Greece 2019 - New Memories and New Friends
Shelly and I had a trip to Greece on our bucket list for a number of years. In August 2019, we decided to book a trip. I had wanted to plan a trip on our own, but Shelly found a great deal on Globus. We booked an off-season tour with 7-day land and 4-day cruise of the islands for only $2,100 per person. This included airfare, transfers, hotels, breakfasts and dinners, tours, pre-paid gratuities, and trip insurance. I checked the itinerary and it included everything we wanted to see, so we decided to go with it. We booked it for November 4th through the 16th. We were a bit concerned about the weather during this time of the year as it tends to be cool, in the 60’s, and rainy. But we would pack and dress for it. We were excited to visit this historic area of the world, and anxious to try authentic Greek food.
Our Itinerary
Our land excursion included 1 ½ days in Athens, with travels to Corinth, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nauplia, Olympia, Patras, Delphi, Arachova, then back to Athens. We would then board the cruise ship and tour Mykonos, Ephesus, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete, and Santorini. We would then return to Athens for one night, then fly home. It was a lot of stops in 12 days. Could we see all we wanted to see in just 12 days? We would soon see. Below is a picture showing our itinerary.
Day 1 - Athens
November 4th came, and we arrived at Washington Dulles for our flight. We flew Austrian Air to Vienna, about an 8-hour flight. I watched two movies, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and “Shaft.” Shelly watched a movie and played games. Neither of us slept, but the flight went quickly and was uneventful. After a brief layover, we flew two hours to Athens. Our Globus representative was there to take us to our hotel, the Hotel Zafolia. The weather was fantastic, sunny in the mid-70’s. We hoped this was the start of beautiful weather for us.
The hotel was decent, Trip Advisor gives it 4 out of 5 stars. I’d give it 3 ½. It was clean and comfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful upon our arrival. There is an ATM in the lobby, so we got some Euro. But the hotel was about three miles from the Acropolis and Plaka, the quaint shops and restaurant area. So, if you want to be within close walking distance to the action, the Hotel Zafolia is not for you.
Following a recommendation from the front desk, we ate dinner a couple blocks from the hotel at Meivtavi Restaurant. The shrimp saganaki was excellent but the calamari was a little tough. We later found out from fellow tour friends that the restaurant Alexandra, a couple hundred feet further down the road, was excellent.
We returned to the hotel and sat in on a trip orientation given by our tour director. She went through day-by-day travel and activities. It was going to be a trip jam-packed with sights, sounds, food, and excitement.
We then enjoyed a few drinks on the rooftop terrace and watched the sunset before heading to bed. Here's some pictures from the rooftop terrace.
Day 2 - Athens
We had an early wake-up call and had the breakfast buffet. It was nothing to write home about, but we filled up.
We then boarded our tour bus with 41 other fellow tourists. Most were from the U.S. One couple was from Indonesia. Our tour guide for the land trip was Marina, and she was great. She was very knowledgeable in the sites, architecture, art, and the history. We embarked on our short trip to the Acropolis.
We arrived at the base of the Acropolis, and it looked magnificent. You could see the ruins of the Parthenon, and we had a steep climb of 80 steps to reach it. The rocks were well-worn and slippery. There were a lot of people there, and I could not imagine being here during the height of the season. We made it to the entry gate and listened to Marina discuss the history of the site. Unfortunately, she fainted and hit her head on the marble steps. We had two nurses in our group who tended to her. EMT’s were called, but she refused treatment. She said she was OK and wanted to continue the tour. Below are pictures of the Parthenon taken from the base, and the entry gate.
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Here are some pictures and a video of the Parthenon.
The Erechtheum with its Porch of Maidens is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis which was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. Here are some pictures of the Erechtheum.
We also enjoyed a panoramic view that includes glimpses of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the colossal temple at the center of the Greek capital Athens. It was dedicated to "Olympian" Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods.
We also saw the Theater of Dionysus, a major theater in Athens, considered to be the world's first theater, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis. Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine (among other things), the theater could seat as many as 17,000 people with excellent acoustics, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens' biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia.
The beautifully preserved Theseum, where Socrates taught, is dedicated to Hephaestus and Athena as patrons of the arts and crafts. This is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world, is slightly older than the Parthenon (i.e., c. 450–440 BC).
We finished seeing the amazing Acropolis and trekked the marble steps down to our bus. We then did a city tour of Athens sites such as the modern Olympic stadium where the 1896 Olympics were held. Here are some pictures of Athens through the bus window.
We had the bus drop us off at the National Archaeological Museum. It is a premier museum and houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide. It houses some impressive statues and artifacts, and lots of vases. Here are pictures from the museum.
We then walked about two miles to Plaka, the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites
We had dinner in Plaka; I had sea bream and Shelly had chicken kabobs. As we ate, we watched the pickpockets on the streets. Some we so obvious with their eyeballing tourists and hand-signals to partners. Here's some pictures of Plaka and our dinner.
