Destination - Greece and the Greek Isles

"It is fine wherever my feet take me

As long as there are sights to see"

Unknown 

“Travelers never think that THEY are the foreigners.” 

Mason Cooley

 

Temple on the Acropolis - Athens

I fell in love with Greece when we went there in 2007. I loved the islands, and I loved the countryside, and I even fell in love with Athens, named for the goddess Athena. Yes, Athens is a big city and it has a lot of the same problems every big city has, but it also has the Plaka (old historic district), the Parthenon which can be seen from all over the city because it sits on a hill overlooking the city, and it has charming people, wonderful restaurants and food, and great shopping.

When we went in 2007, we spent 3 weeks there, mostly on our own. We did book a 3 day Greek Island cruise, and we did a 3 day land tour that took us to Delphi and Meteora, but the rest of the time we were traveling independently. Greece is an easy country to go to on your own. Athens is easy enough to get around in, and it is easy to get to the islands on your own also. We did do the cruise for part of the islands, but we also took a short flight from Athens to Santorini, and we took a ferry from there to Crete. So we did do some of the islands on our own also. And driving in Greece was not that stressful.

Most people start their Greek vacation in Athens, as that is where most people fly into when coming to Greece. So below are my top things to see in Athens. From there we will branch out to the rest of the country.

Playing with a dog in the Plaka

The Plaka – Taking a walk in the Plaka is a good way to get a feel for the “Greekness” the city has to offer. The Plaka is the city’s oldest neighborhood. Built directly under the Acropolis, it is a picturesque maze of stone-paved roads, old houses, monuments, shops and restaurants. If you want to purchase anything as a souvenir of your trip, this is the place to do it. Yes, it is very touristy, but it is also charming and a must see.

Ancient Agora

The Ancient Agora- Of all Athens' ruins, the famed marketplace of Agora makes the most fitting start to your sightseeing — it stands testament to Athens' status as a cradle of Western civilization. It was, in Socrates and Plato's day, the heart of public life, and among the site's extensive excavations you'll find temples, a concert hall and long, colonnaded arcades. Smaller finds, housed in the museum are no less fascinating — settlement here spans five millenniums. The entrance fee to this also covers the Acropolis.

The Parthenon

The Ancient Greece and the Acropolis – Literally the Acropolis means “high city.” Most cities have their monuments scattered here and there. In Athens the most important ones are all huddled together in one vast archaeological park at the the very heart of the city, on and at the foot of what the ancients called “the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis.” Here you will find the first theater in history, the Theseum temple, the rock of Areopagos and most importantly, the Parthenon. This temple to Athena, the goddess of the city in ancient times, is considered by many the most perfect building in architectural history. There is a bit of a climb to get up to the Acropolis area, but well worth it. And you will have some wonderful views of the city from up there.
 

Mt. Lycabettus in the distance

Mount Lycabettus– From almost anywhere in Athens you can see this mountain rising out of the center of the city. You may be thinking, oh no, another hill to climb. But the good news is, you don’t have to climb it. There is a strange looking train that will take you almost to the top. The views from up there are impressive and should not be missed. The best time to go is at twilight, when you can catch the sun setting and the lights of Athens. We then walked down the hill and found ourselves in an interesting neighborhood. Walking down was easy, and we were glad we did, just for the chance to explore some more of the city. 
 

Central Market

The Agora-Athens Central Market - No matter how you feel about fish, meat and vegetables you won't find a more lively place than the Central market on Athinas Street. Whether you come early in the morning to watch the trucks unload because you are jet-lagged and suffer from insomnia or you visit between 7am and 1 pm with the majority of the Athenian shoppers, a walk through the market will probably change how you feel about shopping and may make you wish you had an apartment with a kitchen so you could join in. The restaurants in the meat market can't be beat for good food at a cheap price at any time of the day or night. And if that is not enough the Market is also the beginning of Athens Chinatown and Eolou Street, the pedestrian shopping district. But watch your wallet or handbag when wandering through the crowds.



Monastiraki Area



Monastiraki- This district is close to the Plaka and is full of tourist shops, clothing and jewelery stores, and some other pretty interesting shops. Monastiraki Square is still one of the most lively squares in Athens, and at night it is filled with people, venders and pickpockets, so beware. On Sundays it becomes a flea market where people come from the hills to lay out their blankets and sell all sorts of stuff. It can be a mob scene but worth the experience, even if you just sit and watch in the cafes overlooking the ancient agora. You will see street musicians and bootleg sellers (sometimes running from the police), and a parade of shoppers. One of my favorite things to do in any city is to sit and people-watch, and this is an excellent place to do that.

