We started the day by checking out of our hotel in Athens and heading for Delphi. On our way, we passed by the town of thieves, or Thiva, and a large lake. Aliki told us several myths and legends surrounding these two places. We stopped at a rest stop after about an hour, to stretch out legs and get snacks for later in the day, because lunch was going to be late. Then we hopped back on the bus and drove to Delphi.
The lake we passed on our way to Delphi
We passed a memorial on the side of the road for resistance fighters in World War II. The Germans killed people who were not involved in the resistance, and there are several memorials like this all over the area in remembrance.
The memorial we passed
Driving through the mountains of this area was quite and experience. There was only one peak that actually had snow on it, but several others were high enough to be in the clouds. The road wound around a lot, and it was a little frightening, but Demitri got us there in one piece. We drove through a town, Arachova, which is perched on the side of the mountain and had a quaint feeling to it. The roads in this town were so narrow it was amazing Demitri didn’t hit anything!
The only mountain with snow on it
We finally reached Delphi, which is the site of an ancient city. The god Apollo had a temple here, and the Oracle of Apollo was one of the most famous people in Ancient Greece. People came from all over the known world to hear what the Oracle had to say about their futures. We climbed up and around the Temple, then past the amphitheater, and finally, we made it up to the ancient track, the site of the Pythian games. It was quite a hike! The track is still used sometimes for special concerts.
The ruins of the temple from above
The group in front of the ruins of the Temple of Apollo
The Amphitheater at Delphi
After we walked back down the mountain, we went to the museum at Delphi. In the museum, Aliki showed us the Sphinx and the Charioteer, both of which were on display around the Temple of Apollo in ancient times. We also saw some gold and silver decorations, which had been buried around the temple. The archeologists think these artifacts were buried to hide them from the Persians, who invaded around 490 B.C.
The Charioteer
The Sphinx
After we finished at the museum, we went to Taverna Agelos for lunch. They served traditional Greek food here, and the mixed plate (shown below) was a delicious mix of several Greek dishes.
The mixed plate, which included deep fried cheese, spinach pie, fried zucchini, tatzaki sauce, and a pork roll thing
From here we had a two and a half hour drive to our next destination. ON the way, we had a group presentation on symbols of the Olympics, and we had to design our own flag that represented our trip and Gustavus. After the presentation, there was some much-needed naptime before we reached the city of Korinth, where we saw the canal that connected the Aegean and Ionic Seas. It was an extremely deep (about 290 feet) and narrow (about 80 feet) channel, and ships have to be less than 10,000 tons to pass through.
The canal
Later, we made it to our hotel near Nafplion, and we enjoyed a three course dinner.