travels in a motorhome: Galaxidi

We are parked up tonight on the quayside in the little harbour town of Galaxidi. It's possibly the most idyllic place we've stopped at since leaving the UK.

We arrived here this afternoon after visiting Delphi this morning. I'd like to say that the oracle told us to come here but unfortunately the oracle wasn't saying too much today.

After leaving Nea Anchialos and the wedding parties on Monday morning we drove to the campsite nearest the ancient site of Delphi. Over mountains, up and down switchbacks, past bauxite mines; a great journey. The campsite wasn't the best we've stopped at and it was expensive but it was the nearest to Delphi. We set off early this morning before it became too hot and before there were too many coach parties. Despite our best efforts we still had to squeeze our way past a lot of overweight Americans with expensive cameras, a group of sulky French adolescents, a bewildered looking German coach party and a group of Chinese/American with a very apologetic tour leader. Don't get me wrong. This tourist/traveller thing is a bit of nonsense as far as I'm concerned but it is irritating when you can't get near the exhibits in a museum for forty folk and a screeching tour guide. Anyway I wasn't too impressed with Delphi. Earlier this year we visited Volubis in Morocco, the furthest outpost of the Roman Empire and despite, or maybe because of, the lack of overt preservation it was very impressive and you had a feel for how the town was over two centuries ago. Sheep and goats wandered about the site, the mosaic floors and archways were just as they were two thousand years ago. By contrast Delphi, as far as I was concerned, was a load of stones, some pillars and an impressive theatre and stadium.

The museum was much better and some of the artifacts recovered were breathtaking but I couldn't help but wonder if they couldn't have been returned outside and placed in their original locations. Anyway, Delphi is a world heritage site so what do I know?

We left after a few hours and set the Sat Nav for a supermarket in the coastal town of Itea a few miles down the road. Parked outside the supermarket, shopped in the local green grocers, bakery and ciggy kiosk and used the supermarket for beer and water. Wandered into town for a coffee and checked out a parking spot for the evening on the dockside. By now it was baking hot and there was no shade so after a quick lunch we set off to check out a couple of spots recommended a few miles around the coast. We arrived at Galaxidi mid afternoon, everybody asleep except us and found a spot to park on the quayside. And what a spot this is. Think romantic, think pretty, think traditional, think unspoilt. That's where we are.

Last nights sky.