Greece is one of those countries that you learn in secondary school as all schools have Universal History and everyone starts from the beginning which is Egypt, Greece and Rome. Therefore, I have been fascinated with Greece and Egypt since I was a teenager; making of this trip one of my very early dreams.
This trip was divided into two parts: a 3-day Greek Island Cruise and a five-day road trip. I was surprised when my cruise included a half-day stop in Turkey, making this an extra place to visit which I never thought I would see.
Greece, officially known as Hellenic Republic, is a Southeast Europe country situated on the southern tip of the Balkans. Athens is the capital of Greece and is also the largest city. Greece shares borders to the northwest with Albania, to the north with North Macedonia and Bulgaria, to the northeast with Turkey, and to the south with the Mediterranean sea. Technically, to the east lies the Aegean sea, to the west lies the Ionian Sea, and to the south the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean sea.
Greece has the longest coastline and features thousands of islands. Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization, birthplace of the Olympic Games, and has 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Tukey, officially known as Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country as is located mainly on Western Asia but has a portion of the Balkans in Southeast Europe. Turkey shares borders to the northwest with Greece and Bulgaria; to the north the Black Sea; to the northeast Georgia, to the east Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran; to the southeast Iraq; to the south Syria and the Mediterranean Sea; and to the west the Aegean Sea. Although, Ankara is the capital of Turkey, Istanbul is the largest city and financial centre. Turkey also has a rich cultural legacy shaped by centuries of history and has 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Greece as it is part of the European Union does not require visa for UK Citizens. However, Turkey requires an e-Visa for some countries with the purpose of tourism (www.evisa.gov.tr). UK citizens are exempt of visa, however, as this was a cruise the visa requirements have to be explore with the cruise provider.
As part of my research, I check out all the most seen places of the city and its surroundings. This particular trip was designed by the tour operator, as I was travelling with my maternal grandmother and all the tours needed to be in Spanish. The currency for Greece is the Euro and it is recommended to exchange at the airport just after landing, as who has time to search for it. However, Turkey’s currency is the Turkish Lira and its recommended for the short tip to withdraw it from an ATM.
My adventure started on Thursday 17th April 2003, however, for me this was part of a bigger adventure as I was living Liverpool and took advantage of the trip to London to visit Stonehenge, Bath and London. However, I was travelling with my maternal grandmother and she was coming from Mexico City on a same day 10-hour flight.
On Day 1, I arrived around 12pm in London’s airport, as my grandmother’s flight was arriving at 12.45pm and we agreed that she would come out as our trip to Athens was at 6.35pm. My grandmother arrived on a wheelchair and I was on a bit of panic, but then I realised that she was travelling alone and this was a long walk so I was happy that she was out as I have not seen her since last December. We decided to wait for our next flight outside so our first stop was to have a proper lunch. We went to an Italian restaurant inside the terminal, and we were able to catch up.
After an amazing lunch, we decided to continue talking as we were only able to enter at 4.35pm, as this was two-hours before the flight that I was able to check-in. At 4pm, we decided to try to check-in and I was lucky enough to do, then we were able to clear the security and we went directly to the gate.
Our flight to Athens left London at 6.35pm and arrived to Athens at midnight.
After picking up our luggage, there was a taxi waiting for us as we had everything arranged from here on planned which made this a stress-free trip. We arrived at the hotel at 1am and we slept shortly as we had an early start the following day.
On Day 2, after a very early breakfast at 7am, we were ready to take the taxi towards the pier. We took the taxi around 8.30 am in order to board the cruise before 10.30am as the cruise departed at 11.00am.
We arrived with plenty of time and we checked in our luggage before boarding. Once we boarded, we made our way to the reception in order to complete our check-in. After this, we made our way towards the Main Lounge at the Ouranos Deck 7 as we had an information meeting. The meeting started at 10.30am, the aim was to collect our information packages regarding life onboard and the daily trips, which were optional at an extra cost.
After the meeting, we made our way to the restaurant on Apollo Deck 6 in order to made our dinner reservations for all the trip’s dinner. After this, we made our way to our cabin in order to rest and wait for the luggage to be delivered as it takes around 2 hours to arrive.
