Goodbye Greece, hello Italy!

Our last destination in Greece was Delphi's Sanctuary of Apollo which had a huge temple, several treasuries, a theater, a stadium, many stores (stoa) and many monuments provided by those grateful for the prognostications of the oracle. What remains after years of earthquakes and theft is still impressive. The oracle of Delphi (in all her various incarnations) was consulted on major decisions by everyone from regular citizens to rulers for hundreds of years.  Here's more information :

Wiki's take on Delphi here

What remains of a life-sized bull in silver

The nearby museum houses many of the items that remain as well as information and even a watercolor painting that helps you envision what the site looked like in its heyday.  Rick Steves' book did a good job of describing what pilgrims to the site would have experienced including a purification ritual, the scene inside the temple, the oracle's behavior, and the interpretation of the oracle’s utterances by the priests.  Socrates is said to have pondered the results of his visit to the oracle for many years.  

Photo album here

After climbing most of the way to the top, Dermot said "I don't know why the Greeks put everything so high up. It's like they said - Why build it here, let’s go even higher and make everyone miserable! Let’s put the stadium so high the air’s too thin to breathe. That’s a great idea!”

Since our flight home is on December 5 and there is alot of ground to cover between Greece and England, we considered our options for returning home.  A farther eastern path would require wild camping, fewer resources and colder weather. We chose to return via Italy and France, hoping to have time dip into Spain to see Barcelona if time permits.  My original plan was to get a ferry to Venice but then it had the worst flooding in years so we chose a ferry from Patra to Ancona, Italy. So this time, not planning ahead really paid off!

Our route down the mountain from Delphi to Patra. 

Our last morning in Greece, we experienced cold showers at the campsite so we were glad to be moving on but sad to be leaving Greece.  We drove to Patra and boarded the ferry. Since it's past season for camping on board, they offered us an inside cabin with shower/WC and 30% off the self-service restaurant.  Once again, Dermot found himself anticipating a day on a ship. Luckily, the Adriatic was calm and the ship had some better than average ferry offerings. The top deck featured tables with great views and a pool (now closed). There were also several lounges and a "show" which consisted of a guy playing his heart out on a synthesizer and singing along in Greek to an average audience of two people. I decided this was more like a cruise than a ferry. The limited menu was adequate and Dermot and I passed the evening in the most appropriate way - playing backgammon on the tiny board we had bought in Athens. 

We'll miss Greece with its warm weather and treasure trove of archeological wonders but I’m excited about our next destination too!