Yeah, that’s the view from our room! This town boasts ancient ruins, great food (duh, its Greece) and lovely local glass art -picked up an item for the study :)
Delphi (Delfi) was considered by the Ancient Greeks to be the ‘Navel of the Earth’. Neath the peaks of mighty Mt. Parnassos and above the glittering waters of the beaches at Itea; Delfi is a gem of antiquity. Built into a hillside and the notorious hangout of “The Oracle” or prophetess, this sacred site was sought out by generals, kings and even emperors over the centuries. Much of what was here is still here as an echo and shadow of the undying human need to know, not just the ‘whats’ but also the ‘whys’ of our existence.
Driving into Athens (Athina- named after the Goddess) was not as difficult as our jaunt into Pireaus and not as nerve wracking as battling the streets of Firenze. In short- the guidebooks are wrong, if your can handle Southern European Passionate Driving, you can handle Athens Driving- the really tricky part is the Greek Alphabet. Though “most” (read some) signage is also in English (latin) it is a mere courtesy and often much too close to intersections to be of much use. Enter... The Navigator!!! Michele has developed an amazing ability to decipher Greek and read Greek maps and give directions; she’s like a human GPS (though much more attractive and you can’t marry and share your life with a GPS device, so she’s way better!) I weave in and out, speed up and down and employ my masterful arts of horn, clutch and accelerator- she directs, corrects, conjectures and researches. We are a super driving/navigating team... LOOK OUT Amazing Race, if we ever enter, we will DOMINATE that cakewalk! ~S
The view from our hotel room in Delphi is amazing. Our balcony overlooks an enormous canyon/valley that leads down to the beautiful coastline. There is nothing between us/our balcony and the deep, beautiful chasm below but air and the best feeling in the world... being here together on our wonderful honeymoon :)
Stanley spotted a wild turtle on the path below and we watched him walk at quite an impressive pace across the hill and out of site. What a view - what an enjoyable time.
Onto the ruins of Delphi we go. This place is very ancient and here stands a mostly intact temple that has withstood the tests of time, nature and earthquakes. An ancient theater, even older than Epidaurus, and impressively intact stadium, temple remains, etc... this place was mystical. Nestled into the steep hillsides, Delphi was difficult to navigate and included very steep ascents and descents to the top of the mountain and then back down again to yet another ruin way below. The temperatures were very hot here as well and that made the hiking even more difficult. But I was a trooper and treaded serious ground all across the mountainside with Stanley and all the giant bugs that live here :)
After some very cool exploration, we make our way toward Athens. I am geared and ready to navigate the city, with a much better attitude than I had when entering Pireaus. The road to Athens was uneventful and the scenery was beautiful on our flower lined freeway. Map out, hotel names in mind... we enter the city and with ease and a great deal of serious navigational skills, we make our way into Plaka, the “old” part of Athens and locate our hotels. After checking with a couple we read about and finding none available for two nights (they’re available for one night, but none for the second night), Stanley spots one around the corner and with luck, they have room for us for both nights. Best part - the price was the cheapest we’d been quoted... SCORE!!! She asks us if we want to view the room first, so we take a very small elevator up to the fourth floor to have a look. The room was very cute with a nice sized bathroom and a great balcony that had an amazing view of the Acropolis! It doesnt get any better than this, so we book the room! I’m still in disbelief it was all this easy.
After a short nap, we make our way into the streets of Plaka and find a little outdoor restaurant on the corner by our hotel. The prices in the city are MUCH higher than the country, but the service is just as nice and the atmosphere and company equally as great. On the menu is a Greek Sampler for two which included Dolmathes, Spanikopita (Spinach Pie), Meatballs, and a new dish I hadnt tried yet... baked Macaroni. OMG - this was a YUMMY dinner!!!! Totally worth the price in my book and Stanley was nice and shared a lot of his half with me. What a great dinner on our first night in Athens.
Back to our hotel, Stanley is reading on the balcony and I am enjoying the view of the Acropolis all lit up at night. The pictures do not even show how beautiful it is in the night with the lights making it glow. We are so lucky to have found this hotel with such an amazing view.
Tomorrow - explore the Acropolis, Roman Forum, and ancient surrounding ruins. Enjoy the streets of Plaka and relax a little for our last day/night in Athens before we head back to Patra... ~M
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