After a short rest, we made our way to the restaurant around 1pm in order to enjoy a nice international lunch. After testing our first Greek coffee, which we did not enjoy, we made our way back to the cabin as we were expecting the lifesaving exercise. Around 3pm, the lifesaving exercise started and we followed all the instructions and we even tried the life jackets. While we were listening to all the instructions, as they have to tell them in many languages, I decided to enjoy the time by taking photographs as the camera was always with me even at that time.
After returning the life jackets, we made our way to the tourist office in order to change our prepaid voucher for the tourist trips. After this, we made our way back to the cabin in order to have a little rest as we had a couple of days very tiring, specially my grandmother as within 48 hours she had travel from Mexico to London and finally to Athens.
The cruise arrived to Mykonos around 6pm, however, we decided that we were very tired to go to shore. Mykonos, also known as Chora (means the name of the island is the name of the principal town), belongs to the Cyclades and is located at the east of Athens in the Aegean Sea. The island is composed mostly of granite and the terrain is very rocky with many areas eroded by the strong winds. The houses are whitewashed with limestone as it is a powerful disinfectant in order to reduce the spread of cholera, but know it makes the town very distinctive.
After a very nice and long rest, we were able to make our 8pm dinner reservation on Deck 6. We enjoyed a very tasty and we started to enjoy that we were in a Greek island cruise and one of my dreams was starting to be fulfilled. After dinner, we decided to explore all the public decks of the cruise and we took a lot of photographs including panoramic views of Mykonos. We explored the decks, the casinos and the restaurants.
After a very long photographic session, we made our way to the cabin around 11pm. We arranged all our things of the next day, as this was going to be our first daytrip and I was very excited about this. We slept closed to midnight.
On Day 3, after a very early breakfast at 7.30am, we made our way to the main lounge on deck 7 in order to meet all the people that were going with us in the Spanish tour as we were the first to disembark.
The cruise arrived to Rhodes around 8.30am, shortly after this we disembark and walked in order to take the tour bus. Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and is located at northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens. This island was very famous worldwide because of the Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of Helios which is the Greek god of the sun and was erected by Chares of Lindos in 280BC. The statue stood 33m (108ft) high and collapsed during the earthquake of 226BC.
Once in mainland, we walked towards the tour bus as our first stop was the Medieval City of Rhodes. The Medieval City of Rhodes has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. The citadel was built by the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John by enhancing the existing Byzantine walls and has 11 gate to access the old city, some are ancient and some are modern. The Gate d’Amboise is a grand gate just below the Palace of the Grand Master, consists of a triple defensive belts with chemins de ronde, two round towers and a covered entrance. The Marine Gate (Sea Gate) was the main entrance from the harbour.
Our first stopped was the Gate of d’Amboise, where we disembark the bus around 9.45am, as we were going to walk the city from one side to the other. Then we walked through St Anthony Gate, next to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights. We continued our walked through Saint John Loggia ending in the Street of the Knights of Rhodes, and we exited through Marine Gate in order to board the tour bus.
This was a very short trip as we left the medieval city around 10.20pm as this was the first stop of the day’s tour, our next stop was Lindos. Lindos is an archaeological site situated in a large bay and faces the fishing village and is located 40km south of the town of Rhodes. The acropolis of Lindos was very important due to the large temple of Athena Lindia, however, during medieval time the Knights of St John built a massive fortress in order to defend the island against the Ottomans.
We arrived at Lindos around 11.24am, however, as the acropolis is a citadel, we had to walk all the way there. The Acropolis rises 116m above the modern town of Lindos and it is a natural citadel and was fortified by the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Knights of St John, and the Ottomans. The Greek Orthodox Church of St John dates from early 6th century and was built from the ruins of a previous church. The Doric Temple of Athena Lindia dates from 300BC and was built on the site of an earlier temple.
After a very tough but picturesque walk with many nice shops to browse, we arrived to the Acropolis around 12pm and our first stop was the Church of St John. Then we continue walking and we reached the Temple of Athena, while I was walking, I saw the amazing panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea and the town.
After 45 minutes exploring the archaeological site, we made our way down to the town in order to have a traditional Greek lunch. After an hour lunch break, we made our way to pottery workshop, where we were able to see how the traditional potter was made and enjoy the Greek handicrafts first hand.
