Delphi
There couldn't be a more stark contrast between the urban sprawl of modern Athens and the natural beauty of the mountain town of Delphi. Both are rich in ancient history, but Delphi somehow seems older and more pristine. When you're in Athens, you sense how closely the city was connected to a distant past. In Delphi, you feel like the connection to the past is still unbroken. It's hard to explain. Maybe it's the simplicity of a smaller town. Maybe it's the clean mountain air.
If Athens is a loud, bustling, energetic experience, Delphi is a quiet, subtle, and vibrant surprise.
Arriving in Delphi
Our introduction to the bus was the morning we left Athens and set out for Delphi. It was a three or four hour drive that took us first out of the crowded city, then into open country, then up into the mountains. The bus was just as advertised: roomy, clean, modern. Each of us had an empty seat next to us (if we wanted it) because our group was small. Our bus driver was Christos, and in a way, he became a part of our tour group as we travelled together. Once we arrived in Delphi, Colin got us organized and settled into our rooms without a hitch. It would be a routine we would replay many times on the trip.
Exploring Delphi's ruins and museum
When we arrived at the site, we were given a great overview by our local guide, Penny. (I was glad to hear that she would be our guide because I had enjoyed listening to Rick interview her on the various podcasts before the trip.)
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Once again, the weather was perfect for exploring, hiking, and photography--overcast and cool with patches of blue sky.
Penny led us though some of the main parts of the site, explaining the history and significance of each place we stopped at. Later on, when we had time to explore on our own. I wandered up to the top where I saw the ancient stadium--the site of one of the four most important Greek games. It was amazing to imagine how many people had walked this trail and visited this place over the millennia.
The group met up again with Penny and began a tour of the Delphi Museum. It was full of artifacts from the site ranging from pieces of buildings with painted motifs to sculptures.
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The Sphinx of Naxos and the Kouros statues were amazing, but the most impressive was the bronze Charioteer. (I had read about it in my art history book and was excited to see it in person.)
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At the gift store, I found the perfect souvenir: a slim, paperback book about Delphi with amazing photography. Unfortunately, they didn't have any in English. The only English books they had were big hard-backed books that were too big to lug around in my backpack. So, I decided to just go with the German copy. I guess that's the sort of thing you get used to when packing light.
Our evening in Delphi
When Penny had finished her tour guide duties, Colin took over and gave us the plan for the rest of the day: we would drive back to the hotel then have some free time around town or at the hotel, and meet up again for dinner together.
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When it was time to eat, we went to a little mom-and-pop restaurant and had a great meal. As we ate and talked and laughed, we enjoyed the view of the sunset over the valley below that stretched down to the Gulf of Corinth.
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How could it get better than this?
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Eventually, we went back to the hotel for a full night's sleep before setting out for the next leg of our journey.
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