Delphi, Part 1

Sunday morning dawned with a slight overcast and the car was covered with raindrops, but no rain in the forecast for the day. We departed Ancient Olympia on the New National Road to Patra then over the Rio-Antirro bridge which spans the Gulf of Corinth at Patra, on to the Greek mainland from the Peloponnese. On the way we stopped at the Chlemoutsi Castle, the most famous Frankish castle in Greece, built between 1219 and 1223. The road up to the castle wound through the typical narrow streets around curves and up the hill, unfortunately when we arrived, the castle was closed for May 1, a national holiday, even though the sign says the castle is open on holidays. Sigh, so we walked around took pictures of the massive walls and then got back on the road to the mainland.

The road was in fairly good condition, one lane each way with a shoulder in most places; as with all driving in Greece, the locals can not be behind anyone and must pass on curves, in no passing zones, through towns and intersections, normally exceeding the speed limit by at least 40+ kmh. So, along the New National Road most people drive on the shoulder so the impatient drivers can pass in the normal driving lane all the time keeping an eve on upcoming bridge abutments, stopped cars and people on the road. Let's just say, attention is of the utmost importance to stay out of trouble. But then, after all the driving in Greece and Turkey, I am almost Greek; returning to US roads will require some behavior modification.

The Rio-Antirro bridge is not only beautiful but an engineering masterpiece. It is the second longest cable stay bridge in the world, was built under difficult conditions and must withstand tsunamis, seismic events and the tectonic plate expansion between the two shores. I have attached a link and also a photo of the bridge. It was quite windy as we crossed over in the narrow strait, but this bridge significantly reduces the travel time and eliminated the need for ferries.

We drove along the shore toward Delphi, the coastline was indeed stunning with small villages, islands and beaches along the 90 km stretch before reaching Delphi. Of course, the final length of road to Delphi is up the mountain on narrow winding roads which deliver you into the town with even narrower roads. Delphi is literally built on the side of a mountain and was considered the center of the earth to the Greeks. It flourished from the 8th century until the Romans abolished the oracle in AD393 with the Christianization of the Byzantine Empire.

Since the museum and archeological site were closed today, we visited a portion of the site known as the Marmaria precinct and the temple of Athena. On Monday we will take time in the morning to see the rest of Delphi, then drive back to Athens for our final three days in Greece.