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29 Days in Glorious Greece
It's been a couple years since I did a TR and I decided to do a highlights of our trip to Greece. We left IAD at the end of April and returned on May 26. This was our third trip to Greece and perhaps my favorite.
Below is my itinerary & our accommodations. Overall all the accommodations worked out great. We had some very quirky places, but that just made for more interesting stays. I'll be happy to answer any questions. 4 Nights Athens Stylish Stays Groovy apartment 6 nights Rodos VRBO Belvedere Medieval Villa 1 Night Delphi Nidimos Hotel 1 Night Meteroa Hotel Doupiani House 2 NIghts Zagori Zagori Suites 1 NIght - Archaia Olympia Leonidaion Guest House 2 Nights Dimitsanas Amanites Guesthouse 3 NIghts Gialova Zoe Resort 4 Nights Mani Akrolithi Boutique Hotel 1 NIght Monemvasia Vecchia Casa 3 NIghts Nafplion 3Sixty Hotel 1 Night 15 minutes from Athens Airport Seasabelle https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7426bd2351.jpg View from our Athens Apt - Groovy |
Oh, good! Now I’ll get to enjoy your trip twice!
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Originally Posted by progol
(Post 17367431)
Oh, good! Now I’ll get to enjoy your trip twice!
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Originally Posted by yestravel
(Post 17367438)
You'll have everything in 1 place! I'm doing mostly a copy & paste.
Now in Porto and it’s a bit cool and overcast with rain on the way, so trip reports (mine and others) will keep me busy!😉 |
Looking forward to your TR, we’re also just back from Greece, but only 13 days. Nafplio, Santorini and Athens, we had a very similar view of the Parthenon from the terrace of our apartment and sat out every evening till late night.
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Days 1-4 Athens
This is my third time staying in Athens and I still enjoy the big city for what it offers, but it's one of my least favorite cities. The museums and archeological sites are wonderful, but I find the majority of the city itself rather unattractive. I will say it was exuberant and lively come nighttime. On our first full day we explored the area around Syntagma Square and took a Free Walking tour. The guide was excellent, but the day was very hot and we were very jet lagged so after about 2 hours we bailed and went back to our cool apartment and rested until we went out to dinner. We had lunch at a fabulous Pie Shop and I highly recommend it. Lunch -Spinach & cheese pie for me and bacon, red pepper and Gouda cheese pie for gottravel and my fav crispies. Grand total of 6 Euros for our lunch. We were to drop in there a few more times during of stay i n Athens https://culinarybackstreets.com/citi...RmyN27VTPgB3fY Dinner our first night was in Psyrri, the nightlife/live rembetika music district. Very fun area with lots of bars and restaurants and music everywhere. Museums: The Benaki Museum - Happenstance can be a wonderful thing. The Benaki Museum in Athens has a wonderful exhibition, “A Greek Soul,” of British painter John Craxton. We were unfamiliar with this artist, who lived for fifty years in post World War Two Crete and was friends with other expatriates ranging from travel writer/adventurer Patrick Leigh Fermor to songwriter Leonard Cohen. Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation of Contemporary Art - Loved this Museum! It is considered one of the world's most valuable art collections with art from all the big names, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Chagall, Monet, Miró, Picasso etc. It was nice to have a break from antiquuities and see modern art. Its in a lovely, leafy neighborhood, Pangrati. Archeological site -- Of course the Acropolis. I had bought our multi site tickets online in advance. This allowed us to avoid the lines & gave entry to 6 sites. We went late in the afternoon when it was cooler and there were sparse crowds, actually no line to buy tickets. We didn't have time to go to the new Acropolis museum that day and thought we'd go on our last day. But that didnt happen - next trip. We had one excellent meal at Electra Palace Hotel. It has great views of the Acropolis and I had outstanding lamb there. Relative to other places it was expensive. Leaving Athens turned into quite the event. I had made the mistake of booking our flight to Rhodes on May 1 -- May Day or International Workers day or Strike Day. It's called protomagia in Greece. When I realized this I researched how we would get to the airport. What I found was that when May 1 falls on a Sunday, any strike is moved to another day. And in any case the metro would likely run but taxis might be hard to come by. I figured, no problem, we will just take the metro. Foolishly I never paid any attention to this once we arrived. I had read right before departing for Greece that ferries were on strike on May 1, but nothing else. So we were sitting at dinner on our last night and fortunately some English speaking people were at a table nearby and we could overhear their conversations. I heard one guy say something about the metro being on strike on Sunday -- my ears perked up, I googled and I asked the waiter who went and confirmed that yes, on Friday night they had decided to strike. The apt mgr for our apt was excellent so I immediately what's apped her and she said she would get us a taxi which she did. Whew, the crisis averted we thought. Sunday morning, May 1, we were all ready to meet our taxi in the next hour or so and I got a text from him --could we meet him earlier as there are demonstrations all over the city and he's worried about us getting to the airport on time? No problem, we'll meet him outside in 10 minutes. As we walk across the little plaza to the street, I notice police all over and yellow tape blocking the roads. Seems the demonstration is a mere block away and the entire area near our apt has been cordoned off. OMG! Now I panic and text our driver telling him of the situation. He says, "Stay where you are and he'll figure it out." Having never been one to follow instructions if I see an option I started walking towards what appeared to be an open street about a block away. I went up to a police officer and asked if our taxi would be able to meet us there? He said yes and even called the taxi driver for us to give directions as to where we were. FInally our very excited taxi driver found us and we were on our way. Because the city was pretty blocked off he offered to take us a roundabout way along the sea which was fine by us as we had plenty of time. He ended up giving us a fabulous tour and all sorts of background info about the area surrounding Athens. In the end it was a very delightful way to end our time in Athens. NOTE on prices-- I have been going back to my original reservations as I do this report. I am finding that prices for accommodations have in some cases doubled since when I booked them back this winter. I think I may have gotten some "pandemic" bargains. