Delphi - Greece

I woke fresh and early and did something I had not done since a child. Now I am really back to nature! I start to pack away as Rick introduces me to a jeffal. A jeffel is basically a toasty but the added ingredient is an egg. It tastes great, now all I need to do is get myself a waffle iron. With the egg out of my beard and the camp totally clear we head back to the comfort of tarmac. Today's destination, Ancient Delphi.

6 miles in an Miake's front break looks again. Fortunately we find ourselves on a petrol station forecourt. Rick dons the imagery mechanics overalls and strips the break down. The disc is so warn that it is half the size and one of the pads is wafer thin at the edges. The whole process takes abut an hour and half. There is no rush though as Delphi is only 30km away and the vies are amazing. The only annoying thing, for me, is the pesky tabby cat seeking attention. Rick seems to be a competent mechanic. He worked quickly and efficiently, only requiring my services, to chase the cat away. The bike is not perfect, the brake is still catching, but Rick has done all he can, so we press on.

20 minutes down the road and Miake is by the side of the road with smoke coming from the brake pads. I am no mechanic, but I sense that this wasn't normal. I suggest taking the pressure off and ride with the back brake only. It was the only solution but a dangerous one. 70% of bikes braking power comes from the front. This means that Miake is down to 30%, not great on mountainous twisty bends. Miake's speed is kept very conservative.

We eventually hit Delphi, a tranquil village set on the edge of a mountain. On top of the lofty mountain, which acts nicely as a backdrop for Delphi, stands a very small building, which turns out to be Apollo's Throne. We follow the route thousands of buses have taken for decades previously. We are heading out of the village, to the ancient ruins.

Rick and Miake are different in so many ways. Not just stature, Rick towers at about 6'5" over Miake, who is around 5'3", but also their approach to traveling. Miake enjoys seeing the sights and getting up close to history, whereas Rick is content seeing them for the comfort of his bike.

We walk around 2 distinctly ordinary ruins, those of The Sanctuary of Athenia and a Gymnasium. Miake makes it a little more interesting by enlightening Rick and I to the reasons why Delphi became so famous. Turns out it was all about a girl!

The archeological site, where the true gems of history are kept, is sadly mostly closed off, due to fallen rocks from the mountain. So I will never be able to build on my knowledge of Delphi other that saying... it was about a girl.

We laboriously plod south. At this point I don't have a next destination. The Dutch are heading to Athens, but I am way ahead of my schedule. I had met a Greek lad in Berat, Albania, and when I spoke of my route he offered to host me in Athens. However he wouldn't be returning for a week from his trip.

Rick and Miake are a great couple and we got along very well. I got the feeling I was a third wheel on their motorbike though. Our travel styles and the reasons for travel are very different. I like to stop and take stock every other day or so, they just plod on. Mind you they have a destination, I am just a nomad.

As we set up camp in a field near Thiva, I opt to go back to basics and leave the tent in the bag. A chair and a sleeping bag with the stars being my roof will suffice tonight. It gives me a great chance to reflect and I make the decision to part ways in the morning.