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Europe, England & Greece 2023Europe, England & Greece 2023
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Our winter getaway this year will take us to The Netherlands for a cruise around Norway. Next stop will be a few weeks in France before we cross The Channel to visit friends in England. The final stage of our holiday is to explore Greece. Read more
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  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    2
    Day 31

    London to Athens

    July 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The news is coming through that the heat wave in Greece is so intense that they have closed the outdoor archaeological sites around midday.

    Well, we did want to escape winter in Melbourne.

    Heathrow is chaotic as always but by midday we are our way to Athens.

    Aegean airlines were ordinary. The seating is so tight. This route is considered a short haul even though to us it is international. Strangely there was some applause on landing. Not sure what that is all about?

    Our pickup man was waiting, all has gone smoothly so far.

    The apartment is great and clean. They convinced us to try their authentic Italian restaurant on the rooftop. The pizzas were fresh and delicious.

    It is late and still 35 degrees. Tomorrow, we join a tour.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    Day 32

    Athens

    July 16, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    The prediction today is in the forties, so we got up and enjoyed the hotel breaky and packed our bags.

    We needed to move to the hotel that is where our tour starts with Insight Tours. It was just a short trip and to our delight our room was ready at midday, so we had time to get some cash and local goodies at a shop.

    This will be a rare day where we can relax until the group dinner tonight at 6:30pm so we decided to spend the afternoon at the rooftop pool. The view from there is unbelievable. You have a 360 degree look at Athens including the Acropolis.

    Our hotel is 5 star, so we are spoilt. We will spend 3 single nights here because we head north and back here Friday before we go to the Greek islands and the last night of the tour here. The clever people on our tour have dropped back to one bag and will leave luggage in storage here. We are not that clever!

    Erin is our tour director. This is our 3rd Insight tour, and she is already outstanding compared to prior directors. We get heaps of updates, and the week has been planned out to avoid the heat stress.

    Our group is unusually small. We are in total 19 guests. This is the peak of summer so maybe the heat was a turn off. With this small number we will have a more personal experience. Our coach is brand new doing only its third trip.

    After the hotel briefing, we walked a few doors down for our first dinner together. Oroscopo Restaurant, which Barack Obama dined in 2 weeks prior. The food was great. Soup, Greek salad, moussaka and 🍦 to finish. The wine flowed nicely, and we met each other properly.

    There are 6 Aussies and the rest are from the USA.

    Early start tomorrow to beat the heat.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    Day 33

    Athens to Kalambaka

    July 17, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Insight is all over the danger of being out in the heat. As bad as it sounds, we had a 5:45am wake up call to be on the bus by 7:15am. Breaky was awesome, and we are fully recharged and ready to go.

    The Acropolis is closed today from 11am until 5pm so our plan is simply to beat the crowd and get out of town. It works like a charm. We are at the front of the queue so much so that we have to wait for the military to unveil their flag.

    We came here about 10 years ago and it has changed a lot. The steps up are better, but you are no longer allowed to walk amongst the pillars of the Pantheon. As you would expect the visit is a bit of a history lesson.

    The Acropolis of Athens or The Sacred Rock, is thought to be the symbol of the ancient Greek culture.

    It is also considered to be one of the most significant ancient monuments in Europe.

    Both the Acropolis and the Parthenon, the imposing temple that was dedicated to the goddess Athenas, are visible from almost every part of Athens. She was the daughter of Zeus. He had a headache, and she was born from his head. I thought daughters caused headaches after they were born!

    The Acropolis in Athens was a fortress and military base during the Neolithic period, due to its position which offers a great view of the land and the sea.

    The three temples of major importance, the Parthenon, the Erechteion and the Temple of Nike, were erected during the classical period (450-330 B.C.) on the remains of earlier temples.

    All three of them are dedicated to different aspects of the Goddess Athena. One has six female statues that have been replaced with replicas. Five are in the museum here but the sixth one is in the museum in London, and they will not return it.

