Decoding Homer's Odyssey, Ithica Island (east of Cephallonia) is allegedly the birthplace of Odysseus, the hero of the piece. So we anchored and climbed ...
and climbed ...
... until we found this site; the most likely place for Odysseus's palace? Great view anyway!!
Next stop was just across those straights, to Fiskardho, our last night stop on Cephallonia; a delight!
Then on into the gulf of Patras, to stop in Missalonghi (where Byron died) on a lagoon not unlike Venice.
A rather fun Ouzo-bottling shop!
The wind blew up to force 6, hard on the nose the next day as we continued East, so had to divert to Patras.
Where we had watched a whole group of (illegal?) immigrants arrive, climb over the port fences, then one by one apparently sink into despair ... "What now?"
Pretty cool sailing under this huge, new (2004) suspension bridge joining Patras to the mainland. In force 6 again, with 2 reefs in.
We then ended up on Trizona Island, in the gulf of Patras, for two nights. (Had been highly recommended by 2 or 3 fellow live-aboard sailors over the months).
Unfortunately, rather too many boats "end up" here. Not the first boat graveyard we had seen lately in Greece. This is not Deep Blue!
Despite being free (no-one to take money, though at some distant point in the past someone took a big wadge of European taxpayers' money to half finish a 'marina')- no-one bothers to clean up the beaches and hedges close by to Trizona. Brenda not happy.
Despite being free (no-one to take money, though at some distant point in the past someone took a big wadge of European taxpayers' money to half finish a 'marina')- no-one bothers to clean up the beaches and hedges close by to Trizona. Brenda not happy.
I'm OK tho'.
Brenda's morning swim before we depart Trizona. That's a very cool Warram Catamaran; the owners have visited once this year, allegedly... from (Oh Dear!) Falmouth.
Next stop, Itea. More European money to not quite finish a 'marina'. We DON'T MIND PAYING, for a overnight stop; no water, no power, no showers, no TOILETS in this quite new marina is not funny. 'Free' is not the point. Hey-ho, we were here only to visit amazing, fantastic Delphi! only 20km away.
Up in the mountains above Itea - check out that masonry work. A mere 2500 years old.
Think of Delphi as the centre of the known world 2.5 millennia ago and you're not far wrong. The Delphic Oracle franchise of course started here from the cult of Apollo worship.
The Gymnasium was above everything - seating 5000. Imagine the spectacle!
The art found in the French excavations at the end of the 19th Century were spellbinding.
These tiny, exquisite pieces were also buried, along with thousands of others, after a great fire (Brenda's favorite)
The central temple of Apollo had been huge and lavishly adorned with art from the Greek myths - Heracles killing the Keryian stag...
For anyone who has seen Michelangelo's David in Florence, Antinoos is almost equal (just about 1400 years earlier).
The central temple of Apollo had been huge and lavishly adorned with art from the Greek myths - Heracles killing the Keryian stag...
For anyone who has seen Michelangelo's David in Florence, Antinoos is almost equal (just about 1400 years earlier).
We could only imagine the 'archaeological orgasm' of excavating this !
...or this piece de resistance of Delphi, 'The Charioteer', buried under a column!
...or this piece de resistance of Delphi, 'The Charioteer', buried under a column!
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