A Visit to the Oracle at Delphi

Most visitors to Athens will make at least one side trip, frequently to Delphi. Visitors have been making the trip to Delphi since at least 3 or 4 hundred years B.C. It is about a two and a half hour bus ride to the Northwest from Athens. After turning off the freeway, the mountains in the distance announce the route.


Winding into the foothills, our guide filled us in on quite a few Greek mythological stories in preparation for our visit. As with many of the ancient sites, it is a good thing that there is a sign that shows what the site once looked like as only a small portion is still standing. Here is the sign along with the main ruins.


Since I favor ancient Greek and Roman columns, I naturally took another closer look at these.


There is also a small museum near the ruins. There is a collection of statues which our guide described in some detail.


The highlight of the museum is the famous statue of the Charioteer. Nearby, an exhibit shows a few remnants of the chariot and depicts the location of the charioteer on the chariot.


After this, we headed up the road a short distance to the Amalia hotel where there is a restaurant and a spectacular view of the ancient harbor where visitors landed when visiting the Oracle.


We returned to Athens after stopping at a nearby "ski town."