Day 2 : 2 Aug 2012
Kali Mera - That's good morning in Greek.
Wake-up call at 7.15a.m. Excited. Going for an overnighter to Meteora. Waited for pick-up at hotel lobby. Wondered why guide was late. Finally - someone showed up and off we went in a full bus load of people. Had very good rate for tour through V's help - 127 euro/person. (Exchange rate 1 euro = 1.52 S$) Went with G.O.Tours.
Wake-up call at 7.15a.m. Excited. Going for an overnighter to Meteora. Waited for pick-up at hotel lobby. Wondered why guide was late. Finally - someone showed up and off we went in a full bus load of people. Had very good rate for tour through V's help - 127 euro/person. (Exchange rate 1 euro = 1.52 S$) Went with G.O.Tours.
Journey from Athens to Delphi is about 180km, 3 hours by bus. Along the way, the guide was telling us stories about the different places. A lot of familiar names from Greek mythology thrown in. She really knows her stuff.
Trivia from the guide
1. Passed Thebes - connected with Oedipus and Sophocles.
2. To the Greeks, Greece is known as Hellas.
3. Pentelic marble used for Parthenon was mined at Penteli mountain, a mountain in northeast
Athens that we passed.
Athens that we passed.
4. Name of national road - guess? no.1
5. Population of Athens - 5 million
6. 85% of Greece is mountainous.
7. Muses lived in Mount Helikon.
As we made our way up to Delphi, good view of surrounding. Passed a picturesque ski village on way to Delphi. Very popular in winter.
Delphi is 600m above sea level. Delphi was the religious centre in ancient Greece. It was the site of the oracle. People went there to receive predictions. Visited the archaeological site.
Disappointed that we did not go to the museum at Delphi. The group that was going to proceed further to Meteora had to change bus. The 1-day Delphi group went to the museum while the Meteora group went for lunch and thereafter a 4 hour journey to Meteora. The Delphi group would go back to Athens.
As we finished our lunch, the 1-day Delphi group that had toured the museum arrived at the restaurant. If I had known earlier that we would bump into this group again, I would have asked the guide if I could join the museum group, pay the extra for museum entrance and quickly eat lunch before joining the Meteora group. Anyway,...
From Delphi, it was a 1 and a half hour ride to the Thermopylae Pass. Of course, B was keen to see this. (This was the first place he said when I asked him what else he wanted to see in Greece besides Parthenon).
6. 85% of Greece is mountainous.
7. Muses lived in Mount Helikon.
We stopped at a delightful tree-shaded restaurant before going up Mount Parnassus to Delphi.
As we made our way up to Delphi, good view of surrounding. Passed a picturesque ski village on way to Delphi. Very popular in winter.
Delphi is 600m above sea level. Delphi was the religious centre in ancient Greece. It was the site of the oracle. People went there to receive predictions. Visited the archaeological site.
Had lunch at this restaurant in Delphi.
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| The moussaka-similar to lasagne- was simply delicious! |
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| Eggplant salad-lovely with bread |
I LOVE Greek food.
As we finished our lunch, the 1-day Delphi group that had toured the museum arrived at the restaurant. If I had known earlier that we would bump into this group again, I would have asked the guide if I could join the museum group, pay the extra for museum entrance and quickly eat lunch before joining the Meteora group. Anyway,...
From Delphi, it was a 1 and a half hour ride to the Thermopylae Pass. Of course, B was keen to see this. (This was the first place he said when I asked him what else he wanted to see in Greece besides Parthenon).
Leonidas in the background
In 480 B.C., at the Battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas with 300 Spartans fought bravely to their death against a huge Persian army led by Xerxes.
7.30 pm- finally, arrived at Kalambaka, town at foot of Meteora. Nearest city to Kalambaka is Trikala, where the God of medicine was born.
We're in the land of Thessaly - land of centaurs, Bucephalus(horse of Alexander the Great).
Stayed the night in Amalia Hotel, Kalambaka. Beautiful, low rise hotel.
7.30 pm- finally, arrived at Kalambaka, town at foot of Meteora. Nearest city to Kalambaka is Trikala, where the God of medicine was born.
We're in the land of Thessaly - land of centaurs, Bucephalus(horse of Alexander the Great).
Stayed the night in Amalia Hotel, Kalambaka. Beautiful, low rise hotel.
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| view of the Rock from the hotel |
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