Delphi, Greece
Today was the first of my day trips outside of Athens to the archaeological site of Delphi. I still hadnt adjusted to the timezone, was up again from 130am, and had developed a cough from being caught out in the rain storm last night.
I left my hotel by 7.15am to make my way a street over to Hotel Attalos for my tour pickup. As my street was pedestrian only I had to chose another pickup point. Another lady was waiting for a tour and was from Quebec City in Canada. She was also on a Delphi tour but hers was a two day tour included to Meteora.
I always worry with these bus tours when they dont show up on time. The first bus came and took some other passengers. Then mine came at 740am. It then took one hour driving around town picking up more passengers. Then we pulled over and had to wait for another bus. It was quite disorganized, we were all doing different tours. Then we had to get off and they mixed people between the two buses.
My bus was completely full with 53 people doing 1,2,&3 day tours to various destinations. Our guide Mariana was good at narrating lots of information but I kept dozing off as I would for most of this trip during bus rides due to my lack of sleep.
We made a truck stop in the middle of nowhere where all the buses were stopping. Each bus group would hastily clean out the shelves of donuts and pastries. I thought they ran out but before we left they had more donuts so I was able to get one for breakfast.
The Oracle lasted for just over 1000 years. Women were selected from noble families and men who were experienced diplomats. The source of their knowledge was a network of spies in the local towns and other territories.
Most questions focused on village gossip and whether pregnant women had been adulterous. There were gases emanating from the ground placing the women oracles in a state of ecstasy.
There was also the naval of the world which was the meeting point of where two eagles met when them flew from the east and west. People would bring monetary offerings and were stored in special buildings. One was the Treasury of Athens which still stands.
The site is actually at quite an elevation and it was cooler then in Athens. The site also ascends the mountain sides so more climbing is involved. Near the top is the theatre and at the peak is the stadium. Our guide was talking in slow motion at the site so I went off and walked on my own or I wouldnt have had time to explore listening to all the narration.
I had been debating coming myself by bus but the site is a bit of a walk from Delphi town which is not a big town. Also today I was supposed to be going on a tour to Loukas Monastery but they had cancelled that and given me a 59 Euro refund due to low numbers.
One prophecy was that if a King attacked Persia a great kingdom would be lost. Expecting his victory he attacked but was defeated. The great kingdom that was lost was his own.
Oedipus had also solved the riddle of the sphinx. What walks on four legs, then two, then three. It was a human who crawls as an infant, walks as an adult, and used a cane in old age.
A short distance from the site was the museum. This had many statues and carvings that had originally been at the site. Also were photos of some of the excavations.
A German in our group touched an item so he was told to leave by the museum wardens. His two friends left with him and they had to wait outside.
After a tour of the museum we drove back in the bus for a late lunch. I had expected it to be something traditionally Greek. Instead it was just spinach pie (which I had already bought at the morning truck stop for breakfast), salad, pasta, and two small pieces of chicken. For dessert we just had cut fruits.
I was sharing my table with an older Irish couple who live in London, a younger couple from Japan, and a gay couple from California who were on their honeymoon but didnt seem to be that excited to be spending time together.
Finally after lunch we drove back to another site closer to the main one where the Temple of Delphi was. This was also the site of the gymnasium. This was less crowded than the main archaeological site as it was a bit further away, and was a at a lower elevation so involved some climbing down to get there.
I wasnt back in Athens till 7pm. They would have wasted a lot of time in hotel drop off so I just got off by the Parliament and walked. I needed to buy some Halls as I'd developed a cough from the rain the night before. I bought some more foods and desserts and was able to do my online check in now for my flight to Cyprus in two days, ensuring I got a window seat early.
2025-05-23