Galaxidi and Delphi

When we drove into Galaxidi, I thought it looked like a god forsaken place. In a way, it turns out it was. The only way to reach it was by sea until 1963, when a road was built. It is on the Greek mainland but feels like a pirate island, especially as the day we arrived, the sky was grey and forbidding.

We walked around the town, its eerie feel magnified because the tourist season is coming to an end and houses and various establishments are shut up.

Our hotel is quite modest, and reception is manned by the owners slightly truculent daughter. She has the air of a teenager being forced to do something she doesn’t want to, which I’m pretty sure is the case.

Unusually for us, we decided to go for a drink before we went out to eat. We had the strongest gin and tonics I have drunk for a long, long time. Life suddenly felt good and Galaxidi seemed a bit more friendly.

We booked a table at a restaurant in town which looked cosy and had an interesting menu. It was very full when we arrived and the two staff were completely overstretched. An hour and 3 glasses of wine later, my meal arrived. Steve’s came about 15 minutes later. I heard the man next to me complain about his wife’s meal. Not good. Then the chef came out, strutting like a peacock, clearly expecting much adoration for his wonderful food. It appears this restaurant is “up there” and has been reviewed favourably by those in the industry. Pride comes before a fall and all that..

Today we went to Delphi an Ancient Greek archaeological site. I’ve always wanted to go after seeing photos of it’s beautiful surroundings. It didn’t disappoint. The setting is in the mountains and is stunning. Throw in a mystical oracle who pilgrims travelled hundreds of miles to see, and Zeus declaring it the centre of the world and you have an incredible history to this extremely atmospheric place.Again, covid made for a very civilised and stress free wander around.

Due to the excesses of the previous night, we were absolutely knackered when we got back and had to have an old lady and old man nap before taking a wander along the Galaxidi coastal promenade.

Tomorrow we move on to a place called Diakopto, our last stop before our return to real life.