Delphi and Athens, Greece

We were up early and showering to disembark from the cruise ship. The process was moderately confusing and disorienting…I detest being herded…but our own little herd made it through fine, hooked up with our tour guide Dyonisia (isn’t that a great name?) and we were off to Delphi.

Delphi is a long drive from Athens, two hours or so, but beautiful. I enjoyed seeing the countryside and listening to our guide tell us about Greece and her culture. I *loved* our guide for Athens. She was fantastic.

The boys were all sick from over drinking, Martina had to pee every 10 minutes, Mark was trying to hock up a lung, Dad had a cold. We were a merry group indeed. But Delphi? Oh my goodness, was I ever excited!

Dyonisia took us through the museum first and stopped only at the highlights to explain them. Her tour of the museum was thorough without being too much or taking too much of our time. She then escorted us to the ruins, showed us around and turned us loose to explore for a while. I really wanted to try and get to a point just above the platform where the priestess spoke her visions to the priest and did get there. 

Delphi was a long drive from Athens but I can only imagine what the journey must have been like hundreds or thousands of years ago. The mountains are huge and rocky. It must have been one hell of a trip back in the day.

Lunch was included at a tourist stop and the food was really good and plentiful. The third good meal we had on the trip.

We were then returned to Athens and our hotel where we settled in for the night. The following morning we toured Athens and visited the Acropolis. Seeing these historical sites is amazing but, of necessity, a bit rushed on a trip like the one we enjoyed. I would have loved to have wandered the ruins on the Acropolis at leisure like Mark, the kids and I did when we visited the Roman forum several years ago. As it was, the ruins are amazing but hidden behind a great deal of scaffolding.

On a tour of Athens comfortable walking shoes are a must and I really recommend something with a good deal of traction. We had the young men escort Dad and Evelyn back down the hill because the footing is very slick and we didn't want anyone taking a spill.

All in all, a great trip. The kids all spent a lot of time with their cousins. We got to visit some of the most amazing archeological sites in the world. We all came home safely. 

Places we visited on this trip that I'd like to see again:

Istanbul

Santorini

Patmos