Sunday entry to the site and Museum at Delphi is free, so we got up early to beat the crowds coming by the busload for a daytrip from Athens. There was no queue at 0830, Sunday 15 March and we started up the long climb along the Sacred Way . . . in total we climbed just under 850′ mostly on big concrete and stone steps but some old trails and gravel tracks. The top of the site is over 2,150’ and it’s certainly worth the day out, especially without the crowds!
The views across the mountains are spectacular. At the very top is the Stadium, originally built in the 5th century BCE and upgraded by the Romans in the 2nd century AD. In Greek mythology, Delphi is the centre of the world after Zeus sent two eagles up with a rock and they dropped it in Delphi. There’s a replica of the Omphalos (navel) where it is supposed to have landed.
There’s so much more to learn about the site and this period . . . now we’ve actually been there! After spending a very long day clambering around with a couple of hours break for sketching, we spent an hour or so in the Museum then retired to a bar for a well-earned beer and some supper before watching the sun go down over the bay from our balcony.