    The Persians destroyed some parts the Acropolis during the battle of Salamina in 480 B.C. But this did not cause it to be a ruin. It was the Otterman's who thought it was a good spot to store munitions and guess what boom💥

    In fact, there have been many times the Acropolis has been attacked but thankfully today it is being restored. You may not agree with this, but the Pantheon will eventually be fully restored as a replica. The amount of original stonework will be minimal, but it will look amazing.

    We walked out and the queue down the hill was ridiculous. Our plan worked so now we went to the relatively new museum at the foot of the site.

    The Acropolis Museum holds 55,000 ancient pieces and is really where you learn about the gods and the history. As you walk in you are stepping on a glass walkway revealing the ancient city below. Whilst disconcerting it is brilliant. The museum is precisely the same size of the pantheon so walking around you see the artifacts and remaining pieces of the pantheon in the place they would have existed up at the site. It is clever and a great way to understand the history of Greece.

    Before we can leave Athens, we have one more stop at the first stadium of the modern Panathenaic Olympics. The stadium holds 65,000 people and these days is used for music performances, and it is the finishing line of the annual running marathon held each November.

    With the temperature climbing we are at last heading out of Athens. Our journey now is north to explore a part of Greece we have never been to before.

    We enter an area rich in agriculture and stop where a famous battle occurred between Spartacus and the Persians. The Greeks were totally outnumbered and got slaughtered but the battle galvanized the Greeks to form one country and fight the invaders. It worked.

    By 6pm we arrived at Kalambaka. We only had time for a quick dip and then dinner. We enjoyed a walk into town. From what we can see from here we are in for an amazing day tomorrow.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    1
    Day 33

    Monasteries of Meteora

    July 17, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    We have driven right up the middle of Greece about level with the border of Albania to our left. Further north would be North Macedonia.

    The hotel is at the foot of a group of rugged mountains that are the reason we are here today.

    Kalambaka is a small town of only 10,000 people. Their living is agriculture and tourism from the Monasteries of Meteora. To visit, men must wear long pants and the ladies must cover knees and shoulders.

    Perched precariously on the peaks above us are six monasteries. The six (of an original twenty-four) monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area. We could see one from our hotel pool! They date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Think about how they could have possibly built them back then.

    We will visit two. All the monasteries are strict and active Greek Orthodox with four being for monks and two for nuns. Their attraction is how the hell they were built. We were told they wanted to be built as high as possible to be closer to God. Another reason was the Greek monks and nuns wanted to be safe from invading Muslims.

    The drive up in our bus was challenging and again we were battling the heat. The first monastery (Trinity) is for 33 nuns. The youngest 25, the oldest 90. They opened the gates, and we walked across a platform into their home. This monastery was bombed in WW2 and was largely renovated since 1960. Inside there are no pics allowed. The places of worship were incredible with paintings and shrines to the Christian history.

    Caves in the vicinity of Meteora were inhabited continuously at least 5,000 years ago. The oldest known example of a built structure, a stone wall that blocked two-thirds of the entrance to the Theopetra cave, was constructed 23,000 years ago, believed to be a barrier against cold winds and many Paleolithic and Neolithic artifacts of human occupation have been found within the caves.

    We were shown the spot where in 1984 James Bond was once filmed with Roger Moore as 007.

    On the second monastery we climbed 167 steps to enter. We came across the monks who were waiting for goods to be winched up from the valley. They were pleased to give pics and chat. They originally used ropes and a pulley but today it is a modern cable system.

    We were also shown the huge barrel almost 500 years old that was used to store wine that was also winched up in buckets and decanted. The wine is from their vineyards beside the town.

    Meteora was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 because of the outstanding architecture and beauty, in addition to its religious and artistic significance.

    This is a must do destination if you travel to northern Greece. What we saw today dates back to as long ago as the 13th century. Too incredible to explain properly.

    Lunch was at a local authentic restaurant with great food and even better views.

    The afternoon will be too hot to do anything so pool time or a siesta might be the best plan.

    Tonight, we have a short sunset drive to see the monasteries at sunset. This has been a memorable visit.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    1
    Day 35

    Kalambaka to Delphi to Olympia

    July 19, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Our tour director Erin is perfect. She is managing the heat wave really well. Her husband is a fire fighter, and he has been recalled from his holiday. The wind is causing wildfires around Athens.

