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Travelling to Delphi
Sunday – Woke up early in Patras a portside town, our route was towards Delphi to visit the Oracle. However one missed turn and we found ourselves heading towards Athens on an irreversible tollway….(facepalm) It was still being built.
We managed to turn around and get back on track after a while, and we took the incredible new bridge from Patras to the mainland and drive up from there.
Delphi
Delphi is a tiny town nestled in the mountains, the actual temple site is around the corner. Luckily being up high, there are cooler breezes.
Despite being a weekday the place had by far the most tourists we’ve encountered on our travels. Walking up the Sacred way, lined with pine trees up Mt Parnassus was like walking through time. The marble walkway took us up past many old sculpture bases, treasury buildings, stoa’s and more. All to give thanks to the Oracle for her help and guidance.
Imagine…
you’re in the ancient Greece……You walk up through all these temples, past many salesmen, hawking their wares, perhaps picking up one of the votary statues of Apollo, and then continue to walk up to the imposing temple on the top of the cliff.
Many people would be hanging about, incense in the air and bright white marble sculptures, all around you, looming over you.
Past the ancient rock of the Sibyl (below left) when older civilisations had their oracle, Past the Stoa set up by the Athenians to display captured weapons and shields (below, top right), past other smaller temples to gods and goddesses past, stop and admire the view with a lovely corinthian column, then upwards
past the incredibly tall podium which once held a 26 foot bronze column of three intertwined snakes (taken by the Romans to Constantinople).
The Temple
And finally up to the temple, passing the sacrificial altar outside. Inscribed on the temple was the phrase
Know Thyself
If you had an appointment you’d then walk into the grand white columned temple, and state your issue. The Oracle, a young girl in white would listen to your question, and inhale the vapours coming out of the rocks under the temple, chew some leaves and then speak in tongues. The priests surrounding her would interpret it for you.
For example when Lysander the Spartan Victor of the Peloponnesian War consulted the Oracle he was warned: “Also the dragon, earthborn in craftiness coming behind thee”
He was slain from behind by Neachorus who had a dragon painted on his shield…
Today & Museum
The temple stands in ruins, but no less impressive a sight, and the view from the side of the mountain is stupendous. The museum was especially interesting because of the wonderful artists impression of the original site as Ancient Greeks would have encountered.
Sanctuary of Athena
Down the road is the wonderful Sanctuary of Athena which is more picturesque and appears in all the photos when you google Delphi. Its definitely worth a visit. You park your car by the side of the windy road (careful) and there is a little cafe where you can enter nearby. Its a windy path down hill but marked on Google maps!
Galixedes
We found a fantastic little restaurant in Delphi town which overlooked the valley and sea, a lunch of olives, greek salad and wine of course! With gorgeous views across the countryside.
There are many great restaurants here so just make sure you can sit with a view and you won’t go wrong!
Tiredly we retreated to Galixedes a tiny sleepy fishing town for some swimming. Luckily the water was warm enough to entice Greg and I had a quick snorkel in the local harbour, spying old roof tiles, old glass bottles and imagining all the treasure below. We ate our last lovely meal in Greece at an old ships taverna which looked like a pirates pub.
All in all the Peloponnese is an incredible part of Greece, highly recommended for a relaxing holiday with much less tourists and a lot of exciting archeological ruins to visit. We can’t wait to go back!