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ad47d0a7a.jpeg Our “Groovy” apt https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2df05c44c.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...830e4c496.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...513701c8d.jpeg Presidential Guard https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...219a3533e.jpeg Benaki Museum - John Craxton https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bd9600e58.jpeg Acropolis- Porch of the Caryatids at the Erechtheion which contains a number of ancient sanctuaries. It was built from 421 BC to 395 BC https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c3b08c310.jpeg View from dinner at Electra Palace Hotel https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a3155f82d.jpeg Thanos Tsingos The Port https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...100f0e239.jpeg On the way to the Athens Airport |
Originally Posted by geetika
(Post 17367450)
Looking forward to your TR, we’re also just back from Greece, but only 13 days. Nafplio, Santorini and Athens, we had a very similar view of the Parthenon from the terrace of our apartment and sat out every evening till late night.
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Originally Posted by yestravel
(Post 17367454)
It really dominates all of Athens, doesnt it? I couldnt stop looking at it…so enchanting. Hope you had a great trip.
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Wow, Greece! A place high on my list but have not made it there yet. Welcome back. Looking forward to enjoying Greece from your perspective.
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Hi tp -- nice to have you along. I was just referring someone to your NZ TR.
So shoes--everyone is always asking about what shoes to wear when they travel. I will say for climbing around ruins and cobblestone streets you can't beat any sort of tennis/running shoe. What's in style? -- white. Saw it everywhere in the fall in Paris too. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e4983a84bb.jpg Athens -- aside from white shoes I would say the dominant color of clothes was black. |
Rhodes
Days 4-10 I picked Rhodes as an island because we had never been to it. I thought it was large enough to keep us occupied and not with mainly beaches. I picked Rodos as our base as we like old towns. I liked Crete and hoped Rhodes might be somewhat similar- Loved Rodos and was very happy with our selection of it as our base for 6 nights and overall Rhodes as an island for 6 nights.. We stayed in a "medieval villa" and it was great -- very quirky, steps everywhere and you did feel as if you had stepped way back in time. You walked from a gate to your accommodations. Ours was about a 7-10 minute walk with much over it over cobblestones--packing light always pays off! Cruise ships arrive in the port of Rodos - fortunately we were not bothered by the couple that did. The day trippers from cruise ships and land tours seem to disappear by mid afternoon and don't arrive until mid morning. It was very easy for us to avoid them as we were doing day trips around the island most days. Mostly Rodos was a quiet place and I loved wandering around it and enjoying the sights and many alleyways. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e6ffe16217.jpg view from a window in the morning https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...14715a85d1.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...09be9c2f70.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cdd567bd7e.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e4528176ba.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...408e331544.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b26047c5c.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...27d4b39fee.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b5747aa933.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...585bb0c1cf.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d0dd13dc8a.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dec3d7d46.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3984a1a67.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a8856130e.jpeg |
LOve your Rhodes photos ... did you stay at "The Medieval Inn" -- I discovered that 15 years ago ... the bonus is that it's tucked away right against the ancient walls, down a tiny lane -- and it is far away from the Wall gate where all the armies of Cruise Crowds come pouring in. At the Inn you really DO feel as if you've stepped back into the 16th century ... and just across the lane, there's an opening into a hidden square, which has an odd "fountain" structure in the midst. Turns out it was the place where Muslims washed their hands before going in to services at a (now gone) temple. Some of Rhodes is "ancient-fake" for visitors, but you can't blame Rhodians -- aa lot of of the fake-restoration was done during the Fascist era, where builders were triying to please Mussolini (who planned to make Rhodes his Summer Ruling Place) ... example: the actual Grandmasters Palace was pretty much destroyed in a fire, so "restorers" just built a castle they knew Mussolini would like.