After an amazing tour of Lindos, we made our way back to Rhodes around 3pm. The tour bus left us at the parking lot of the ferry port. Therefore, we decided to continue exploring the Medieval City as we were unable to cover all the parts. This time we enter via the Gate of the Virgin. The Gate of the Virgin is a modern in order to allow vehicle traffic.
Our first stop was the Church of the Virgin Mary of Burgh. The Church of the Virgin of Burgh is located in the Jewish quarter, was constructed in the 14th century and is the oldest remaining building from the Knights of Hospitaller era with a Gothic style.
After this stop, we made our way towards the Jewish Martyrs Square as these streets was full of souvenir shops. I decided to start browsing for souvenirs for my trip. Then, we continued walking until we reached the Temple of Aphrodite.
After this amazing trip, we returned to the cruise before 6pm as this was the time of departure for our next site. After an amazing day of exploring Rhodes, we returned to our cabin in order to get ready for dinner and our amazing Greek night.
We arrived for dinner at 7pm in order to enjoy an amazing Greek dinner. After dinner we went to the main lounge in order to enjoy live music from the Triton orchestra in order to wait for the amazing Greek show. The Greek show was also in the main lounge and started at 9.15pm.
After an hour show, we decided to returned to the cabin and prepared for the adventures of next day that we had another daytrip planned. We slept around 11pm as it was a very long day.
On Day 4, after a very early breakfast at 6am, we made our way to the main lounge in order to gather for our next daytrip. The cruise arrived to Patmos around 7am and by that time we were ready to go on our next adventure.
Patmos, also known as Chora, is the northernmost island of the Dodecanese located in the Aegean Sea and off the west coast of Turkey in Asia. Patmos is a nice town with white-washed houses, narrow arched streets and small plazas. Patmos is a very important destination for Christian pilgrimage because John the Apostle, also known as John of Patmos, received his Revelation on the Cave of the Apocalypse and a Grand Royal Basilica was erected in his honour around 350AD.
After arriving to Patmos, we made our way to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian as it is on top of the hill and the streets are too narrow for the bus to go through. The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian stands today where the Grand Royal Basilica was erected as hill-top fortification on the highest point of the island. The monastery was founded in 1088 by John Christodoulos and it was a gift from Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. The monastery features an extensive library with 330 manuscripts and some monks still reside at the monastery.
After a short hicking, we arrived to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian around 7.47am. Then, we were able to explore the main church (Katholikon), the Chapel of Panagia and the refectory (communal room for meals), which all feature amazing frescos. After this amazing visit, I decided to enjoy the view and had a panoramic photographic session as we were able to see the town and the port at this height.
After returning to the bus, we boarded it and went to our next stop which was the Cave of the Apocalypse. The Cave of the Apocalypse is located halfway between the town and the port. The cave is the place where St John of Patmos received his visions and wrote the Book of Revelation. The cave has some natural features that helped him while living there like a place for resting, and a place for placing his scrolls for writing; therefore, the interior of the cave features the story of St John’s while living on Patmos and its legacy.
Off note, the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, are considered part of the Greek Orthodox Church and is the only example in Greece of an organized settlement around a fortified monastic complex.
After a short bus trip, we arrived to the Cave of the Apocalypse around 9am. We were able to enter the cave, few people at a time, and we were able to appreciate the living conditions that St John had to endure while writing his book.
After an amazing visit, we returned to the cruise around 9.30am via boat as this was not the only stop of the day. The cruise departed around 10am and sailed to our next destination which was Kusadasi in Turkey. Kusadasi is a large beach resort town located on the western cost of the Aegean Sea on the Gulf of Kusadasi, which separates the Greek island of Samos from mainland Turkey. Kusadasi was known as Ephesus Neopolis during the Byzantine era and it was renamed at the beginning of the 20th century. The area has been the centre of arts and culture since being founded in 3,000BC by the Leleges people. During the Turkish War of Independence, the Turkish forces gained control on 7th September 1922.
After boarding the cruise, I was able to take some panoramic views of the monastery from the deck. At 10.45am, we attended a general meeting at the Café Brazil in order to explain the dismemberment procedure as we were crossing Turkey border and we needed a day-visa, which we were granted in the port because of our Mexican passports.
After the meeting, I decided to take a photographic session of the sea as over the last two days we were travelling at night and I was unable to enjoy the sea view. I was able to take some photographs as the weather was a bit cold and there were not many people in the public areas.