National Archaelogical Museum

The National Archaeological Museum – This is one of the great museums of the world. You won’t find a better collection of ancient Greek sculpture, jewelery, coins, or pottery. It also has the Antikythera Device, a 2000 year old computer found in a shipwreck off the island of Antikithera which will have you wondering just how advanced those ancient Greeks actually were.

Moussaka

I recommend trying the Greek food. We had wonderful lamb, fresh seafood and the best moussaka (an eggplant dish that is similar to lasagna without the noodles) in the world. We had gyros, domathes, and of course bakalava and other desserts. The greek salads were different than the ones here in the states. You seldom find lettuce in the salad, it is more chunks of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and olives with wonderful large chunks of the best feta cheese you have ever tasted. The dressing is simply olive oil and herbs. I still make my Greek salads this way.

There are many areas of the mainland of Greece worth exploring. For many visitors, visiting Cape Sounion in Attica is their first journey out of the city. It is an easy day trip, and can either be booked as such through your hotel, or you can drive there on your own. If you are on a tour it will most certainly be included. The contrast between the hustle and bustle of modern Athens with this serene, imposing edifice is sharp. Sounion is reached by a scenic drive south from Athens along the western coast of the Attica peninsula.

The Temple of Poseidon at
Cape Souion

The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion - Though his famous statue is long gone, safely imprisoned at the National Archeological Museum in Athens, great Poseidon needs no bronze props to make his presence felt. The Greeks have always watched the sea, for the return of loved ones, for the safe delivery of goods, for news of war. Maybe that's why the Temple of Poseidon, with its magnificent view of the Aegean, seems to still fulfill the role of seawatcher from the high promontory.

Statue in the Delphi Museum

When we visited Greece in 2007 we took a 3 day side-trip to Delphi and Meteora. They were booked as one trip. We were picked up near our hotel and first taken to Delphi where we toured the ruins there and where we spent a night in a nice hotel overlooking the Peloponnese Penisula. The next day we drove to the Meteora area where we spent the night in the town of Kalambaka. The next day we toured the monastaries on the tops of the rocky peaks, and then returned to Athens.  This trip is one you could book in advance as we did, or could be booked from most hotels in Athens.  It would be easy enough to rent a car and do it on your own, as well.

Delphi

Delphi – Delphi is both an archaelological site and a modern town in Greece. In Greek mythology it was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god Apollo. Today it is one of the most important archaelolgical sites of Greece. You can tour the ruins on the hillside and then go into the museum, where most of the statues are being preserved. The town of Delphi has some wonderful shops and restaurants and since it is high on a hill, it has some magnificent views of the Peloponnese Penisula.

One of the monasteries of Meteora

Meteora – Meteora is an area in central Greece where the monks built monasteries on the top of the rock towers, some as early as the 11^th century. There are 24 such monasteries in all. The monasteries of Meteora are a World Heritage Sight, and for good reason. They were built under impossible conditions, with no roads, and are built on sandstone rock pinnacles that rise starkly over 400m above the valley. The word Meteora means “suspended in the air.”  Today there are roads into the area and they take you close to the monasteries, where you can walk across bridges to get to them. The major monasteries are open to the public, and draw huge crowds everyday. The tour buses all stop here. Women are required to wear a skirt. If you didn’t bring one, they will provide a“loaner” wrap around skirt. If you are a James Bond fan, the movie “For Your Eyes Only” featured one of the monasteries of Meteora, I believe James was rock climbing.

Temple of Hera Heraion, Olympia

Olympia - Olympia, Greece was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, which were celebrated every four years by the Greeks. Olympia was situated in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnesus, through which runs the Alpheus River. It was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. Olympia was a national shrine of the Greeks and contained many treasures of Greek art, such as temples, monuments, altars, theaters, statues, and votive offerings of brass and marble. The area of Olympia, Greece is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece. Olympia attracts thousands of visitors every year due to the natural beauty that surrounds the area and the historic significance it has. This can also be booked as a day trip or combined as a several day trip with any of the above.

The Greek Islands - There are hundreds of islands in the Greek Isles. The ones with inhabitants is somewhere between 166 and 227. Most of those have less than 100 people living on them. The largest island is Crete. I am only going to write about the ones I have actually been to, which are also probably the most visited of the islands.

The Harbor in Mykonos

Mykonos - Mykonos Cyclades is considered the most cosmopolitan spot in Greece. The island is famous for its amazing beaches, the picturesque villages, the vivid nightlife and its gay friendly attitude. This is the second most popular Greek destination and it is often described as the "Ibiza of Greece. Mykonos Town or Chora is the capital and the most picturesque village on the island, with traditional architecture and a lovely ambience. The landmarks of Chora are the windmills on top of a hill, the nice quarter Little Venice and the famous pelican of Mykonos.

