DARJEELING, THE QUEEN OF HILLS AND HEARTS

DUMDUM TO DELPHI: A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

Even though my journey was not similar to the one described by Jules Verne in his novel, ‘A Journey to the Center of the Earth’, written in 1864, where the protagonists plunged into the interior of the Earth, I did have to plunge into history to see the navel of the Earth, as per ancient Greek belief.

Zeus, the Sky and Thunder God (From Greek Mythology), in his attempt to locate the center of the earth, launched two eagles simultaneously from two ends of the world. They flew at equal speed and crossed each other at the area above Delphi. From this point in the sky Zeus threw a stone which fell at Delphi, which since then was considered the center of the Earth. The stone was named, ‘The Omphalos, navel of the earth’.

Bravery is cherished by Greek society. I thought I was brave enough and so decided to see Greece alone. I am from Kolkata and I flew a little more than 6300Kms from Dumdum’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport to Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos. Well, I am super excited to pen down the experiences of my visit to Greece. However, in this blog I will share about my day trip to Delphi from Athens.

**Note: In the end one can get to know a riddle and its answer, which are historically significant, through a little story from the Greek Mythology.

How to reach Dumdum to Delphi

·         ➤About Air Tickets from India to Greece - 

      One can book tickets to Athens from almost all the international airports in India.

Cost of flying from Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi (both ways per head Rs.50000 to Rs.80000 depending on the Airlines, seasonality and the gap between the date of booking and the date of flying) is lesser than flying from the Southern part of India.

The most popular airlines are Emirates and Qatar Airways. Turkish Airlines are a little more pocket friendly, but do not come with the best of flying experiences. Gulf air flights are available from Mumbai. KLM and Air France Operate too but are expensive.

·        ➤ About Reaching Delphi from Athens - 

      From Athens, One has to travel 120kms by road (3-3.5 hrs) to reach Delphi. There are numerous local travel agents at Syntagma Square, the heart of Athens. I went to the office of Fantasy Travel near the Syntagma Square and booked my guided group day trip with lunch for 80 Euros (negotiation possible). The prices range from 80 to 120 Euros depending on seasonality or tour type and group size. You can even book online at www.fantasytravelofgreece.com  or www.viator.com (Viator is an expensive proposition).

In case, one wants a night stay at the little town of Delphi, a trip inclusive of night trip can be booked, else you may book your stay separately from www.booking.com or www.makemytrip.com, at a cost per night ranging from Rs.2500 to Rs.7000, depending on the type off accommodation.

                                                           The Omphalos, navel of the earth

My Journey to the Center of the Earth

I was picked up early morning from ‘The Hilton Athens” (15 mins walk from Syntagma Square) by a huge AC bus of Fantasy Travels. However, it was the heater which was on because it was 12^th of January, and it was 1 degrees Celsius then. I had witnessed a rare thing two nights before. It had snowed unexpectedly in Athens. The Hiltons were generous enough to pack me a heavy breakfast which I devoured on the bus.

We were greeted by our tour Guide, Hana and she introduced us to our co passengers. The group consisted of Greeks, Italians, English, Irish and Russians, besides me, the only Indian. I found that the Greeks were always welcoming and warm to me when they heard that I was traveling alone from India. Hana started telling us a lot of stories from the Greek Mythology and was really amazed to see that I knew them all. In fact we became friends when I elaborately narrated to the fellow travelers, the story of Alexander the Great‘s visit to India.

                                                                                Arachova

The bus drove through the roads of the city and then into the high way. I could observe the terrain change from snow covered rolling fields to rough rugged snow covered mountains on all sides. Even though the Greek islands are summer destinations, winter, definitely is a good time to visit Delphi. The mountains around look like Alps and Arachova, a little town, 10kms below Delphi become Ski lovers’ paradise. We drove across ancient Thebes, famous for the story of the sphinx and Oedipus. We stopped for a short break and coffee and finally reached Delphi surrounded by Mount Parnassus, mountain of limestone.

                                                                 The Road to Delphi

 I was mesmerized as I boarded off the bus, at the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site of the 4th-century-B.C, The Temple of Apollo, once home to a legendary oracle. As I was walking on the main path through the Sanctuary of Apollo, leading uphill to the Temple of Apollo, called, ‘The Sacred Way” in the ancient times, I had a sacred feeling of the harmonious blend of the beautiful natural landscape and a mystique spiritual calling from the votive monuments and the huge rock blocks from the iconic ruins.

                                         
                                                           Delphi Archaeological Site

                                           On The Sacred Path with The Polygonal Wall behind

This extensive mountainside archaeological complex contains the remains of the sanctuaries of Apollo and Athena Pronaia where Pythia, the priest, would sit and utter the worlds of the Oracle, sent to her by Apollo and the Omphalos. There is also an Athenian Treasury and an ancient Theater and an ancient Stadium, situated on platforms higher than the temple. Here the Pythian Games and Hellenic celebrations took place. 6500 people could be accommodated.  The stories related by the guide and the magic of the place made us relive history.

  

                            The stadium                                                     The Treasury

It is amazing to see the care and precision with which these historic ruins, built even before 500BCE, are being preserved and protected. The site is guarded 24X7. There is Delphi Archaeological Museum just beside the site which displays artifacts found among the ruins. This is a must visit to have a feel of how religion, art and architect were bound together.
       

                        From The Museum : The Bronze Boy, The Sphinx, Socrates      

Just beside the museum, there is a place for refreshment. However, we were taken to a lovely tavern in the mountains, a little below the site. It was an awesome experience to have lunch there. I shared my table with a 75 year old Russian lady from Moscow who was very motherly and was helping me serve my food too. She didn’t know English and definitely I didn’t know Russian. Yet, we enjoyed our lunch together speaking about our lives. I realized that more than language what makes a communication effective is compassion, inclusiveness and a broad, bright smile.

After that we drove back to Athens. I was travelling in time, in history, into the Hellenic days and didn’t even realize how the actual time on the clock just flew and brought us to the end of the day and the journey.

After lunch we boarded the bus and were taken 10kms away from Delphi to the beautiful town, Arachova. It is a sky resort on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. This is an added attraction during winters. The place offered us some breath-taking views of snow covered mountains and roads.

snow at Arachnova

The special story from the Greek Mythology:

In Greek legend, the Sphinx devoured all travelers at the gate of Thebes who could not answer the riddle it posed:

"What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?" Oedipus gave the answer, "Man".

Laius, the ruler of Thebes was warned by an Oracle that he would be slayed by his son. He sent a shepherd-servant to leave Oedipus, his newly born son to die on a mountainside. The shepherd took pity on the infant. Oedipus was finally raised by the King and Queen of Corinth.  In his early manhood, Oedipus went to Delphi where he learnt that he was fated to slay his father and marry his mother. So he never returned to Corinth.

Then he happened to pass by Thebes, answer the riddle of the Sphinx correctly and enter the kingdom. He killed King Laius, became the King of Thebes and married Queen Jocasta, the wife of Laius, without knowing that she was his actual mother. Sigmund Freud has coined the term, ‘Oedipus Complex’, based on this legendary story.

 

Thank You.