After a short photographic session, I returned to my cabin in order to meet my grandmother and prepared ourselves for our next daytrip. We arrived for lunch around midday and enjoyed an amazing international lunch.
After lunch, we made our way to the main lounge around 1pm in order to prepare for our departure as soon as the cruise arrived to Kusadasi. The cruise arrived at 1.30pm and soon after we were ready to disembark.
After disembark, we walked all the pier in order to cross the border on foot. We arrived to Turkey at 1.40pm and then we took our tour bus in order to continue part 2 of our day adventure. Our first stop, was the House of the Virgin Mary. The House of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic chapel located on Mount Koressos near Ephesus. The site has a steady flow of pilgrimage based on the belief that Mary, mother of Jesus, was taken to this house by Saint John and lived there for the remainder of her life. The house was discovered in 1881 by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, a Roman Catholic nun and visionary.
We arrived to the House of the Virgin Mary around 2.30pm and we entered the site. The chapel is modest and has a baptismal pool which is believed that it was used by early Christian’s community. After entering the chapel, we made our way to the wishing wall where pilgrims leaved their intentions on a piece of paper.
After around 20 minutes, we left in order to continue our day trip to Ephesus. Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece located southwest of Selcuk in Turkey. The city was built in the 10th century BC by Attic and Ionian Greek colonist during the classical Greek era and was part of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city was very famous worldwide for the Temple of Artemis which is nearby, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015.
The Temple of Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis (goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, nature, childbirth, the moon and chastity) an attributed to the Amazons. The temple has been reconstructed three times, the greatest and the last was funded by the Ephesians and construction started in 323BC and was destroyed in 268AD in a raid by the Goths, an east Germanic tribe. During 407BC the name of Artemis was erased from all the inscriptions around the city of Ephesus and after this many of the stones were taken in order to build other buildings.
On our way to Ephesus, we passed the site of the Temple of Artemis which currently is marked with a single column constructed of dissociated fragments from around the site. Therefore, the only two photograph that I managed to click one was blurry and other was better but no column. However, I now could said that in this trip I visited the site of two Wonders of the Ancient World.
After arriving to Ephesus, I realised that my digital camera was out of battery. At that time, I was not used to carrying two batteries therefore, just before I entered the site, I went on a crusade in order to find a disposable camera. Since this was 2003, this was an easy buy, however, I needed to be very cautious as I only had 36 snaps. We finally entered the site around 3pm.
After entering the site, I realised that this was one of the largest Roman archaeological site of the Easter Mediterranean and it is one of the best-preserved sites that I have ever seen in Greece, much better than the acropolis of Athens and as well-preserved as Pompeii. The site is paved with well-cut stones and you are able to imagine life in site. Most of the site is formed by dissociated pieces. The best-preserved structures are the Gate of Augustus, and the temple of Hadrian.
After this, we made our way to the Library of Celsus. This was the first impressive site that we saw as they have the entire entrance of the library and it very impressive for its size and the stone work as it still have some sculptures in-situ. All around the site there are many stone carving depicting various goddess including Nike.
After this, we continued walking and we started to see the largest theatre that I had seen to the date and it was very well preserved but fragile as tourist were not allowed to approach. After that we made our way through the arcadian way in order to reach the gymnasium andthe stadium, which were basically columns marking the boundaries of where the building used to be. After this, we made our way to the tour bus, which was waiting for us at the exit.
After an amazing tour, I was able to save three snaps to take of my grandmother before boarding the cruise again as this was our last full-day on the cruise. We returned to the cruise around 5.20pm as the cruise was leaving and returning to Athens around 6pm.
After returning to cruise, I decided to pick up our passports as they were detained as part of the day-visa arrangement with the cruise and also to pick up some raffle tickets for later in the evening.
After this, I returned to the cabin in order to get ready for the Gala Dinner. We arrived to our dinner reservation at 7pm in our most elegant wear, as per instructions and we enjoyed an amazing dinner. After dinner, since we were dressed so nice, we decided to have a photographic session in the lobbies of every deck.
After a very short photographic session, we decided to go to the main lounge in order to have a drink an enjoyed the live music and wait for the Gala Show as it was on the same place. The Gala Show started at 9.30pm and there were amazing singers and dancers, it was an amazing last day show.
