Mariolata to Delphi

Finally left the sanctuary of our appartment with Callie feeling mostly better. We were followed out of the village by a mangy stray dog for quite a few km. Previously we would have welcomed a canine companion, but our recent experiences with dogs have scarred us, and we found it slightly unnerving. Luckily it stayed behind in the shade after one of our rest stops and we battled on uphill alone to cross our final mountain barrier before the coast We were glad of the little cloud cover which kept the day from becoming scorching, and also grateful to some kindly Italians in a mobile home who ran over to us in a layby with blissfully ice cold water. When the temperature goes over 40, as it has often done here, the water in our bottles only stays cool for about an hour and after that it rapidly becomes unpaletably hot and looses all thirst quenching qualities, so that we have to force ourselves to drink it at all. After reaching the summit we cruised downhill and all afternoon had a view of the most enormous olive grove, a silvery green carpet that covered the whole valley all the way down to the gulf of Corinth.
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Total Distance Cycled : 4722m
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Daily Distance Cycled : 50km
Ascent : 618m
Time Cycling : 3h 27
Journey Time : 6h 15
Average Speed : 14.4 km/h
Campsite : N 38°28'24.6" E 22°27'32.0"
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