modern, comfortable, air-conditioned and roomy, and usually leave as scheduled, to get from point A to point B usually means stops and bus changes in several cities along the way. For each leg of the journey, you buy a separate ticket, and the ticket agent in any one city has no clue about the buses leaving from the next or from any other city. I imagine it’s how the stage coach system worked in the 1800’s. The most ironic of all is the name of the bus company--KTel. Say no more, nudge nudge wink wink. Okay, that aside, other than 1 missed bus, and the kindness of a car-owner who picked us up on a quiet stretch of road where we were let off far from our destination, we became adept at making these connections. As a result, this allowed us to tour a number of really memorable places in a week.

Nafplion
The first was a lovely town called Nafplion, on the Gulf of Corinth just 3 hours outside of Athens but worlds apart . After the excitement of Athens, we were ready for a little sanity, and this picture postcard of a town was just what the doctor ordered. Here, we found a hospitable B&B, a comfortable room, uncongested streets, little traffic, a seaside boardwalk, and an ambiance that was inviting. The shops, the buildings, hotels, homes were awash with radiant pink and purple flowers which adorned them. We happily strolled by cafes, shop windows with their goods so well-displayed, tempting bakeries and ice cream shops, and chachkies galore. We spent our first day visiting Epidavros, the site of a large 3000 year old amphitheatre with acoustics so good that the last row (I believe that it was 76 rows up) could hear a whisper on stage. There was also a large archeological site of a complex devoted to medicine and the god of medicine (Asklipius). The Greeks believed that drama was an important part of therapy for restoring both physical and mental health. On our second day, besides visiting the primary tourist site, a fortress on the mountain overlooking the city, we did two things that were particularly fun . The first was a visit to Koronis Distillery, which has been making Ouzo (anise liquor) and a number of other liquors since 1869. We received a private tour from the owner and his wife who proudly described the history of the business. He is the fourth generation to own it, and his son is now taking the business over, thereby becoming the fifth generation. Besides touring the distillation area, and tasting some of its products, we were shown pictures and documents dating back to the creation of the company. It was like visiting with family, as he reminisced about growing up in the business. Of course, we took lots of pictures, though some of them were blurry after the sampling! To end this full day, we hiked to the small in-town beach, where we enjoyed a great swim in the cool waters of the gulf and napped under the palms. We ended the day with a visit to a taverna which was highly-rated on Trip Advisor, and the meal we ate explained these ratings. Sound good? It gets better.

Olympia
As you can deduce, this is the site of the first Olympic games in 776 B .C. Here, we visited the archeological site which could be equated with the Olympic Villages of today. There were temples to the gods (primarily Zeus and his wife Hera), as religion was very closely tied with the games, as well as gymnasiums (more like training schools than the gyms of today) (BTW, the word comes from the Greek word for naked since they trained and competed in the buff), accommodation for athletes and officials, and more. The Greeks believed that health involved both a strong mind and a strong body. The games were also a means of bringing the various city-states of Greece and surrounding areas to celebrate not just athletics but also competitions in poetry, music and arts as well. Winners were accorded great honours, while cheaters were heavily fined and vilified via statues identifying them and their families, stating their offence and punishment, which was done mainly to warn others. We actually got to walk through the corridors and onto the field of competition where this had been done for almost 3000 years. However, this is one of the only 1 or 2 things which excited us. While the archaeologists have done their best to present the results of their work, we are feeling ruin fatique as we tour site after site of ruins (Bonnie is counting down the "ruin cities", as in: ‘Hip hip hurray, only two more ruin cities to go to!’).

Delphi
For us, the road to Delphi was half the attraction, and it was totally unexpected . Our bus followed the coastline of the gulf and we were perched in the front seat of the bus’s upper deck. What views to behold, as we passed vistas which reminded us of California’s Pacific Coastal Highway. We drove by innumerable olive orchards, vineyards, and apiaries (beehives by the hundreds). Moreover, we were traveling over steep mountainous roads, with mountains ominously on our left and the Gulf far below us on our right. There were stretches of road that felt like a ride at Disneyland for the danger they threatened. Still, we felt safe, thinking that this was just another day at the office for the driver. Approaching Delphi, we started a long upward climb til we were in the clouds, and this is where we were to spend the next 3 days. The air was crisp and sweet-smelling, the streets reminiscent of an Alpine village, and our hotel, Varonos, was decorated in a funky way which we found funny and welcoming. Our room had a million dollar view of the valleys far below and the gulf way in the distance, and we settled in. Delphi was a treat for all the senses. We went for long walks, had great Greek dinners, and shopped for trinkets, with the valleys far below ever-present and so inspiring. I had the urge to break out into the theme song from the Sound of Music. The hills truly were alive.

Of course, the highlight of this city is the site where the Oracle of Delphi made their (there were many of them) pronouncements and gave advice to one and all . Most of it is in ruins, having suffered through millennia of earthquakes, weather, and human despoiling, although with some imagination, one could still see the size and scope of the ancient city and the importance it was afforded. In fact, Delphi was considered the centre of the world by the Greeks, or actually the navel of the world, as they referred to it. Ok, that’s a funny allusion. But not nearly as funny as the next thing we learned on touring the site. Archaeologists have determined that there were fissures in the earth from which methane and other fumes escaped. So, it turns out that the Oracle was stoned from these gases, and the advice given was often obtuse or nonsensical. Yet, the Oracle was accorded the greatest respect and honour by the leaders and the populace. You see, they felt that it placed the onus on themselves to make sense from these vague or unintelligible pronouncements, so they could interpret it any way they wanted. They would also have to take responsibility for their actions. Actually, not a bad way to handle advice.

Once again, there were strong religious ties to Delphi and we saw remains of a large temple to Apollo, the god of music and the arts, as well as a sanctuary to Athena which is a well-known symbol of Delphi since it is so well-preserved. A large amphitheatre and stadium also still exist, since performances, as well as games similar to the Olympics were held here. It can’t have been easy for those athletes. Despite the altitude, it was hot the day we were there, and we got tuckered out from all the climbing and the relentless sun. We ended the day with a visit to the beautiful (and well-air-conditioned) museum where the site and many important artifacts found in the excavations were displayed and explained. Many are quite exquisite in their detail and condition, especially since we are talking about history dating as far back as the 12th century BC. On our last day in the area, we spent the day in a port town at the base of the mountains, called Itea, where we mostly just swam at the unpretentious. but very scenic, in-town beach. We both mellowed out there.

Our last few weeks in Greece are to be spent in the Greek isles, where we’ll be island-hopping to visit some of the more popular ones like Myconos, Santorini and Crete. We have no fixed agenda, no hotel, no travel arrangements lined up, just a good guidebook, a map, and a little help from my current best friend, Bob Internet!


All our best,

David and Bonnie

Comments

cissie.retired
2011-06-17

Hi Bonnie and David,
So great to read another fantastic entry from you. I'm glad you left Athens because we heard on the news that the people were causing problems in the streets because of the economic woes. So, you chose to travel farther afield at an opportune time.
Your description of the "ruined" sites are wonderful and so detailed, I'm sure I was right behind you looking over your shoulders. Keep great company with Bob Internet, and I look forward to your next blog. Are you staying in Greece? Are you thinking of trying another country? I wait with bated breath!
Travel on...
Cecile

2025-02-10

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