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Beautiful photos, yestravel! It’s really a pleasure to see them all together.
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Originally Posted by travelerjan
(Post 17367540)
LOve your Rhodes photos ... did you stay at "The Medieval Inn" -- I discovered that 15 years ago ... the bonus is that it's tucked away right against the ancient walls, down a tiny lane -- and it is far away from the Wall gate where all the armies of Cruise Crowds come pouring in. At the Inn you really DO feel as if you've stepped back into the 16th century ... and just across the lane, there's an opening into a hidden square, which has an odd "fountain" structure in the midst. Turns out it was the place where Muslims washed their hands before going in to services at a (now gone) temple. Some of Rhodes is "ancient-fake" for visitors, but you can't blame Rhodians -- aa lot of of the fake-restoration was done during the Fascist era, where builders were triying to please Mussolini (who planned to make Rhodes his Summer Ruling Place) ... example: the actual Grandmasters Palace was pretty much destroyed in a fire, so "restorers" just built a castle they knew Mussolini would like.
Funny about the Grandmasters Palace. So much got destroyed by earthquakes or fires. |
Originally Posted by progol
(Post 17367542)
Beautiful photos, yestravel! It’s really a pleasure to see them all together.
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Yestravel, I love your photos! Especially your photo of the Acropolis and Parthenon! Wow!!! So much better than ours.
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Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17367553)
Yestravel, I love your photos! Especially your photo of the Acropolis and Parthenon! Wow!!! So much better than ours.
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What else did we do in our 6 nights in Rhodes? We got a rental car delivered by Efrem who were wonderful to deal with and very reasonably priced. Only issue was we were returning the car at the airport the morning of our flight and their lot was not right at the airport. It worked out ok, as I got dropped off with our 2 suitcases and gottravel returned the car to the lot and walked back to the airport.
Over three days we circled the island. Easy driving and some gorgeous scenery. It was the first of weeks of stunning scenery -- a feast for our eyes. One of the days we walked up 302 steep steps in gusting winds to see the Panagia Tsambika, a tiny remote hilltop church on the east coast of Rhodes with the views of a lifetime. It is topped by a small Byzantine church dedicated to Our Lady. A local legend says if an infertile woman climbs the hill she will be blessed with a child, which must be named after the monastery. Things like this are why we travel. We visited Kamiros which is an ancient city on the northwest coast of Rhodes. Kamiros is one of three Doric cities that combined with two others to form the city-state of Rhodes. Its residents, however, gradually abandoned Kamiros to move to the city of Rhodes. After Kamiros we moved on to Monolithos Castle was considered one of the most powerful fortresses on Rhodes. Built in 1470, not much of the castle remains today save the external walls. There is the stupendous view at the top of the hill that overlooks the sea. We didnt realize there were actually steps to climb to get to the castle and went up the hillside. I was getting worried about how we would get back down without slipping. Thankfully just as we got to the top we saw steps! I was never so happy to see steps in my life. Lastly we visited LIndos where I had considered using as a base. Very glad I chose Rodos. Lindos was a mob scene with so many people weaving their way thru the tiny alley ways. It reminded us very much of one of the Cylclades islands with its white buildings and blue doors & shutter. It had a nice beach. I cant even fathom what it must be like in the summer here. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8006cd3ec8.jpg Tsambika Monastery https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0fc6076df4.jpg View from Tsambika Monastery https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5dc1b987ec.jpg Tsambika Monastery https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...89c775d926.jpg Tsambika Monastery https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e73797e787.jpg Ancient Kamiros https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e00a6e1c17.jpg Monolithos Castle https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2c88b8489f.jpg Lindos https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8a2f95609d.jpg A rare empty alleyway in Lindos https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...861e9cbf8e.jpg Lindos beach |
Our final day on Rodos we took the ferry to the adorable island of Symi. It about 1.5 hour ride and the ferry was filled to the gills. The winds the previous 3 days had prevented the ferry from going so everyone was trying to get there on this Friday it seemed. Symi is a picturesque, pastel colored island. Its harbor is circled with neo classical homes and the colors seems to bounce off the blue waters n the harbor. We had about 4 hours to spend on this idyllic island. We had a nice seafood lunch at the harbor and then just walked all over, looking at nothing in particular but the lovely houses, the crystal clear water and the splendid views.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7ee428ac94.jpg On the way to Symi https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9f84202cb1.jpg Harbor https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...99e7dd46da.jpg Stacked pastel houses https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...966e1b47f0.jpg One pastel house after another -- quite different from RHodes. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dfc838d2ae.jpg Lovely water & boats https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...912af66927.jpg Crystal clear water |
