They left at time of the Balkans on Friday 19th and they told us day by day about their adventures between Albania, the land of arrival, and Greece, the land of departure. Today, after five days, it’s time to say goodbye to the 4E students of the tourism branch of the Ezio Vanoni institute whose turn it is to pack their bags and return home Italy. But first the story of the 6th and last day of their tour in Balkans alongside Different Trips.
The tour in the Balkans: 6th stage
We have reached the sixth and last day of our trip. The weather was beautiful this morning when I woke up at Kalambaka and this seemed to us at the same time a joke, after yesterday’s incessant rain, and a fortune, given that we were finally able to observe the large rock formations of Meteor in all their splendor.
After a very quick breakfast, because we have to leave early, here we are on the bus headed to Delphi, our first stop of the day. For three hours we travel between majestic mountains, small buildings and expanses of green meadows, the Greece seen from the inside it seems like an almost uninhabited town.
We get to Delphi, famous for its important archaeological site: the bus leaves us in a car park a couple of kilometers from the site. However, the walk to get closer to the site is interesting, to the south you can already see the sea, the gulf of Corinth.
We pass through a small town with a few restaurants and some souvenir shops, a donkey walks alone along the street. The first impression is therefore of a rather quiet place. Once we have passed the town we begin to see groups crowding at the entrance to the museum and the archaeological site and the closer we get the bigger the crowd becomes.
It is the first time on this itinerary in which we encounter mass tourism. We must stay united and not lose sight of each other. Americans, Japanese, Europeans and many Greeks, there is everything around the temple of Apollo. Two of our companions act as guides, focusing on the most important parts of the archaeological heritage of the site: the temple of Athena Pronaia and that of Apollo.
Manuel in French illustrates the main information regarding the first: The temple of Athena “Pronaia” is the first one we encounter on our way up the slopes of Parnassus. Excavations have shown that an even earlier cult site lay on this spot, perhaps dedicated to Gaia. The temple has undergone three reconstructions. Most of the Mycenaean figurines displayed in the museum next to the archaeological site, including the notable figure seated on a tripod, were discovered here and are believed to be votive offerings.
After visiting the site, hot and a little late due to the number of visitors, we return to the bus, stopping in the village for a short lunch break. All 25 of us sit in a small serving room stuffed pitas and gyros, typical Greek street food. Despite our mass entry, they welcome us with a smile. It’s a beautiful moment, typical fromroad trip.
We set off again later towards Corinth, made famous by its historic artificial canal. The channel connects the Saronic gulfIn the Aegean Seawith the gulf of Corinth, in the Ionian Sea, cutting the isthmus that separates them in two. The canal was completed between 1881 and 1893has a length of approximately 6 km and its usefulness is above all to save approximately 200 km on the route between Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea. Characterized by a straight path almost completely enclosed by high rock walls, the main limitation of the canal is the narrow width which does not allow the transit of larger ships. On the other hand, it is widely used by recreational navigation with an estimated annual transit of 11000 boats.
The town of Corinth it presents an interesting archaeological site, but we are running out of time and so we head to the modern centre, to spend the last part of our afternoon trip in front of the sea. Someone takes some souvenirs, someone eats an ice cream, others walk along the sea.
With a sunset over the gulf, we then leave Corinth towards the airport Athens. The temperatures are almost summery, the low sunlight makes the sea an intense blue, and the thought of returning becomes more bitter. At the airport we take a photo together Julianour Albanian driver, who accompanied us on the long Balkan crossing which started almost a week ago from Tirana.
In the evening, before boarding the 11pm flight, our teachers, Giorgia Valsecchi and Alfio Sironi – whom we thank again for having allowed and built this journey with us – they call us to the airport waiting room to evaluate the group that led the day and to discuss with us the final considerations on these days. Now almost a routine, we already know this, we will also miss this moment of evaluation and discussion from tomorrow.
Hoping that you enjoyed traveling with us, before saying goodbye, a big thank you also to the editorial staff of MBNews which gave us the opportunity to publish our stories here.
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