After a 30 minutes show, there was time for the raffle. The raffle prize was a nice champagne bottle and in order to win you needed to be there regardless of anything else. Therefore, the draw started one number was called an nothing, a second number was called and nothing, the four number was called and this was our number. We won on the last day the champagne of the raffle, which we enjoyed on our cabin later at night.
After the win, we decided to return to the cabin and prepare for the next day. As this was the day to disembark and it was going to be a very early one. We slept around 11pm.
On Day 5, after a very early breakfast around 6am, we returned to the cabin as check-out was around 7am. We were ready to disembark in groups around 7.45am, where a taxi was waiting for us to take us to the hotel. We arrived to the hotel around 8am where we checked in and dropped our luggage in order start our Athens city tour.
After leaving the hotel, we took our bus tour and our first stopped was the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as Columns of the Olympian Zeus, located at the centre of Athens, was dedicated to the “Olympian” Zeus (king of the gods), was completed in 131AD in a classical style and was designed by architects Antistates, Callaeschrus, Antimachides and Phormos. After the Roman Empire, the site was extensively quarried for building materials to supply building projects elsewhere in the city and currently only remains sixteen of the original gigantic columns.
We arrived to the Temple of Olympian Zeus around 9am, and we were able to enjoy the site and had our first view of the Acropolis of Athens, which is the best archaeological site in my opinion in Athens.
After a short trip, we boarded the bus and on our way to the Acropolis and we passed by the Olympic Stadium. The Panathenaic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium and is the only stadium built entirely of marble. The current stadium was completed in 144AD and designed by architect Anastasios Metaxas. It was renovated in 1896 in order to host the first modern Olympic Games, was also an Olympic venue for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games for archery and the marathon. Currently, the stadium is the finishing point of the annual Athens Classic Marathon and is the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place.
After a very short trip, we made our way to the Acropolis of Athens around 9.45am. We were left at the downhill entrance and we made our way towards the entrance and at every step of the way I took as many photographs as possible. The Acropolis of Athens, also known as Cecropia, is an ancient citadel located on a flattish-topped rock around 150m above sea level. The site contain many ancient building considered with great historical and architectural significance.
On our way to the Acropolis, our first stop was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, located on the southwest slope and built on a stone Roman theatre in a classical style. We continued our tour and arrived to the Acropolis via the Propylaea which is the gateway of the citadel. Then we continued our tour of site, where our next stopped was the great Parthenon, which is a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena (god of wisdom, handicraft and warfare).
We continued our visit and our next stopped was the Erechtheion. The Erechtheion is an Ionic temple-telesterion dedicated to the goddess Athena and is located on the north side of the Acropolis. The building is mostly recognised by the Porch of the Maidens, which is located on the south wall and consists of six sculpted female figures as support of the roof facing south. Then, we entered the small museum on the site containing the findings within this archaeological site. The Acropolis has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
After exploring the museum, we made our way to the last site which was the Theatre of Dionysus. After taking amazing photographs of the site, I started taking photographs of the city as we were able to see the Agora at the northwest where the Temple of Hephaestus and the Stoa of Attalos were clearly visible.
After a long-awaited visit to the Acropolis and while waiting for the tour bus to arrive, I decided that it was a great idea to climb the Areopagus Hill. Once the tour bus was here, we boarded it and made a lunch stop in order to have a very tasteful Greek lunch.
After a great lunch, we made our way to Cape Sounion which took around 70minutes. Cape Sounion is located at the southernmost tip of the Attic peninsula, around 69.5km from Athens, which is a very popular daytrip from Athens due to their sunset over the Aegean Sea and beach resorts. The important archaeological site is the Temple of Poseidon. The Temple of Poseidon is an ancient temple dedicated to the god Poseidon (god of sea). The temple was completed in 440BC in ancient Greek style.
We arrived to Cape Sounion around 4pm with the aim of going to the Temple of Poseidon. On our way to the temple, we stopped in a viewpoint in order to see the spectacular views of the cape and the beach resorts. Then, we made our way to the temple. The temple is on top of a hill and has a great view of the cape and the beach. I loved visiting archaeological temples but there is a point when your imagination is not enough to actually understand the impact of these places on world’s history. In any case, the location of these temples is so amazing that it is worth the trip.