Delos is a tiny island that can be reached by boat from the port of Mykonos Town. Delos was a sacred island for the ancient Greeks as, according the mythology, god Apollo had been born there. Remains of an ancient sanctuary and a theatre have been found on the island, which is a great open site today.

Shops on Mykonos

There are plenty of hotels in Mykonos, and it can be reached in just a few hours from Athens by ferry. If you are on a Greek Island cruise it will probably be one of the stops. Even the 3 day cruises stop in Mykonos. There are also island-hopping packages that can be booked that include the ferry and hotel stays.

Fira Town, Santorini

Santorini - The island of Santorini or Thira is located in the Cyclades islands, in the middle of the Greek Islands of the Aegean Sea. Santorini is, along with Mykonos and Crete, the most famous holiday destinations in Greece. It is a small group of volcanic islands and its name refers to Saint Irene. Called also Strongili and Kalisti, the island was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the world and what remains today is a submerged volcano and a caldera. The island is related to the myth of Atlantis. The amazing views from the villages of Fira and Oia are spectacular. People gather on the hillside of Oia every night to watch the sunset.

Oia, just after sunset

This was one of my favorites of the islands when we visited. It was just so beautiful. We actually flew to Santorini from Athens and spent 2 nights there, so we had some time to really look around. The main town is Fira, which is where we stayed. It is on top of the island. You will most likely arrive in the port area. There are buses and taxies that will take you to any of the towns. We stayed in the Aressana Hotel in Fira, and I highly recommend it, it was in a great location and the room, pool and breakfast were all excellent.

Hotel Aressana

Medieval Rhodes

Rhodes - The largest of the twelve Dodecanese islands on the Aegean's eastern edge, Rhodes is also its most popular. The well-preserved medieval city of Rhodes sits at the north of the island of the same name. It is famous because the Colossus of Rhodes used to guard the harbor - it was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. High rise hotels line the northern and eastern coastlines. Small villages and resorts dot the island's other shores. Whether your interests are beaches, bars or ancient sites, Rhodes offers an abundance of all three. Authentic Greece can be found in the hilly interior of the 50-mile-long island.

The view from the Lindos Acropolis

We visited the island of Rhodes for just one day, which wasn't long enough to see the whole island. We did take a walking tour of the the medeieval city of Rhodes, and then we took a bus over to the town of Lindos. The village of Lindos is one of the most attractive villages of Rhodes and is located south of the capital, on the eastern coast of the island. It is dominated by a magnificent acropolis which we climbed up to. It was quite a steep climb, and on a hot day, we were winded when we go to the top. The acropolis overlooks a picturesque bay.

Plates at the factory in Rhodes

We also visited a plate factory there. The plates are famous. We were shown how they are made and hand-painted, and of course I had to buy a few for gifts and one for myself.

I also spent the late afternoon on a beach in Rhodes town. I had a refreshing swim. The Greek Isles are a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the beaches.

Patmos, Greece

Patmos - Patmos is one of the Dodecanese islands. It is one of the most religious Greek Islands because it is where Saint John the Divine is said to have his revelation and where he wrote the Apocalypse (Book of Revelations). It used to be an important place of pilgrimage and belonged to the church. You can go into the Monastery of Saint John if that is of interest to you. This Greek island has many beauties to offer to visitors. Today, this mountainous island and its small coves attract sun lovers who wish to dive in its crystalline waters.

Courtyard in Patmos

We were in Patmos for just a few hours on a Sunday. We were on a 3 day cruise and the ships all stop at Patmos for half a day and then go on to the coast of Turkey to see the ruins of Esephus. Most of the people on the ship took the tour up to the monastery. We opted to explore the town instead. There was a Greek Orthodox church having services, and you could hear the chanting in Latin all over the town. It was quite pretty. I'm not a religious person, but I enjoyed the sound of this. There were some cute shops in town, which were open. And the views of the water and harbor were stunning.

Rethymno, Crete

Crete - Crete island is the largest of the Greek Isalnds and is located in the south of the Aegean Sea. It is one of the most famous Greek islands and often visited with Santorini. It is separated in 4 prefectures: Chania, Heraklion, Lassithi and Rethymno. The island has everything to offer: mountainous landscapes, a coast with many beautiful beaches and rocky coves, beautiful towns and charming villages and harbors, excellent food, ruins like Knossos, of the Minoan Civilization, one of the greatest civilization ever, and wonderful food and restaurants.
 



Crete is said to be the birthplace of Zeus, the king of the Gods, and it was the site of Europes's first modern civilization.