Our tour guide told us about taxi cabs in Greece. She said to make sure they have a fare meter, and the meter is set to the number one for day and evening fares (two is for night fares). We wanted to take a cab from Plaka to our hotel, and expected it to be around 7 Euro. We checked with around 10 cabs before we found one with a meter. Traffic was heavy so it cost around 9 Euro. Some on our tour group got into cabs without meters and were charged 30 to 40 Euro for the same trip.
Day 3 - Corinth Canal – Mycenae – Epidaurus – Nauplia
We departed on the bus at 8:00am and headed to Corinth. Our first stop was in Corinth to see the Corinth Canal which connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Attempts were made in ancient times to build this canal but lacking the technology, it was not completed until the 1860’s. Below is a picture of the Corinth Canal.
We then saw the Mycenae ruins, an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centers of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece, Crete, the Cyclades and parts of southwest Anatolia. We walked up the stone road to see Lion Gate, the entrance to the citadel. Up a little further, we saw excavated burial sites, and got good views of the countryside where 30,000 people lived during its peak in 1350 BC. The 19th-century excavations reveal impressions of the splendors so vividly described by Homer. We saw the Admire the Beehive Tombs, known as the Treasury of Atreus, Lion Gate, Europe’s oldest known monument, the remains of Agamemnon’s Royal Palace, and the impressive fortifications of the
Citadel.
Our last site was the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, a theater in the Greek city of Epidaurus, located on the southeast end of the sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek God of medicine, Asclepius. It is built on the west side of Cynortion Mountain, near modern Lygourio, and belongs to the Epidaurus Municipality. It is considered to be the most perfect ancient Greek theater with regard to acoustics and aesthetics. Our tour guide stood in center of theater and spoke normal voice. We could hear it at top seating row of theater. She also quietly tore paper in half, and that was also heard. I was very impressed with this theater. Below is a video and photos of the theater.
We arrived in Nauplia and walked town. It is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. We gave a dog some water and befriended him. He walked along side us for the tour until he encountered a black cat who cuffed him and scared him away. There is an acropolis on top of the nearby hill, but we did not tour it. This was a nice walk and tour, and Nauplia is a pretty little town.
We checked into our hotel, the Amalia Nauplia, and discovered that Shelly left one of her packing cubes containing her underwear and pajamas in Athens. She called the Hotel Zafolia to report it and was told they would look in their lost and found. This began the saga of Shelly’s lost underwear.
Day 4 - Olympia
We left Nauplia and had a three-hour drive through the Arkadian Mountains to Olympia. Olympia is the religious sanctuary of ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held. The site was primarily dedicated to Zeus and drew visitors from all over the Greek world. We toured the ruins of the Temple of Zeus (where statue of Zeus, one of the ancient wonders of the world sat) and the Temple of Hera. We saw the stadium where the ancient Olympics were held. Our tour group raced on track, and the winners, Joey and Marsha Purvis, were crowned with olive leaf wreaths.
We also visited the museum and saw Praxiteles’ magnificent statue of Hermes, and other artifacts from the site. Below is a video and some pictures from our visit.
Day 5 - Patras and Delphi
We had gorgeous weather, so after the museum tour, we walked into town and browsed shops. We had drinks on a terrace on the edge of the mountain and caught a beautiful sunset over the valley. We then had dinner with Stan and Marilyn, and Andy and Staci.
We headed to Delphi, passing through Patras. We saw the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese to Antirrio on mainland Greece.
We checked into our hotel, the Amalia Olympia, which had a hard bed, but we still slept well.
We also discovered we’d lost the two Whisper devices (receivers and earpieces) we’d been given to hear the tour guide speak. Marina was not happy with us. And Shelly's lost underwear saga continued.
We arrived in Delphi and only had time to visit the Delphi Museum. The Archaeological Museum of Delphi shelters the extensive artifacts unearthed during excavations at the Delphi oracle and its vicinity. The permanent exhibition covers over a thousand years, from the Mycenaean era to the Greco-Roman times. We saw many artifacts, including the Charioteer of Delphi, which is one of the best known ancient Greek statues, and one of the best-preserved examples of classical bronze casts. Below are some pictures from the museum.
We checked into the Amalia Delphi and got a good night’s sleep.
Day 6 - Delphi - Arachova - Athens
In the morning, we toured the ancient sanctuary of the god Apollo in its dramatic setting on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. Delphi is the ancient sanctuary that grew rich as the seat of Pythia, the oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The ancient Greeks considered the center of the world to be in Delphi, marked by the stone monument known as the omphalos (navel).
Central among the number of imposing ruins that are interspersed on the Southern slopes of Parnassos mountain is the Temple of Apollo. It is an imposing temple of the Doric order whose existence was woven through the turbulent history of the site, and endured numerous incarnations before it settled to the ruinous state we find it today, and which dates back to the 4th c. BC.
The Pythia was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi who also served as the oracle, also known as the Oracle of Delphi. Below are some pictures of the site.
