Archova After just one night at the hotel, we were picked up on Tuesday morning by Dimitris for a two day tour in a comfortable Peugot passenger van. Dimitris was born in Brunswick, New Jersey, but his family returned to Greece when he was five. We had a good time with him over the two day journey in central Greece. One of the first things I noticed along the road was hundreds of tiny shrines which mark locations where people have died, much like crosses & flowers do in the United States. They are called kandylakia or eikonostasia, and may also thank saints for someone surviving a dangerous crash. They may contain icons, an oil lamp, and or photos of the deceased.
Today we drove to Delphi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been occupied for over 3,500 years. The ancient Greeks considered Delphi to be the center of the world, and from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD people came from all over the world to consult the oracle. Dimitris gave us some suggestions before dropping us off, and we started with a tour of the Museum of Delphi on our own. We rushed a little, trying to stay ahead of the group tours which would suddenly have 30 or more people standing in the way of the exhibits. Then on to the archaeological site, slowly working our way up the hillside, past many different ruins from over its history, The most notable ones included the Temple of Apollo, The Temple of Athena Pronaia, Ancient Theater of Delphi, and the Ancient Stadium of Delphi, at the highest point. We really enjoyed the wildflowers we had been seeing on the road and here.
We went on to the nearby town of Delphi, where we could have selected a restaurant on our own, but went with Tavern Vakhos, which Dimitris' recommended. We invited him to join us, but he introduced us to the owner and returned to the van. We had a window table with a great view of the town, going down the hillside and the distant Kolpos Iteas (Gulf of Itea).
We continued on to Kastraki, a village which is just below Meteora, which is another UNESCO World Heritage site, famous for the 6 Eastern Orthodox monasteries atop massive natural sandstone pillars. Although monks lived here in caves for several earlier centuries, the monasteries began in the 14th century. There were once 24 monasteries, but the others are now just ruins. The tour was supposed to include a sunset viewing of Meteora, but it was overcast and did not. In retrospect, we should have asked to do it anyway, as it was extremely foggy the next day. I had booked a suite at the Tsikeli Hotel Meteora and it was charming and comfy. After we settled in, I did a brief online search of local restaurants, and the hotel's Senses restaurant was the highest rated, so we reserved a table, then walked a bit of the area before supper, seeing the sights and visiting a couple of stores.
For diner, Linda had Sautéed pork tenderloin medallions on a velvety sweet potato cream. While reading the menu, a very attractive Black Angus Burger with baby potatoes and “Rosalata” mayonnaise was served to a nearby table, so I selected that and was quite happy with it. This meal was the only time we saw a hard cider on a menu and we both ordered a bottle of Milokleftis (Forbidden Apple). It is made in Athens and later in the trip we bought more at a market to enjoy in the evenings.
|
