Day 6: Our journey has led us back to Athens, tomorrow we see the Acropolis!

 

Laertis said something to me on our first day that really sound good. He said this itinerary was a relaxing one.  An to his credit, each day has been pretty easy going. Tomorrow, we head into Athens to visit the Acropolis and the busy city. It will not be relaxing, lol, but each small village on this journey has brought charm and they will not be forgotten.  What hasn't been relaxing is our travel schedule. Checking into a hotel each night just to check out the next morning has been taxing on us all.  It is good to be back in Athens where we will spend the next three nights before heading home.

This morning, we had our most hectic departure of the trip. Our cliffside hotel was really nice, but it was hard to get to and from...this morning, our shuttle bus ran several trips and we hired taxis, they brought nearly 40 people with their luggage down to our bus. It wasn't chaotic. It was well organized, but is was hectic, if that makes sense.  The breakfast at the hotel was quite a nice spread. Similar options from our other locales, but seemingly fresher. I had a sampling of croissants and coffee...classic!

Adding to the noise of the morning, it was our coldest day and it had rained all night.  None of us really wanted that shift in weather.  It is, what it is...however, and we gathered on the bus for our ride to Delphi.  It was about a 45 minute drive and it reminded me again of how skilled these coach drivers really are. Long, wet, and windy roads, but expertly maneuvered.  We drove through the "Winter Mykonos" which is Greece'e best ski town. The one road isn't wide enough for two busses, but we lucked out and didn't need to back up at all.  It was a really expensive looking place too.

We soon arrived at Delphi. This is the famous resting place of the Oracle of Delphi. The fumes rising from the ground apparently gave the Oracle to see the future and to help the kings of Greek City-States make important decisions about their people. It existed, as a place for Ancient Greeks, at the same time as Olympia. That means it was around for 1200 years. When Christianity appeared on Greece, the favor of this place fell from grace and it soon disappeared into obscurity. Earthquakes, erosion, and vandalism all played a part, but most of this icon place fell to rubble and was forgotten. Our tour started outside. Elfie, I think that was her name, found a place for us to sit while she gave us most of the backstory.

A picture from inside the museum shows what it used to look like, for reference.

Elfie took us up several levels at Delphi. She explained how significant this place was to the Ancient Greeks and also explained that Oracle isn't just a person, it is a place.  It didn't matter who the "oracle" was, the power came from the place. She also explained that the fumes that inspired the wisdom of Delphi were hidden until excavated only about 50 years ago. Let's hope there is still some magic in that hot air as the EU was actually hosting an economic forum in Delphi this week. 

When Elfie wrapped up her portion of the tour, we had free time to explore higher sections of the grounds. I only made it to the theater, while others made it to the stadium.  As I descended towards the museum, I saw a couple of cute pups and as the moderator of "Dogs of Saugus, MA" on Facebook, I had to take their picture. They reminded me of a couple of Monty's friends at The Bow in Lyman, ME.  

The archaeological museum was packed when I got inside it. I snuck my way past tour group after tour group. There was lots of interesting stuff, but mostly in rooms filled with crowds. Laertis said it was busier than usual because of the conference.  I did find this room with gold and silver adornments and it was empty. It gave me time to take pause and reflect on what's really important. Its funny how gold and silver have always had value.  To me, though, its friends and family that really bring worth into the forefront. You just don't get to see that in museums. You can see it on trips like this, however!

It was a smooth ride back to Athens from Delphi, although we hit a little traffic. The kids slept for most of it, but there was a cheer when we drove past a McDonalds. Tonight, while I write the blog a group of us are at a Greek Family dinner show. I am at the hotel because the road has taken its toll on us.  Packing up every morning has exhausted so many of us, lol, so Mr. S took half of the group to the show and I stayed back here. We are hoping a good night's sleep and not having to pack up and move everything will bring some stability into our days.  Personally, I am glad to be able to get tonight's blog out. I hope to get some picture of the event from the kids and I will upload them later on if I do.

Mr. Lavoie, currently sitting in a hotel lobby realizing that there are a few other group leaders here doing the same thing...probably for the same reason. 

Day 5: Today we ran like Olympians and had a blast doing it too

 

Running through the Olympic stadium

Today was a really nice day in Greece. That said, it's also hump day of the trip and folks are still getting over travel and lack of sleep. We woke and packed our bags. Breakfast was pretty good and I made an egg sandwich with bacon. Our day was spent mostly in Olympia...we had made the decision not to visit the city center because our hotel looked like it had such fun accommodations and I am glad we had made that choice. The kids will miss this hotel.  Laertis was great to add some city time for lunch today.

We met our guide Zoey at the gate of the ancient site of the Olympic games. It was honestly surreal. The air was cool and mist was slowly rising as the sun started to peek through. Zoey was an amazing guide too, she totally nailed the pacing for a high school group.  Little lectures and lots of humor. She gave ample time for pictures but also checked in frequently to see if there were any questions.  We saw the original gymnasium.  It's just a footprint today, but you could image it...what the kids didn't seem to know is that the original Olympic athletes all trained and competed naked. They were shocked and amused by this idea...it was even more confounding when they realized no women would be allowed to attend too. 

Zoey showed us the site of the Temple to Zeus and the Temple of Hera. It is at Hera's temple where the Olympic torch is lit every two years. She explained the process and ceremony and showed us pictures to go along with it. After touring the religious section of the grounds, she brought us to the stadium. She explained that the stadium was actually a unit of measurement (something like 192 meters). The runners had races based on how many laps they had to complete. One was even naked but with their armor on...ouch.

After the grounds, we visited the museum and saw some of the amazing artifacts that were discovered during the excavation. We woke early today and were the first group on the grounds and we had the museum to ourselves. When we left, e line was huge!!!  After that we visited an Olive Oil farm. It is possible that some of you will be getting some olive oil, please act surprised!  Then it was time for lunch in the quiet city center in Olympia.

My third Gyro of the trip. It wasn't the gyro I deserved, it was the gyro I needed.

The bus ride from Olympia to the next hotel was over 4 hours long. We stopped half way for a rest stop. Laertis says its the only place in Greece where he will have dessert and I ended up getting something that was decadent I just can't tell you its name. The road, after our rest stop, crept up and up and up. Switchback after switchback...this was not an easy road for me, not liking heights.  Our driver is an expert, but that didn't matter for me. Regardless, we made it a small town outside of Delphi. We visit tomorrow. 

Our current hotel is really posh. The buffet here was our best so far. The only thing is that the hotel is on a cliff. Our bus cannot make it up the hill, lol. We needed to transfer a shuttle bus to take us up. It was an even windier and steeper road. It is worth it though. The shower in my room looks like it cost a thousand dollars!

A bridge connecting the peninsula to the mainland. At the other end of this picture is the canal from two days ago

My sweet Greek dessert. It was like Baklava but with something creamy in it and melted sugar drizzled atop. 

As I mentioned, we are halfway done with this trip already. It has flown. Tomorrow, after Delphi, we head to Athens. It will be a busy three days there. I hope to be able get the blog out, but as I've mentioned a few times over I am getting older and feeling the effects of the late nights, early days, and hectic schedules. I know one of our nights has an 11pm return to the hotel, lol. We shall see.  In the meantime, I apologize in advance if I do a double post one of the days ahead.  

Mr. Lavoie, sitting in the lobby listening to some new age techno stuff while trying to put coherent thoughts together for this blog...its tuff.