We woke up high up near Mt Parnossos, near Delphi. It was still pitch dark and quiet but then unfortunately rain. We have been so lucky so far with the weather. Breakfast in the cosy restaurant and then on the bus at 8.45. It is about 7 degrees but warmed up to a balmy 12 by lunchtime.
To begin the museum of Delphi. We all needed our wet weather gear just to get inside. We got to see lots of amazing treasures from the most important site in Greek antiquity, the Oracle of Delphi. Lots of unique treasures from the site and lots of interesting stories from mythology from our guide. The crossovers between ancient Rome, Egypt and Greece are becoming more prevalent as we learn more.
The first statue below was imposing, but then the 2 after that join up, base and the dancers on top. It is also a classical composition by Debussey. The Dancers of Delphi.
This copper statue of Apollo has eyes made of stones and metal eyelashes.
Many of us ventured outside in the wind and rain to traverse the site of Delphi. Getting decent photos was very hard in this weather. Once we got to the wet slippery stairs, Barb bailed and went to feed this stray dog with some ‘borrowed’ meat and eggs from breakfast. This was clearly appreciated.
Terry and some of the group bravely forged their way up the hill in the inclement weather and got to see much of the site. A Roman theatre and some of the temples.
The bus then meandered back down the windy roads until we came to the seaside town of Itea. On the way we had to stop for this procession of goats. The rain has cleared. The taverna greeted us with a shot of ouzo. There are many non drinkers in the group so some of our table ended up with a few extras. We shared a Greek Salad and some lightly battered prawns, squid, mussels and anchovies. Very nice. Our tour guide also gave us traditional bitter orange dipped in chocolate to try for dessert.
Back to the bus and over very high mountains, a foggy cold afternoon, we are almost in the clouds. Barb was asked to give a little talk to the bus about the Persian Wars before we reached the site of the Battle of Thermopylae.This is what the movie ‘300’ is all about and is a pinnacle event in ancient history. Seeing this area and getting photos of King Leonidas’ butt are some serious life goals for Barb.
We arrived at the Hotel Amalia about 5.30. It is cold outside. The hotel is huge, on 3 floors with massive foyers, bars, and even our room is very big with an extra bed. We are not high up but near a mountainous area, so the wifi is atrocious. The included dinner was 4 courses. Mushroom soup, spinach pie, Greek salad, beef and rice then a fancy looking sorta white and dark chocolate mousse in a champagne glass. Was all very nice and we got to hear all about Hong Kong politics from our dining companions. Full and tired and with no TV or wifi we went to bed soon after.
BT Travelblog2 