After our great visit to Cape Sounion, we made our way back to the hotel in order to rest a little and then get ourselves ready for a unique night as we were going to a Greek Tavern for dinner and a show.
We arrived to the Tavern around 9pm and after a spectacular Greek dinner the show began. The show consisted of live music and dancing. The dancers performed traditional dancing on traditional dressing. We were seated in the balcony and next to the rail in order to enjoy the show in its greatness. I loved dancing and in particular different kinds of dancing and these was a great sample of the best Greek dancing there is, or at least it seemed to me.
After the show ended, around midnight, we made our way to the hotel with the rest of the group in order to prepare for the next day. For me this was everything that I had dreamed since my teens, as finally I visited the Acropolis in Athens and for me this was a great part of my trip and I was excited to see what the rest of the trip had for us.
On Day 6, after a very early breakfast, we were ready for starting our daytrip around 8am. This daytrip we were going to visit the Argolida on the region of Peloponnese and in order to reach we needed to cross the Corinth Canal. The Corinth Canal is a man-made canal in Greece connecting the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. The canal has with a width of 21.4m (70ft) at the base.
We crossed the Corinth Canal around 10am in our way to our first stop Mycenae. Mycenae was built on a hill 274m (900ft) above sea level and is located near Mykines in Argolis on the north-eastern Peloponnese around 120km south-west Athens. Mycenae was founded in 1350BC during the Bronze age and has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
After a nice road trip, we arrived to Mycenae around 11.30am and we ready to enjoy the site. The site has a walking route and we entered the citadel through the Lion Gate, which passed a stepped ramp leading past one site and up to the palace. We walked through the Grave Circle A which is a 16th century BC royal cemetery.
We continued following the walking route and we reached the Palace of Mycenae. The palace was located at the highest point of the citadel and symbolised the power of the Mycenaean kings.
After the palace, we made our way out the citadel in order to see the famous tombs. The tomb of Aegisthus and the tomb of Clytemnestra are Mycenae tholos-type tomb. Clytemnestra was named after the wife of king Agamemnon, mythical ruler and leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War. Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes and Pelopia (Thyestes’ own daughter) and Clytemnestra lover while Agamemnon was in Troy.
After visiting both tombs, we made our way to the most famous tomb of Agamemnon, which is the largest tholos-type tomband the most impressive monument surviving from the Mycenaean period.
After visiting this impressive and grandiose site, we made our way to Epidaurus. On the way me stopped for lunch in a local restaurant, where we were able to continue sampling the rich and amazing Greek cuisine. Epidaurus, also known as Epidavros, was a small city on the Argolida Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf, and has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.
After another spectacular Greek lunch, we arrived to Epidaurus around 3.30pm. We decided to follow the walking tour and our first stop was the archaeological museum. The museum houses the most important findings of the site which was carried out by archaeologist Panagi Kavvadias and the archaeological society.
After an enjoyable visit to the museum, we continued our tour towards the amazing theatre. The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus was dedicated to the ancient Greek god of medicine (Asclepius), was constructed at the end of the 4th century BC by architect Polykleitos the Younger.
We arrived to the bottom of the theatre around 4pm, the view was impressive. This is the best well-kept open-air theatre in Greece, in my opinion. I was able to climb the stairs all the way to the top level. While I was climbing the stair, a lady stand in the middle of the orchestra, which is depicted by a small circle on the floor, and started to sing. The acoustics is so impressive that I was able to hear her perfectly and she was singing in her normal voice. I think that this is what makes this theatre so impressive at least for me. However, I do not know if any or all ancient Greek theatre are the same as this is the only one, I was able to climb and listened to its perfect acoustic.
After a great and free concert, we continued our walking tour towards the Sanctuary of Asclepius. The Sanctuary of Asclepiusis considered the most celebrated healing centre of the classical world where they used to spend the night in order to find the cure for their ailments.
After the visit to the sanctuary, we were unable to continue exploring the site as we needed to return to the tour bus as it is a long trip back to Athens. We left Epidaurus around 4.30pm.
After a long trip, we arrived to the hotel around 7pm just on time for dinner.
After dinner, we decided to stay at the hotel in order to have an early night as we had been having early days since the trip started six days ago and we were very tired. Everyday at the end of the day, I reviewed everything that we visited on the day and realised how lucky I was to be in this country.