At the site exit, Shelly sat down on a bench and a kitten jumped on her lap, climbed on her shoulder, and fell asleep.
We climbed back into our bus and headed back to Athens for the night. Tomorrow we depart on our cruise of the Aegean Sea and the Greek islands.
Day 7 – Cruise – Mykonos
It's time to start our cruise! We departed Athens on Celestyal Cruises Olympia at 11:30am. We cruised, chatted with fellow tourists, enjoyed sun and walked the ship. There were only around 400 tourists on the 1600 capacity ship, so there was plenty of room for us.
We arrived in Mykonos at sunset so could not see much. We toured the town of Chora, and saw the famous windmills, and whitewash buildings. We had appetizers at restaurant overlooking the harbor with Staci and Andy Hastings.
We returned to ship for dinner and desert. I had a large slice of tiramisu and it was so full of alcohol a few bites got me tipsy. I couldn't finish it. We then went to see a Cirque du Soleil-type show and enjoyed it.
Day 8 – Cruise – Ephesus - Patmos
We toured Ephesus in the morning and it was great. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, west of present-day Selçuk, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
The city was famed for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Among many other monumental buildings are the Library of Celsus, which housed over 12,000 scrolls, and a theater capable of holding 25,000 spectators. Here's some pictures of Ephesus and a video of the Library of Celsus.
After cruising in the afternoon, we arrived in Patmos at sunset. Patmos is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is the location of the vision given to the disciple John in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, and where the book was written.
Rather than take the optional tour at 140 Euro per couple, we shared a 30 Euro cab ride with Staci and Andy to the sites. We saw the Grotto of Apocalypse where St. John the Divine wrote the Book of Revelation. The Grotto is a building around a cave where St. John received the vision. It was very cool, but no vision for me. We also saw the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and a museum with ancient artifacts. Pictures were not allowed in either site, so I have just a few.
Day 9 – Cruise - Rhodes
Explored the sights in the historic Rhodes Old Town with its ramparts and palaces built by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades. The medieval fort is 97% preserved. It was a cool fort and we learned it was never taken by force. Here’s a few pictures of the fortress.
Late in the morning, we took a bus to Lindos to see the town and climb to the Acropolis of Rhodes. Shelly couldn’t stand the drop offs on the walkways and could not continue due to fearing heights. So, we had a couple drinks at a café and browsed the shops. Below are a few pictures.
Back on the ship during dinner, one of the servers played guitar and sang some Elvis classics. Things got wild and conga line was started. Shelly jumped in the conga line and had her usual grand old time. Here's a video of Shelly in the conga line.
Day 10 – Cruise – Crete - Santorini
We docked in port near the capital city of Heraklion and walked to city center to browse the shops and buy some olive oil. We were not impressed with the shopping district in the city center. We found only one store to buy olive oil. We DID find a store that had underwear for sale though, but this was a little late in the trip. We did not do the optional tour of Knossos, the center of the 3000-BC Minoan civilization. We were toured out by then and just wanted some downtime. Here are a few photos during our walk in the city center.
After Crete, we cruised to Santorini and arrived around sunset. We did not do the optional tour to Oia, a shopping district 30 minutes from the old port. We heard the views were tremendous. Instead, Staci, Andy, Shelly, Jim, Angie, Marjorie and I took a cable car (6 Euro per person one way) from the old port to the top and took some pictures of the sunset and town of Fira. We had a drink overlooking the beautiful scenery and walked the town. We had only limited time for the views as darkness fell soon after arrival. I was disappointed we did not have more time in sunlight as the views looked to be gorgeous. My favorite pictures were of St. John the Baptist Cathedral and a cool shop called The Cave. Here's some pictures of our time on Santorini.
Day 11 - Athens
Our cruise is over, and we returned to Athens for one last day. We walked to Plaka and had lunch. We returned to hotel and had drinks on rooftop terrace with Jim and Angie, and then turned in for the night.
Day 12 - Departure and Heading Home
We had breakfast with Staci and Andy and departed the hotel at 10am. We had a two-hour flight to Munich on Lufthansa then 9 hours to Washington Dulles. I watched three movies, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, Mission Impossible: Fallout, and Shawshank Redemption. The flight went smoothly and quickly, and we got home to our kitties, Lennon and McCartney around 10pm.
Final Thoughts
We had a wonderful time and learned a lot. Our tour guides, Marina and Kristiana were excellent. I will pick up my biography of Alexander the Great again and finish reading it. I also want to learn more about Greek Mythology.
We made new friends. We've learned that the people on these tours really add value to the whole vacation, and we're especially grateful for the friends we made. We got especially close with Angie and Jim, and Staci and Andy, and Molly and Marvin, and got to know Joey and Marsha, Purna, and Majorie too. Cheers to you all!
We have new memories and experiences, and that is why we travel. We want to experience the sites, sounds, food, culture, and people of the lands we visit, and we got all of this and more from Greece. Opa!!!
