Italy Greece Part 4
In the morning we drove across Italy to get on a ferry to Greece. Many trucks went too.
The other ship would have been a bit nicer.
It was to be an over night ride. Sunset over Italy.
Sun rise over Greece. This is Patras.
And back on a bus.
We will cross this bridge.
The bridge is far behind us now. We went through many tunnels as we moved through the mountains.
We stopped at Itea Shore for coffee and a snack.
Nice small town with a very nice view.
Some of the shore properties needed a bit of renovation.
As we headed for Delphi we saw a great many olive trees.
We climbed far above the valley floor. Many switchback turns.
We got high enough to see the small town behind us and also the
aquaduct bring water to all those olive trees.
We went past Delphi to have lunch at a nice place with a great view.
Then we went to the Parnassos Hotel in the small town of Delphi.
The evening view from our hotel balcony.
Early the next morning we are up to have breakfast, drag our luggage
to the bus and head to the Delphi Archeological Site.
Our excellent guide explains how the sibyls ended up here.
It was all due to methane gas.
It is very uphill to see everything.
One of the omphalos (navel) stones displayed at Delphi, which was
thought to be the center of the world.
The treasury.
The Temple of Apollo.
The Amphitheater.
Heck of a place to get to.
The stadium at the top.
The stones of the rock walls fit very well together.
A shield found oat the site.
On display in the new on-site museum.
Large Sphinx of Naxos sitting on an Ionic column created about 560 BC, .
Two identical Kouros Statues, created about 580 BCE.
My favorite stuff.
The omphalos of the earth.
The Charioteer of Delphi is one of the best preserved examples of classical bronze casts.
It is considered a fine example of the "Severe" style.
We are going over the mountain on our way to Athens.
I want to live here.
Nice pit stop on the way.
Traffic in the big city looks the same everywhere.
Most of the population of Greece lives in or near Athens.
The usual chaos of checking into another hotel.
We took the subway into town. Dinner in the Plaka.
The Akropolis.
Balconies and solar hot water.
The next morning we are on a bus tour of the city with guide, Angela.
Changing of the guard at Syntagma Square. The dog is uninterested.
The Olympic stadium. Used in the 1870 games as well as those in 2004.
The Acropolis.
We wait for our guide to get the tickets into the AcropolisÕ grounds.
Overlook for the amphitheater and the city.
Angela gives us clear rules.
And finally to the main gateway. Lots of people.