Delphi & Athens again

And, finally, after we left Kalampaka, we drove about 3.5 hours to Delphi. We drove through fog, snow, rain and sunshine and arrived to a downpour that started about as we stepped out of the car. It just made sense, then, to start our visit there by going through the Delphi Archaeological Museum. (I have pictures but didn't include them here.)

Fortunately, the rain let up while we were inside the museum, so we grabbed some quick sandwiches from the gift shop area then headed to the outdoor sites...

Pictured above: The Treasury of Athenians, the Temple of Apollo (where the oracle would sit), an engraved wall, the theater, random impressive stuff, us in front of the Temple of Apollo, and the Temple of Athena (where one had to go initially to get permission to see the Oracle). Sadly, the stadium at the main site and the gymnasium on the way to the Temple of Athena were both closed for the season.

From there, we drove the 2.5 hours to Athens (with a stop for coffee and snacks, of course) and found our AirBNB (near the airport, just outside of Athens) just after dark. We met with our enthusiastic host, walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner (upon our host's recommendation), and finished out the day. 

Wednesday, we set out in the gusty wind to get our required covid tests for our flight the following day (thankful for the lab recommendation from our host!), stopped at a couple bakeries, and drove to the airport. We parked there, went inside for some paperwork we'd need for the flight and then took the metro into the city. (Driving and trying to park in the city did not sound appealing.)

Above: Nathan walking in the Athens Flea Market, us having figured out the metro system well, a view of our rental car and AirBNB, us across the street from our AirBNB (in front of the Aegean Sea), the view from our AirBNB, and me freezing in the wind before hurrying back to our place. 

For what it's worth, it seemed like March 1 was the magic day when a great number of the shops that had been closed when we first arrived in Greece decided to open. The Athens Flea Market and neighborhood shopping areas were notably busier and there were a lot more people out and about. (It looked, too, like it might be spring break for a number of European colleges and schools based on the number of young person groups we saw.) It was fun seeing more things open but we actually preferred the quieter time when we had first arrived, when things were still closed for the season and there were fewer people. :)

And then we somehow managed to pack everything back into all our bags, wake up crazy early to get to the airport, and fly home. Whew.

Back in a bit with more wrap-up sorts of things...