Continued from Part 3...
The road north from Ancient Olympia becomes a real highway as you near the Peloponnese's largest city, Patras, and the majestic new Rio-AntiRio Bridge—even the Romans would have been impressed with it—which would take us back to the mainland. Completed just in time for the 2004 Athens Olympics, it's the longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge in the world. Wikipedia says so; therefore it's true.
But we made the mistake of getting off the highway for a bathroom break just before the bridge.
We did eventually find a bathroom at a friendly Patras gas station. What we didn't find was our way back to the bridge—not for some time, anyway.
There's a good scientific explanation for this phenomenon: you see, my overfull bladder had shorted out my brain, preventing me from remembering the Greek word for "bridge." Road signs for "Athens" didn't help either since they (it turned out) led to the capitol back the way we had come, via the Isthmus, not the bridge. The directions we got from the gas station people were worse than useless. Suffice it to say, while Patras itself may have some sights worth seeing, I don't feel the need to see it again for a long time...
The drive east to Delphi runs mostly along the southern coast of the mainland, with the mountains of the Peloponnese visible in the distance across the Corinthian Gulf. But these sublime landscapes didn't prepare us for the majesty of Delphi.
It's no wonder the ancient Greeks thought they could communicate with the gods here; the location is breathtaking, and these photos don't remotely do it justice. Above, that's me gazing at the Temple of Apollo, where the Oracle delivered her riddles. In the next photo, the mountain view speaks for itself, I hope.
Article comments
1 - Lisa McKay
Jon, if the photos are this gorgeous, I can't even imagine how wonderful it must have been in person. Thanks for sharing your journey with us, it's very enjoyable reading (and viewing)!
2 - Victor Lana
Jon, this series keeps bringing back memories of my time in Greece. I never made it to Crete, but spent a night in Santorini. I suspect you experienced what I did: the waters there are very rough. Looking forward to the next chapter. Thanks!
3 - Dad
Coincidentally, what I remember most about food, from our trip to the Italian coast, was also marinated octopus, outside with a view of the Mediterranean.