One of the most memorable things from this spring trip was the spring flowers everywhere -- just gorgeous flowers everywhere we went. Many we had never seen before. Here's a sampling of some of the thousands we enjoyed during our time in Greece.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a719b3661.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ea4b66b431.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f8a253a471.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3816f74c38.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e42fa2863d.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2adcac628c.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...15e723094c.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3d1f4fcc7b.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7518474650.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff21831c58.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...880038b82d.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1e8ec87d62.jpg |
Interesting. Definitely not the whitewashed buildings with blue domes that you see so many photos of when the Greek islands are mentioned.
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Originally Posted by tripplanner001
(Post 17367695)
Interesting. Definitely not the whitewashed buildings with blue domes that you see so many photos of when the Greek islands are mentioned.
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1 Attachment(s)
to Tripplanner001 -- these photos are your clue that the Greek isles are extremely varied ... and it's worthwhile for you to do some research before you choose destinations -- in order that your first Greece trip lives up to expectations. One of the things you'll learn... from a guide book or a serious website... is that the "white cubes & blue shutters" look is confined to one group of islands --- the Cycladic. Other groups have different "looks" , equally beautiful ... the North East Aegean, the Dodecanese, the Ionians, etc. Many of these have seaside towns with a very italianatae look -- Terracotta roof tiles and golden-stone architecture. The more you learn, the better a time you'll have. Here's a "starter link" to Island groups - http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/ ... and here's an online map to show group locations -- Attachment 7213 (click to enlarge).
The map shows that Islands to the West & East are SO widely separated, that they can't be shown on a vertical format -- the farthest-east must be shown on an inset. Browsing a map like this, you can understand our groans when we get a forum inquiry from a fellow American saying "I have a week, and I'd like to see Corfu, Crete and Samos" (That would be like a European saying I have a week to visit the USA, I want to see the Grand Canyon, New Orleans and New York CIty). In Greece, for short trips, it works best to stick to one island chain, with perhaps one "Strategic crossover" to another chain via ferry - a connection that's not daily & must be pre-planned. It can be a challenge -- but so much fun, for planning-fans like you & me. |
Yestravel, I love your photos of Rhodes. I definitely want to visit some day.
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Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17367956)
Yestravel, I love your photos of Rhodes. I definitely want to visit some day.
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geetika & karen - I've only have the cyclades to compare Crete and Rhodes too, but I preferred Crete & Rhodes. Perhaps for beaches the cyclades are nicer, but otherwise the diversity of the larger islands appeals to me.Maybe its because both Crete & Rhodes are larger? Thanks for following along.
And yes, so many places to go and so little time it seems. I loved Croatia, it more than met my expectations. We visited inland Croatia which is very different from the coast but fascinating. I have a TR on our trip if you are interested. |
We also enjoyed Rodos. Those expecting the blue and white buildings need to visit the Cyclades island group.
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Geetika, I understand about having so many places on your travel wishlist. We haven't been to Scotland and Ireland yet, and haven't visited Vienna or Budapest. Need to see more of Italy. Was last there in the 1970's!!!
But I am already thinking of another Greece trip; thinking of Rhodes, Crete, Paros and Antiparos. Not sure when, though. We met people on Naxos who had just been to Paros and Antiparos, and they loved both islands. And you will love Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast. Try to include Slovenia if you have the time. |
I think there is so much more to Greece beyond the islands. Took us three trips to discover it. As you will see as I continue our TR the mainland and Peloponnese have so much to offer.