On Day 7, after another early breakfast, we left the hotel around 8am for our next daytrip to Delphi. Delphi, also known as Pytho, was the seat of the Pythia which was the major oracle on the ancient classical world and was considered the centre of the world. Currently, most of the ruins that survive have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
We arrived to Delphi archaeological site around 12pm and we made our way on the walking tour. Our first stop was the Treasury of Athenian, which housed the offerings given to the sanctuary of Apollo. Then we continued walking and we arrived to the Stoa of the Athenians which is a portico dedicated to the Athenians after the Persian Wars. Then we passed the Sibyl rock which is where the oracle sat in order to deliver her prophecies.
After passing this site, we turned and finally we arrived to the famous temple of Apollo. The Temple of Apollo (god of music, harmony, light, and healing) was where the famous oracle seated. The temple’s location in the mountain represented both the prominence of Apollo and the importance of the sanctuary. According to legend, Delphi was created by Zeus as the centre of the Greek Universe. Unlike the other Greek temples, the Temple of Apollo you can see the foundation of the building and with this you can see the huge proportions of the temple and imagine people entering seeking knowledge.
We continued walking up the site and I was able to take photographs of the Temple from many different angles and in many different position. At the end of the temple, the next stop was the theatre which was built farther up the hill in order to give all the spectators the perfect view of the entire sanctuary and the valley below. The theatre is smaller in size in comparison with the one from Epidaurus, however, the view while enjoying the show is breath-taking and I was able to climb all the way to the top in order to enjoy better appreciate the view.
We continued our walked up in order to reach the stadium, which is located farther up the hill beyond the theatre. After visiting the stadium, we made our way down the site in order to continue the tour. However, I took the opportunity in taking some selfies in front of the Temple of Apollo.
After leaving the site, we made our way to the Delphi Archaeological Museum. The Delphi Archaeological Museum was opened in 1903 and houses the discoveries made at the Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi. The most famous piece is called the Charioteer of Delphi which is a life-size (1.8m) ancient bronze sculpture where you are even able to see his eye-lashes, which is something that I have never seen and I have seen many sculptures in the most famous museums in Europe (London and Louvre).
After a great daytrip in an amazing place like Delphi, we made our way to lunch before returning to Athens. We enjoyed a very nice Greek cuisine in another amazing local restaurant.
After our nice Greek lunch, we made our way to Athens around 2.30pm. We decided that since we were returning earlier to stop at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. The Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens was completed in 1862, designed by architect Theophile Hansen, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God and is the cathedral church of the Archbishopric of Athens and all Greece.
After visiting my first Greek church around 7pm, we decided to find a nice restaurant around the church in order to change the cuisine and we choose Italian food for today. After a nice dinner, we made our way back to hotel in order to rest as we still have a full day in Athens. Finally, I reviewed my day and we slept earlier.
On Day 8, after an early breakfast, we had a day off from the tours and we decided to explore the city including some museums, and for this I took lots of maps (paper, there was no mobile maps). We left the hotel around 10am in order to buy a metro ticket, as today we were travelling by ourselves.
After getting our tickets, we took the bus toward the National Archaeological Museum and arrived around midday. The National Archaeological Museum houses the most important artefacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. This museum is considered one of the greatest museum in the world as it contains the richest collection of Greek Antiquity artefacts in the world. The museum contains the important pieces from Mycenae, Santorini, and Egypt.
We enjoyed the museum as my favourite part of every museum is the Greek and Egypt sculptures. The marble sculpture for me are amazing as the sculptor are able to depict cloth, movement and the facial expressions are amazing. I was very impressed with the bronze sculpture and artefacts. I also enjoyed the colours and designs of the pottery. However, I loved the designs and styles of all the jewellery. In any case, this was after the Acropolis the most important visit for me as my artistic side loves all the sculptures and the artefacts of antiquity.
After more than two hours in the museum, we made our way towards Plaka as it is the recommended shopping area of Athens and we stopped a Monastiraki station. We decided first to have lunch and we decided since it was our last lunch meal to be a very traditional Greek cuisine. After many days in Greece, we decided that we were not fan of the Greek coffee but we loved the lamb.
