Greece! A country we have had an interest in for many years. This was a land tour, not a cruise and we wanted to experience multiple locations around the country so we decided on a tour that hit several cities other than Athens. After all, how many crumbling buildings can one visit in Athens alone?
Turns out, quite a few! It appears every city in Greece has its own crumbling buildings as well as history and lore to go with the buildings. Greek mythology as well as history is everywhere.
First, the countryside of Greece is absolutely beautiful. Many different types of flora and both olive trees as well as grape vines seemingly grow wild almost everywhere you look. Next, it seems as thought everywhere you go, especially in the cities, any walking you do is uphill. Maybe when you were growing up your parents let you know they had to walk five miles to school every day and it was uphill both ways. Well, they must have grown up in Greece.
Next, touring Greece is not for the weak. I walk an average of four miles a day and I was periodically struggling as we toured the cities and archaeological sites. My legs were just plain tired. I suppose some of that is due to the type of terrain with uneven streets, cobblestone, rutted dirt paths, etc..
We began in Athens, moved to Nauplion (Nafplio), Olympia, Delphi, Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Meteora and back to Athens where we got a ferry to Mykonos. Another ferry brought us to Delos and back to Mykonos for a few days. Finally, we took a ferry to Santorini for three days and from there flew back to Athens for the flight back home.
A few pictures to get you in the mood followed by slide shows for each area we visited. Remember, click on any of the thumbnails in the slide shows and you will see a latger version and you can scroll through those larger versions.
Athens was the start. the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the Panathenian Stadium, the Temple of Zeus and others. Oh yes, that really famous one, the Parthenon.
The route to Olympia. Passed through a number of areas such as the Corinth Canal bringing us back to the mainland from Peloponnese Peninsula, Nauplio, Mycenae and finally Olympia. We visited a local store where we got an education about Greek olive oil and attended a cooking class where I made Tzatziki Sauce, followed by native Greek dance lessons. The Olympia Archaeological Museum, Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus and the first Olympic Stadium where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C..
The Olympic Stadium was something of an anti-climatic event. We passed through something of a stone archway with high stone walls that led into the stadium. Impressive! However, the term stadium is not quite what we saw on the other side. An open field with small hills on the side to sit on would be more like it. You will see that in the pictures that follow. The stadium is included in the second group.
Two groups of pictures for two days.
Delphi and travel to Kalabaka (Kalambaka). An archaeological site and yes, another museum, both perched on the slopes of Mount Parnassos. It includes the Sacred Way and the Temple of Apollo from the 4th century B.C..
On to Meteora. Meteora means "suspended in air" and the description and meaning couldn't be more apropos. Eastern Orthodox monasteries built hundreds of feet high, on top of bizarre rock formations, Also known as "Monasteries in the Sky". It is hard to comprehend how some of these were built and how they got the building materials up there, but there they are.
From there, back to Athens for the next phase of our travels.
Ferry over to Mykonos and then spent a few days on the island.
A ferry ride over to Delos for a morning tour. According to myth, Apollo, the Greek sun god, was born here as was Artemis, the huntress and goddess of marriage and fertility.
A full day in Mykonos with a tour of the island.
A ferry over to Santorini to spend a few days there. First was a tour of Fira, the capitol of Santorini. Visits to a distillery and two local wineries with dinner at the final winery. Then a visit to Megalochori, a traditional village followed by a trip to an archaeological excavation of Akrotiri. Akroitri was a Bronze Age settlement that was frozen in time after a volcanic eruption occurred about 3600 years ago. Finally a visit to Oia and the beautiful white buildings and blue trim. The blue domed church is often a symbol of Greece displayed in advertisements, travel literature, etc.. Ended with a stunning sunset.
Our final full day in Greece, we took a catamaran tour of Santorini. When we left the dock for the first hour heading to a cove the wind was strong and being on the water a bit brisk. Joyce was not a happy camper. However, we arrived at the cove, the sun was out, the wind was gone and it was beautiful. The trip back was much better too.
A fine way to end the trip.
And now, a collection of pictures that include Joyce and I, Joyce and even a couple of me.
Now a few pictures of the beautiful flora found in Greece.