 

Rethymno Harbor

From our dinner table at sunset

 I spent the most time on Crete. We took the ferry from Santorini over to Crete and then rented a car. We spent a week on the island, exploring and enjoying the beaches, towns, ruins and food of the area. It is actually my very favorite of the islands, probably because I did spend more time there.  We stayed in a timeshare in the town of Rethymno, with another couple that we quite often travel with.  We spent the week exploring the island.  We loved the town of Rethymno, with its harbor and lighthouse area.  We had a wonderful dinner one night at a farm on the hill above the town.  It was a 15 course meal, and everything we were served was grown or raised on the farm, including the wine, cheese and breads.  It is one of the best meals I have ever had, and we were sitting outside on the hillside overlooking the vineyards and the town below.

 

Samuria Gorge

We drove to other towns on the island and explored, we swam on the beaches.  We hiked the Samaria Gorge.  To do that we took a boat over to that area and we hiked up to the gorge from the beach.  There is a longer route to it, which starts at the top of the gorge and hikes into it, but this was a long enough hike, without doing the whole thing.

 

And one day was spent exploring the Minoan ruins at Knossos, which is near Heraklion.  Inhabited since the Neolithic era. The first palace of Knossos was built around 1900 B.C. Two hundred years later it was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt, becoming grander and more luxurious. The final catastrophe occurred about 1500-1400 B.C., according to one theory, with the eruption of the volcano in Santorini. Despite this blow, people continued to live there for another fifty years, until a fire swept through the city circa 1400 B.C. The Minoan palaces were not only the residence of the ruling house, they were also administrative and religious centers for the whole region. The ruins of the capital of the Minoan Kingdom include the palace of Minos, the homes of the officials and priests who surrounded him (Little Palace, Caravanserai, House of the Frescoes, etc.), the homes of ordinary people and the cemetery. The palace was a labyrinthine complex built around a central court. This multistoried construction covered an area of 22.000 sq.m. and, in addition to the royal quarters, also contained places of worship, treasuries, workshops and storerooms.

Minoar ruins at Knossos

The restorations performed by Evans have been criticized as inaccurate, and there is a feeling that many of the details were reconstituted utilizing at best "educated guesses". For the visitor however, the restorations render the incomprehensible strata of ruins along with their past grandeur a bit more obvious, and bring the majesty of Minoan life at the palace a little closer.  We found Knossos to be fascinating.

 

There are many more Greek Islands to visit.  Those are the ones I have visited, but I would love to go and spend a few weeks on one of the smaller islands with just a few inhabitants.  You would probably get to know some of the locals if you were there for any time, and all of the islands would have great beaches where I could just relax and enjoy myself. 

 

If anyone reading this has a favorite Greek Island that I didn't mention, I would love to hear about your experience and why you love it.  Anywhere in Greece is worth taking the time to see and explore. 

 

 

 

 

When Everything Goes Wrong!

“A turtle travels only when it sticks its neck out.” Unknown

Sometimes you plan a trip, and then everything seems to go wrong.  In 2007 we were planning our trip to Greece.  It was number one on my list of places to visit, and I was excited that we were going.  I started planning the trip in January of 2007 and we were going to be there in September. 

Rethymno on the island of Crete, Greece

Our friends from Scotland told us they would meet us on the island of Crete the third week of our trip.  They were able to trade their timeshare for 2 condos on Crete for one week.  So we would be on our own for the first 2 weeks of the trip.   I knew we wanted to see some of the mainland, and definitly several islands.  I looked at doing the islands on our own, and then discovered that there was a 3 day cruise that went to Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos and then over to Kusadasi, Turkey (with an excursion to Esphesus).  I thought that would be a great way to see several islands in a short amount of time.  I booked the cruise with Louis Hellenic Cruise Line.  We were booked in an ocean view room on the Sea Diamond.  That taken care of I planned the rest of the trip, which included several nights in Athens, one night before the cruise and several after we returned.  I also booked a 3 day excursion with a small company in Athens, that would take us over to Delphi and then to Meteora.  And I booked 2 nights on the island of Santorini, before taking the ferry over to Crete to meet our friends.  Everything was arranged, we just had to wait till the date of our trip.

The Sea Diamond sinking near Santorini*

In April I was watching the news, and there was a report of a cruise ship sinking off the coast of Greece.  As I watched the news report, I realized that the ship that just sank was the Sea Diamond.  Our ocean view room had just become an underwater view room.  That was  a bit disturbing.  I contacted the cruise line, and they told me that by September they would have a replacement ship and that our cruise would still go on schedule, so not to worry.  Thank goodness no lives were lost when the ship sank.  It was very near the coast.