Its an easy, quick flight from Rodos to Athens where we picked up our rental car. This rental was through Athens Car Rental. They met us at the airport and we took off for Northern Greece. This was to begin a portion of our trip with several 1 or 2 nighters. Our preferred travel mode is for longer stays but as I planned this trip, it just seemed a few places were for 1 site and the towns offered little for what we enjoy. So it began with a return after 30+ years to Delphi. On our first trip to Delphi, I was entranced by the ruins there. Other than the Acropolis in Athens I had not seen any ruins and the sheer magnitude and the setting in the mountains was just overwhelming to me. It's a memory etched in my mind to this day. I was curious to see my reaction so many years and so many more ruins later. I was still impressed. It's an easy drive, part way on highways and the rest on well paved, signed mountain roads to arrive at Delphi. Took us about 3 hours from the Athens Airport to our hotel. We did a quick, 20 minute detour to Monastery of Osios Loukas. A site I highly recommend visiting when going to Delphi. In a landscape that seems untouched by time, there are 2 magnificent Byzantine churches decorated with frescoes and mosaics, with their characteristic golden background (10-11th century AD). The Byzantine monastery is still functioning today. The monastery was founded around the middle of the 10th century AD by the monk Loukás from Stýri. Delphi and its archeological museum are both so worth the trek from Athens. We saw the museum the following morning after visiting the ruins in late afternoon. I recommend seeing the museum first as it helps put the ruins into a perspective. Delphi is the site of the 4th-century-B.C. Temple of Apollo, once home to a legendary oracle. This extensive mountainside archaeological complex contains the remains of the sanctuaries of Apollo and Athena Pronaia, as well as an ancient stadium and theater. Delphi Archaeological Museum is excellent & displays artifacts found among the ruins. Neither were busy during the times we visited. As a side note, we tried to visit all the ruins during more "off hours" which tended to be late afternoon. We had been advised that even early mornings can be busy. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...318387572b.jpg Monastery of Osios Louka https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ce1b309fa.jpg Monastery of Osios Louka https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0d7dbfa028.jpg Monastery of Osios Louka https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ae67b2738.jpg Monastery of Osios Louka https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...974962b69d.jpg Temple of Apollo - probably my most vivid memory from the first visit here. Still amazing https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff43f81647.jpg Treasury building https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...173494134e.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...97e460078b.jpg Archeological Building - in keeping with the Kentucky Derby run that day. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c213e429fe.jpg My husband commented "Were I, like Heracles, going to tussle with the golden hind, I would at least put on my pants first." https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ee53adedc6.jpg Early morning looking out over the sleepy valley in Delphi. Sleepy until day trippers arrive. |
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17367974)
Geetika, I understand about having so many places on your travel wishlist. We haven't been to Scotland and Ireland yet, and haven't visited Vienna or Budapest. Need to see more of Italy. Was last there in the 1970's!!!
But I am already thinking of another Greece trip; thinking of Rhodes, Crete, Paros and Antiparos. Not sure when, though. We met people on Naxos who had just been to Paros and Antiparos, and they loved both islands. And you will love Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast. Try to include Slovenia if you have the time. DH and I spent a month in Ljubljana in 1990 when we were on UN assignments, this was before Slovenian independence. We were in Dubrovnic for a couple of days in 2014, but didn’t go anywhere else. I don’t think we’ll go to Greece again in the next 2-3 years. We’re also thinking of Argentina and Chile, maybe end 2023? Like I said, so many places we want to see… |
geetika "I don’t think we’ll go to Greece again in the next 2-3 years. We’re also thinking of Argentina and Chile, maybe end 2023? Like I said, so many places we want to see…" We've been to ARG several times and love it. Been to Chile once 11 years ago (combined with ARG) and had a great trip. Not to shill my TRs but I have TRS for some of the trips.
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I visited Delphi and the Temple of Apollo in 1972!!!!
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Originally Posted by yestravel
(Post 17368039)
geetika "I don’t think we’ll go to Greece again in the next 2-3 years. We’re also thinking of Argentina and Chile, maybe end 2023? Like I said, so many places we want to see…" We've been to ARG several times and love it. Been to Chile once 11 years ago (combined with ARG) and had a great trip. Not to shill my TRs but I have TRS for some of the trips.
