Early this morning, we left the beautiful island of Ithaki, heading for our final destination on this trip, Athens. The trip started with a 7 AM ferry ride to the city of Patras on the mainland of Greece. While our previous ferry ride to Ithaki had been a bit rough around the edges (to say the least), this ferry turned out to be four hours in relative comfort on a massive boat.
Once we disembarked in Patras, we headed toward an ancient castle Bill and Riley had visited a few days earlier. Unfortunately, it was closed on Tuesdays, but we did find a place a few steps away where we could get a cold drink and see the view over the city.
From there, we hopped in the car and started our journey through the center of Greece to Athens. We decided to take the long way (approx 5 hrs instead of 2.5) so that we could see the ancient and sacred site of Delphi. The drive included a trip over the beautiful Rio-Antirrio bridge out of Patras which crosses the Gulf of Corinth.
As we left the coast line and drove inland toward Delphi, we began steadily climbing away from the Mediterranean. Eventually, we climbed to about 2,000 feet above sea level which provided some pretty spectacular views.
And then we arrived in the tiny, mountain top village of Delphi. A noticeably quiet, peaceful and almost spiritual vibe greeted us immediately. Delphi was the religious center of ancient Greece for every major city-state and through multiple periods over more than 500 years of ancient history. The ancient Greeks considered the centre of the world to be in Delphi. The Oracle at Delphi was consulted about important decision throughout the classical world and many temples and other religious structures were erected there over time. The ruins are preserved well enough to give an idea of the beauty and complexity of the original site.
After exploring Delphi for about an hour (as long as we could manage in the heat and blazing sun), we headed back to the car and started the three-hour drive from there to Athens. The first section of the drive took us the rest of the way over the mountains including through the small village of Arachova that sits at over 3,000 feet above sea level, but still well below the soaring rocky peak of Mount Parnassus.
Eventually, we made our way to Athens and found the apartment we will call home here for the next few days.
Peace,
Matt, Laura, April and Fiona ✌
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