Then in August we started seeing news reports about fires all over Greece.  According to the news, all of Greece was on fire.  They were having record heat, and there were fires in quite a few different areas, including in Olympia - the original home of the Olympics.  The report said that the smoke was making it hard to breathe, even in Athens.  We got a little concerned, since we were only a week away from traveling.  But I looked into it, and at that time none of the fires were actuallly burning in the areas we were planning to be.

Baxter & Sadie at home

Then just 3 days before we were to leave, our housesitter cancelled on us.  We have 2 dogs, and we do not board them, they would be so traumatized if we boarded them for 3 weeks.  I didn't know what we were going to do.  Thank goodness one of my co-workers came to me and said she would be glad to stay with them.  She saved our trip.  I couldn't have left without knowing they would be well taken care of.  I was thinking, what else can go wrong?  I shouldn't have asked that.

We took off on Delta airlines the morning of our trip.  We were suppose to change planes in Atlanta.  As we were approaching the Atlanta area we noticed the weather was pretty bad.  The pilot came on an announced that because of bad weather we would not be able to land in Atlanta.  We were being diverted to the Birmingham airport.  We landed in Birmingham and we were not allowed off the airplane.  We sat on the runway for several hours, along with quite a few other planes who had also been diverted.  During that time we got refueled.  We were suppose to board our flight to Athens at 4PM, that time came and went.  We knew we weren't going on to Athens that day.  Finally around 6PM we took off for Atlanta. 

When we arrived in Atlanta, we were shuffled into the terminal and told to wait in line to get rebooked.  Since there were 11 planes that had been diverted, the line to rebook was very long.  While George waited in line I went off to call Access America.  I had purchased travel insurance, and since we were having a trip interrruption, which was covered, I thought I should call them and let them know. They said to keep receipts for everything, food, taxi, hotel and anything we had to purchase because of the delay.  We would be reimbursed.  Then I went and bought sandwiches for dinner, we were both starving.  We ate while in line.   Finallly we got to the front of the line.  The good news, they had a hotel room for us (at our expense - since it wasn't the airlines fault the weather was bad), and it was the very last hotel room available in Atlanta.  Everyone behind us would have to spend the night in the airport.  It was across town, so a long taxi ride, but it was a bed.  As for re-booking, they told us it looked like it would be 2 days before we would get out.  I let it be known that I was a travel agent, hoping that would help, and I told them we had a cruise booked, and if we didn't get there for 2 days, we'd miss the whole cruise.  Luckily a supervisor had come on just as we got up there, and he took pity on us.  He actually put us on the flight the next day, and he bumped someone else to do it.  I felt bad for whoever they bumped, but we took it.

So we spent the night in Atlanta, in a not so great hotel, and we came back the next day and spent a good portion of the day at the airport waiting for our flight.  I used that time to contact the cruise line, and our hotel in Athens - where we had missed our first night stay.  We did board the flight that afternoon.  I know a lot of other people weren't as lucky, they were stranded for another day. 

Mykonos, Greece

We arrived in Athens a day late.  We landed at 10AM, by the time we got our luggage and cleared customs it was almost 11AM.  We were suppose to be at the pier and already on our ship, it sailed at noon.  I went to a travel agency in the airport and asked about transportation to get to the cruise ship.  She said we would never make it in time.  I asked about flights to Mykonos, which was our first port of call.  She informed me they were all sold out.  But, she told me, there was a ferry to Mykonos.  She got us tickets on that, and told us where to catch the bus to the port.  We got the bus and went down to the port.  We had lunch at a nice little seafood restaurant before boarding the ferry.  It was a nice ferry ride, with stops on several islands along the way.  We arrived in Mykonos, found our ship and boarded. 

Me in front of Parthenon, Athens

I have to say that the rest of the trip went very smoothly.  We were beginning to believe that this trip was just not meant to be.  But once we arrived in Greece, it was wonderful and we had the best trip.  We saw no evidence of fire or smoke, we had a wonderful cruise and the new ship was great.  We met our friends on Crete and spent a wonderful week with them.  And the flight home was uneventful.  When I got home I filled out the claim forms with Access America and we were reimbursed for all food including the seafood lunch in Greece, the hotel and taxi in Atlanta, the one night hotel in Athens that we didn't get to stay in, and the bus and ferry in Greece.  It was good we had travel insurance because all of that was well over $600.  Travel insurance is a good thing to have!

So, sometimes it seems like everything is going wrong, but you just have to persevere.  Does anyone out there have any travel horror stories they would like to share?

*Picture of Sea Diamond sinking was taken from the internet.