Delphi

After a fantastic down wind sail in 25 knots with just the genoa up, we arrived in the small town of Itea, where we planned to stay for a couple of days and use it as a base to see the ancient city of Delphi. The ‘marina’ is another Greek unfinished project with electricity points and water points available on the quayside but none of them are connected up!

We got a great mooring alongside the harbour wall and had just settled down for a rest in the cockpit when there was a blast from a horn and the diesel man arrived in his truck. He is clearly the self appointed overseer of the marina offering diesel, water and pretty much anything else you require. We took some diesel from him and he offered to return the following day to fill us up with water. He held the only key to the only tap on the whole marina! He is 78 years old and doesn’t have a good word to say for the government or local authorities – apparently they have been ‘finishing’ the marina for the last seven years!

Justin somehow managed to damage his toe whilst filling up with fuel – a good job we have a nurse on board!

The following morning we managed to source some gas from a local lady, who really looked as if she was going to expire (25 stone and not very mobile)! We also did a supermarket shop to replenish the stocks and Justin managed to find some cheap beer (at last)! We had booked tickets on the local bus to Delphi and late morning we enjoyed a spectacular bus ride to the ancient ruins.

 

The bus dropped us off at one end of Delphi, and we had about a half hour walk to get to the site of the ancient ruins. The whole place clings to the cliff face and the views are absolutely stunning, with rocky ravines, and sheer cliffs and mountain gorges which carry on down towards the sea. The ancient Geeks thought that the site was the centre of the world, and you can really see why. They built Delphi to honour Apollo, and it is very easy to understand why they thought that the place was inhabited by gods, it really is beautiful.

The ancient city itself is quite remarkable when you consider that it is almost 3000 years old, and the theatre, temples and sports stadium are very easy to see. It was quite warm climbing up to the top of the site, and by the time we had seen most of it we were very hot and ready for some lunch and a cold beer; it must be impossible trying to explore the site in the full heat of summer. We returned to the little town and had some lunch and sat in the cool to wait for the bus to take us back to the boat.

 

 

After our return, we moved the boat onto the ‘water’ mooring and our ‘young’ man dutifully turned up and we filled the water tanks. Unfortunately he wasn’t the only one to turn up – the port police arrived and asked us to present our papers in their office at 1830 hrs prompt! Justin dutifully obeyed and after listening to a very heated argument between the Harbour Master and an irate French lady, paid our dues and got the very first stamp in our Greek ‘boat passport’. Oh well it had to happen in the end – we have been in Greece for three weeks and haven’t paid a thing for moorings yet!

The following morning we got up early and motored across the Gulf to the town of Kiato, where we were going to prepare for our journey through the Corinth Canal…..