Blogs from Delphi, Central Greece, Greece, Europe - page 5

Its not just pop culture that venerates crazy drug-ineberiated women. The Greeks did it too - here at Delphi. The Oracle, as she was known, was the source of all knowledge, a speaker of riddles, the one who held the keys to the future. And all this power was driven by her relentless sniffing of noxious fumes. Delphi for many years drew kings and conquerors, the rich and the meek, all and sundry, looking to catch a glimpse of what their futures held. The Oracle operated in much the same way that a lot of 'sellers of the future' operate today. Lots of mystery, crazy smoke, a bit of mumbling and of course the obligatory encoding of the future in a riddle that could say anything you want it to say. Basically, the Oracle of day ... read more

On 28 April, Olympic Airways took us from Istanbul to Athens. It was a smooth flight with plenty of food. On arrival our friend Panos was there to welcome us in his city. It was nice to see him. He helped us finding our way to the Hertz counter and then the parking. We will spend the W-E with him but for now left for Delphi. Delphi is literally hanging on the slopes of the mount Parnassos. We were first lost in the small streets but ended up finding our way to Hotel Varonos. We got a very warm welcome from Yannis at reception. From our room we had an amazing view on the gulf of Corinth. The next day we went hiking along a steep path in search of Korikio Antro, a sacred mountain shrine ... read more

There is something timeless about Greece and her welcoming people. Even as a citizen of a young country one can’t help but be caught up in the glory of classical Greek culture. The Greeks were the leaders of the ancient world, and were so admired that even their Roman conquerors protected the magnificent culture for several hundred years during the height of Roman rule. In fact the Greek speaking Byzantine empire of the east ensured the culture and traditions of Ancient Greece would stand the test of time. I arrived back in Athens on a flight from Santorini, and it was time for further exploration as the Greek travels continue… I have to say it was with some degree of trepidation, dear reader, that I travelled south on the bus to the Peloponnese; the home of ... read more

Delphi The drive up through the bare, sparsely inhabited mountains helped to prepare us for the granduer of the area. The day we were here, the sky was clear and the views made us stop in our tracks. This is Delphi. The Sanctuary of Apollo. This is where the oracle was said to have told fortunes and given advice. The oracle was a priestess who gave "advice" under the influence of the vapors coming from a huge crack in the earth. She was assisted by priests who interpreted for her. So little is left of ancient Delphi, but even so, the ruins are spectacular. It was thought of as the "belly button of the world"! Apollo had declared it the center of the universe. With the mountains falling down to the water of the Gulf ... read more

Tour busses of the size found here in Greece are NOT meant to wend through ancient streets meant for horse and carriages and Peugeots so we rented a car (a Peugeot) and made our way from from the Athens airport (first taking a bus from Napflio, then a taxi to the airport) and went to Delphi which was not an easy day trip away from Kalampaka as our travel agent had insisted Windy, windy roads as in twisty, turny, easily car sick roads up and up and up severe switch backs and cars passing big trucks on iffy turns and the trucks expecting us to do the same "No way! Ya right!" following the road signs in Greek makes for some fast learning "I think that's an L, go right." but the English signs would follow ... read more