Thanks yestravel, will definitely look at your TRs, am sure there’s loads if useful tips and info. We too loved Delphi, did it as a day trip, but the monastery was closed that day. Delphi has been on my wishlist since DH and I first went to Greece in 1981, we finally made it 41 years later! |
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17368045)
I visited Delphi and the Temple of Apollo in 1972!!!!
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Originally Posted by HappyTrvlr
(Post 17367971)
We also enjoyed Rodos. Those expecting the blue and white buildings need to visit the Cyclades island group.
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After 1 night in Delphi we moved on to another 1 nighter in Meteora. Much of the drive was on lovely mountain roads which had beautiful scenery at each curve in the road. OMG -- Meteora is incredible & not to be missed. I don't believe I have ever seen anything quite like it -- striking!
I learned the word “meteora,” means “hovering in the air” which is a perfect description of what you will see -- monasteries that were built on giant sandstone rock pillars between the 14th and 16th centuries. When I first saw them aside from being awestruck I couldn't figure out how one actually got to them & for the most part the answer is not easily. On arrival day we visited the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen which doesn't require the arduous climb to get to it, so is the easiest to get to. Just driving around and taking in the extraordinary scenery is enough to fill your time. Our hotel recommended a local taverna, Taverna Bakaliarakia, and we had an excellent meal there. We went to a "sunset spot" and enjoyed a beautiful end to our day. The next morning, we did some more driving and photographing and decided to attempt Holy Monastery of Rousanou which appeared to be easier to get to. I enjoyed both monasteries but couldn't imagine wanting to go see all 6. I actually found the landscape and scenery more compelling. "The origins of the extraordinary geological formations are difficult to explain. Instead of being volcanic rock which tend to form similar structures, they are largely formed of sandstone and various deposits of stone, sand and mud that have arisen from the deposits brought by streams flowing into a delta at the edge of a large lake. About 60 million years ago, a series of earth movements from the seabed created a vertical plateau featuring many distinct fault lines in its layers of stone. In the 9th century, hermit monks with impressive climbing skills settled into the rock caves and hollows taking on a life of great isolation and solitude. You can see still some of these caves, or ‘hermitages’ in use for similar purposes today. Many centuries later, a monk called Athanasios Koinovitis from sacred Mount Athos, traveled to Thessaly in search of the hermits and initiated the construction of the first monastery, Great Meteoron. The monasteries provided great protection during the Turkish invasions over the years and particularly during the 14th century. Today the Meteora Monasteries are on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the Meteora-Antichassia region has been officially declared a Natura 2000 Ecological Zone by the Greek Ministry of Environment and the EU." https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b696465373.jpg The long and winding road to Meteora https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8f23a00114.jpg From a distance https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fca76555bc.jpg Monastery https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b6a307818b.jpg St Stephan https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...04603d4720.jpg St Stepehn https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...574b50346f.jpg St Stephan https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...990963f60a.jpg Monastery https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...44ab9db9d8.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...45fd72dccd.jpg Had a great dinner here https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff62c3523b.jpg Sunset https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e07f9b2d8.jpeg Looking out from our room https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...99972f657b.jpg What a place! |
Thanks for the gorgeous photos, yestravel. Greece is high on my list but have not been able to find the right time of year. In any case, I've always imagine my first trip to concentrate on the Peloponnese Peninsula with one island, probably Santorini, but you're giving me food for thought with Meteora.
The use by Greeks to hide from the Turks reminds me of some of the cave dwellings and underground cities found in Cappadocia in central Turkey. The landscape is also unique and the Greeks in the area were resourceful in using the rocky landscape to hide. |
Originally Posted by tripplanner001
(Post 17368537)
Thanks for the gorgeous photos, yestravel. Greece is high on my list but have not been able to find the right time of year. In any case, I've always imagine my first trip to concentrate on the Peloponnese Peninsula with one island, probably Santorini, but you're giving me food for thought with Meteora..
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Love your photos of Meteora! If we visit Greece again, it will definitely have to be a month-long trip! Let's see, Rhodes, Crete, Paros, Antiparos, Meteora, more of the Peloponnese?
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Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17368674)
Love your photos of Meteora! If we visit Greece again, it will definitely have to be a month-long trip! Let's see, Rhodes, Crete, Paros, Antiparos, Meteora, more of the Peloponnese?
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