Delphi —The Centre of the Universe
Not much of a coffee drinker in general, I decided that this morning was the opportune moment to try the famous “Greek coffee” before taking a bus to the mountains of continental Greece. We packed our bags and walked towards the Liossion bus station and stopped at a small shop where I ordered “Ena heleniko” — a Greek coffee. The friendly shopkeeper asked us where we were from and what we had seen so far. On hearing that we had just returned from Nafplio a few days ago, he got excited saying “Ego Nafplio”. So he had moved from the former capital to the current capital of Greece. We also picked up some sesame bread rolls, at the station and got into the bus.
I finished my tall cup of coffee which I really appreciated since it had shaken all the sleep out of me.
When our bus finally took off we had three hours of climbing into the mountains ahead of us. The effects of my heleniko started kicking in almost immediately — I became extremely hyperactive and the sugar in the coffee gave me a rush. I could not fathom sitting immobile for a hundred and eighty minutes. I wanted to get down and run up the hills! My friend was very amused at my behaviour but I was feeling more and more queasy and uncomfortable.
Luckily, we made a stop on the way and I really needed that breath of fresh mountain air.
We were soon in Delphi and for the first time on our trip the weather was splendid. Having decided to spend the morning at Delphi and then onward to our next stop Meteora, we left our bags at the bus stop. The next step before going to the site of Delphi was to figure out how we were going to arrive at our next destination. According to all the books and websites we had consulted, there was a series of three buses we needed to take in quick succession — first to Lamia, then to Trikala and from there to Kalambaka, the base camp from which to visit Meteora — and we knew this was going to be tricky, but what we discovered upon our arrival in Delphi was completely unexpected; there were no buses to Lamia and Trikala.
We decided that the only way to get there was to take a taxi to the nearest railway station at Livadia and catch a train to Kalambaka from there. We negotiated a rate with a taxi driver and gave him a time and a place where he was to wait for us. Satisfied, we quickly made our way up to the ruins of Delphi.
Walking uphill on the slopes of Mount Parnassus just a few metres from the bus stop, looking south, is a vast slope of olive trees all the way down the mountain into the sea of Corinth. It is a beautiful sight and if we had more time I would have loved to hike through the groves towards the sea. A few more metres ahead was the entrance to the ruins of Delphi. After a refreshing drink of cold water from the tap outside we walked along a path of wild poppies to the temples and treasuries.
I was really buzzing not only about being here but also because the weather was better than anything we could have asked for. The sky was a cloudless deep blue and yet the altitude kept us cool in the blazing spring sun.
Delphi offers more than just ruins; the eerie mysterious feel of the place is heightened by its extraordinary surroundings.
Climbing towards the temple of Apollo we were treated to stunning views of the mountains around. Walking past the Treasury of the Athenians through bursts of yellow flowers we arrived at the place that the ancient Greeks revered as omphalos or the navel of the Earth — the temple of Apollo. This 6th century BCE structure is the site of the Oracle.
Here, Apollo is said to have killed the Python, a monster snake and left its body to rot giving the place the name Pythia, which comes from the Greek word meaning “to rot”.
A woman from the neighbourhood who had never committed a misdeed was selected as the priestess or the Pythia. Upon breathing the toxic fumes of the slain Python she would fall into a dreamlike trance and begin to prophesy. She was thus consulted for centuries before the undertaking any important mission. The Oracle wielded her influences over the Greek islands, Macedonia, Egypt and even the Romans. In order to form a cult of priests, Apollo, spotting a boat with Cretans, turned into a dolphin and swam alongside them. Initially frightened but later impressed when he revealed his divine self, they agreed to stay. Apollo used to go away during the winter and was replaced by his brother Dionysus at these times.
Further up there is a well-preserved theatre that blends so well into its habitat that the sloping seats appear to be a part of the mountain face and seemingly descend all the way into the valley far below. We made our way further up to the last place to visit — the Stadion— a stadium where Pythian Games were held in the 6th century BCE. From here we went slowly down to the main road.
After another drink of that cold spring water, we decided to visit the sanctuary of Athena and the Tholos further down along the same road. We climbed down a few steep stairs and walked through another field of wild flowers, this time purple and yellow, and stood in front of the circular Tholos, three of whose twenty Doric style columns have been restored, contemplating it for several moments. After taking in the ruins and the scenery it was time to visit Delphi Archaeological museum.
Just like the aesthetically pleasing and modern Acropolis museum in Athens, the museum was very well maintained. In fact, visiting these spanking new museums made me wonder where the economic crisis was.
The collection here is small, which makes it easy to visit, and very interesting and informative.
Buses from Liossion bus station in Athens go to Delphi. The journey takes three hours and it is possible to visit it as a day trip from Athens.
Delphi is very small and all the sites are located along the main road. It is possible to walk through the whole place and also hike around the olive plantations.
Hi, I am Prajwal Madhav. I hope you enjoy my posts.
