Greece. I Can’t Wait to Return.
My, oh my, it’s been ten years since I’ve been to Greece. I believe it’s time to go back.
Our first tour of Greece was a “see it all, as fast as you can” adventure. We spent three days in Athens followed by a 7 night cruise that included Istanbul, Crete, Rhodes, Ephesus, Patmos, Mykonos, Santorini, and more.
For my return in 2020 I decided I wanted to see mainland Greece (in addition to going back to Mykonos, Santorini, Patmos, Ephesus and Crete, of course).
Our tour will begin in Athens, and frankly you can never see enough of Athens. We will tour all of the main attractions there, including the Parthenon, Acropolis, Erechtheum, Agora and Theater of Dionysis.
After we leave Athens we’ll head to Corinth. Yes, that Corinth, the one Paul was addressing in Letters to the Corinthians. The Corinth Canal is a must see, and we’ll also go inside the Ancient Temple of Corinth, where Paul preached.
Leaving Corinth we’ll stop at Mycenae, where the Beehive Tombs, the Treasury of Atreus, Lion Gate, and Europe’s oldest known monument, remains of Agamemnon’s Royal Palace, along with the fortifications of the Citidel will on our agenda.
Later the same day we will stop in Epidaurus for a tour of its amazingly well-preserved 2,300 year old open-air theater.
After a great night in Nauplia, we’ll head out through the Arkadian Mountains. We will enjoy the amazing scenery until we reach Olympia, where the athletes of antiquity competed in honor of the king of deities. We will be able to walk through the ruins of the Gymnasium and the Temples of Hera and Zeus. We will also go into the museum to see Praxiteles’ magnificent statue of Hermes. That evening we’ll enjoy a Greek cooking demonstration and learn to make traditional Greek tzatziki.
On the next morning we’ll enjoy the views of picturesque villages on the coast along the road to Delphi. The afternoon will be spent touring the ancient sanctuary of Apollo on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. We will tour the ruins at Delphi and consult with the Oracle, and end the day with a tour of the Archeological Museum to admire the Charioteer, a 5th century BC bronze statue.
I almost forgot, that evening we’ll have a Zorba the Greek dancing lesson and learn to dance the sirtaki. After drinking a few rounds of Uzo I think the dancing will improve greatly.
The next morning we’ll drive past Lamia and Trikala to Kalambaka in the unreal, fantastic landscape of Meteora with its 24 rock top monasteries. The Varlaam Monastery will be our next stop, famous for its frescoes. St. Stephen’s monastery will also be on the tour today, with its’ unique collection of icons and incredible panoramic view.
Our next to last day of the land tour is going to feature Thermopylae, site of the heroic battle of Leonidas’ 300 doomed Spartans against Xerxes huge Persian army.
We arrive back in Athens for one more fun evening and then will continue on a three night cruise that will include Mykonos, Santorini, Patmos, Ephesus and Crete.
My Life in Ruins is a great little movie to watch if you’d like a glimpse of some of the attractions and sites we will tour.
There are seats available on this tour I am personally escorting May 8-19, 2020. There is an early booking discount right now as well as a special offer only through The Joy of Travel that saves you $408 per person if you book the trip by July 31. $2772 per person is the land/cruise price per person.