 For our forth day in Greece we decided to venture outside Athens. The previous day we signed up for a day trip to Delphi, which didn’t get off to a good start, eventually arrived at the hotel about thirty minutes late. Most of the coach ride there was fairly uneventful, nice to see the Greek countryside, but for the most part there was not much to see. That was until we rose into the mountains and began winding round roads with steep drops and passing through picturesque villages. Unfortunately we did not stop at any of these, which was a real shame in my opinion.
 The coached stopped outside the entrance to famous ruins of Delphi, and I must admit I was rather excited at the prospect of being at the site of the Delphi Oracle, it’s imagery I had seen countless times before. The guide began to show us round the site, whilst I snapped away with my camera and took in the wonderful views across the valley. It was then the guide explained that the popular imagery of Delphi was actually that of the Tholos, a circular structure with only a few columns still standing, which in fact lay quite a bit further down the hillside, where we would not have sufficient time to get to. I could just about make it out when I zoomed in using my camera, and was gutted to say the least. Still, I put that aside so it wouldn’t spoil the day, and besides there was still plenty to see.
 We climbed passing various columns and remnants of treasure houses, stopping where a huge stone known as the ‘Navel of the earth’ lay (Well the replica, the real one we saw later in the museum). Our guide explained that the Greeks believed this marked the centre of the world. The story went along the lines of the god Zeus setting two birds go, one went clockwise around the earth, the other anti-clockwise, and where they met (in Delphi) Zeus proclaimed was the centre of the earth. Personally I saw a flaw in the gods thinking and suspect he stood in Delphi when he let the birds go in the first place, but that’s just my sceptical mind.
Higher up we reached the ‘Temple of Apollo’. This was where the Oracle resided and people from all over the known world would come to listen to what she had to say. The whole site must have been quite something, perched on the cliff side looking down into the valley below.
 Higher up looking down upon the temple sat a theatre, similar to the one in Athens. Higher still from there, at the very top of the site was a huge stadium, where I imagined chariots racing around in its day. We didn’t have too long before we had to head back down and join up with the guide again before making our way through the museum.
 The museum was not bad as far as museums go. Personally I prefer to see the actual sites artefacts originally sat, but the guide did go over some interesting information. Such as the second thing Delphi is famous for, which is the bronze Charioteer, the oldest bronze statue to have ever been discovered completely intact.
 After leaving the museum, we were taken to the nearby village for some lunch. The restaurant had some tasty food, but the main attraction was the marvellous panoramic view it looked out onto. This really sold the place to me, and almost made up for the feeling of being rushed round the ruins. One thing I could not forgive the tour operators though was the drive back.
The tour was advertised as a day trip to the Delphi ruins, lunch and stopping at one of the most picturesque villages on the return. However when we reached said village, the coach driver did not stop, coming up with the excuse of there being nowhere suitable to wait. So instead of what was promised, we stopped at a souvenir shop several miles down the road in the middle of nowhere. I felt cheated and was not a happy bunny. This was a real shame, as it kind of put a dampener on the whole experience.
 Upon returning to our hotel, we decided to round off the day by heading out that evening to the Plaka district once more. This time succeeding in reaching the restaurant we originally planned to eat at the previous night. This made my mind up that these places in the popular tourist areas have great atmosphere, but do lack the culinary delights of some of their less known competition. In short I’d recommend heading further away from the tourist hot spots for better quality food.
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