Plaka is the old historical neighbourhood, located around the eastern slopes of the Acropolis and has labyrinthine type streets with a neoclassical style. We started shopping and I started seeing lots and lots of Olympic souvenirs as in 2004 Athens was going to celebrate the Summer Olympics. I started being and Olympic fan around 1992 when I saw my first opening ceremony, after this I found out that my mother was able to attend some events when Mexico hosted it in 1968. After that, I became an Olympic Games superfan.
After our last Greek lunch, I spent some time at Plaka shopping for travel souvenirs, Olympic souvenirs and I found an artist creating a watercolour painting of the Acropolis, which I bought without thinking.
After a great shopping experience, we decided to continue exploring Athens and we arrived to the Roman Agora. The Roman Agora is located at the north of Acropolis and it was the place where the Romans transferred their administrative and commercial centre. We entered the site via the Tower of Winds(Horologian of Andronikos Kyrrhestes), which function as a timepiece and it was considered the first meteorological station. Then we walked towards the Roman Forum which currently are only left some ancient columns and the pavements. We continued walking until we reached the Gate of Athena, which is considered the second best remain of the site.
The Roman Agora is unfortunately as impressive as the all the other Roman Agora around the world, as all the stones had been used as construction material in order to build the rest of the city after the fall of the Roman empire leaving us with just few pieces and a need of a very good imagination in order to understand their greatness.
After our amazing day around Plaka, we decided to have dinner before returning to the hotel. We have decided to try an Italian restaurant while enjoying our last night in Greece. After dinner, we returned to the hotel around 9pm in order to prepare our luggage and everything for the next day as we were returning home, me to Liverpool and my grandmother to Mexico.
On Day 9, we woke up around 4am as we had a very early morning flight. We left the hotel around 5am, arrived at the airport and enjoyed a light breakfast as it was very early for anything else. We left Athens at 7.40am towards London.
We arrived to London around 9.40am and after disembarking, I realised that we were inside the gate area so I decided to stay with my grandmother until her next flight. We decided that since we had a lot of time to find a nice restaurant and have one last meal together in order to close this amazing, spectacular and once in a lifetime trip with the person that has allowed me to fulfil another of my dreams and what better to be with her.
I left my grandmother on the gate ready to board around 11am and then I made my way out of the terminal, where I had to find my luggage and then I made my way by train from the airport to London and finally to Liverpool.
Off note: At the time of this trip, I was able to fulfil my long-awaited dream of visiting Greece and my grandmother made this dream a reality in a way that I never imagine as I was able to cover many Greek islands, the Argolida and of course Athens which was my dream. However, today that I am writing this blog I realised that this was the last alone trip that I made with my grandmother because I stayed in England to live and she never returned alone to Europe, and she passed away in 2017. In any case, this trip is still amazing as the next time I went to Greece, I was only able to cover the land portion of this trip which I enjoyed again as if I had never been before.
Greece was an unexpected trip as I was studying when my godmother told me about the trip that she had already planned everything and I only needed to buy my plane ticket to Athens which I did in a flash. As I have said before, this was the first country I wrote in my bucket list back when I was a teenager so research was done, at least for Athens.
Greek architecture and sculptures have been always been my favourite exhibitions from the British Museum and the Louvre Museum, as they have an extensive collections. However, for me Greece has always been Athens but this trip also had the Greek island and surprising two of the ancient wonders of the world.
Greece is a country full of ancient history and if you like some of that history is a place that you need in your bucket list. However, there is a place for many other kind of interests. Greece is the beginning of our modern life like Olympic Games, architecture, arts, politics, laws and science. Greece is also a beautiful country as has spectacular landscapes and seascapes, but also has between 1,200 to 6,000 islands. Greece is a country that you can enjoy whatever your interests are and the only limitation is your imagination. Greece is a country with many faces, many styles, many voices and a very rich ancient and modern history. Although I am been partial about my recommendation, I hope that my adventure which covered some islands and the mainland is enough to entice you to make Greece part of your bucket list, and then you decide what type of adventure you want to explore. I still have places that I want to visit as I think that my Greek adventure will continue in the near future.
The Parthenon, Athens
Corinth Canal, Argolida
House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus
Cruise
Metropolitan Cathedral, Athens
The Temple of Apollo, Delphi
Library of Celsus, Ephesus
The Ancient Theatre, Epidaurus
Acropolis, Lindos
Tomb of Agamemnon, Mycenae
Skala, Patmos
Gate of Amboise, Rhodes
Greek Tavern
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