    Today is a big drive day. We literally turn around and drive south most of the day. Instead of heading into Athens we will turn east to the peninsula of Peloponnese.

    Lunch was special. We ate by the sea for the first time. The dining area is on the boardwalk, but the restaurant is across the road. It was funny watching all the waiters running back and forth dodging traffic with our meals. We ordered octopus and bream. Superb with a drop of complimentary ouzo.

    Now we approach Delphi where according to ancient myth, Zeus released two eagles, one from the east, the other from the west, and caused them to fly toward the centre. They met at the future site of Delphi, and the spot was marked by a stone called the omphalos (navel), which was later housed in the Temple of Apollo. We saw it today in the museum. This is why Greeks considered Delphi to be the center of the world. Over many years, several temples were built there to honor Apollo. He was the god of light, poetry and music, and prophecy, or the telling of the future.

    Our local guide explains her grandparents lived here in 1892 in a village called Castro, which the government relocated nearby to allow for the excavation of the site of ancient Delphi. She said the people of Castro knew that below them were ancient relics, but they didn’t realize it was the Temple of Apollo. They didn’t say anything because they were farmers and didn’t want to lose their land.

    The museum gave us some welcome relief from the heat. We particularly enjoyed the 4th and 5th centuries BC statues that even had old photographs of where they were discovered in 1892.

    We went up to the archaeological site but none of us were game to go all the way to the theatre at the top of the hill.

    Some of the artifacts are so old and in such good condition.

    On our drive today there were field after field of olive trees, which many are 2000 years old. Greece really grows a wide variety of crops.

    Tonight, we finish in Archaic Olympic. Erin has told us this is the best hotel of the week.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    2
    Day 36

    Olympia

    July 20, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Only a 10-minute drive to the archeological site of the Ancient Olympics. This is where we have all seen the lighting of the Olympic torch as it begins its journey to the countries holding the games.

    As we enter the grounds you can see archeologists painstakingly revealing what was once the gymnasium. The whole area was destroyed by the invasions, earthquakes and finally floods covered everything in mud. The revealing started in 1875.

    The fascinating story here is that it all started in the 4th century BC when there was a plan devised to stop or reduce all the civil wars within Greece. The idea being that competing for sports was to become the focus, not fighting.

    Athletes were not only required to excel in a sport, but they also had to attend studies in astronomy, writing, numeracy, language and history. They believed knowledge gave freedom. All the athletes performed naked. No women were involved. They tended to stay home and look after the family.

    Over 45,000 people travel from all over the country to gather to watch athletes wanting to become the champion of sports that included running, discus, boxing and javelin. If you won, you were treated like a god and a statue would be built in your honor. We sat on the bases where statues once were on display beside the entrance to the stadium.

    Entering the stadium was a surreal feeling. Just before we did this we stood where the torch is lit. This ceremony will occur early next year for the Paris Olympics. We have seen this ceremony many times but today it made it more meaningful.

    To the left of the stadium entry archway were the statues of shame. These were the cheats or athletes who broke the rules. To the right were of course the champions so the athletes could look and see on approach which would give them greatness.

    I walked the running field while Sharon posed on the original marble starting line. Imagine what it would have been like 2500 years ago.

    There was so much historical significance to absorb today that I can’t fit it into this blog. The museum provided an insight into the actual pieces found in the site. There was once a 30 metre statue of Zeus that had 250kg of gold and many valuable jewels. It was in the centre of the site. Sadly, invaders destroyed it and melted it down, but they found the workshop and moulds where it was constructed in pieces.

    Lunch was at a world class family operated olive grove. They have won many awards for their olive oil, and we were shown their processing plant and of course we tasted their products. The heat has now caught up with us, so we retreated to the hotel for some quiet time.

    Our evening was hilarious. A nearby restaurant is famous for holding major events in Olympia. This includes the dignitaries that come here to light the Olympic torch.

    Our experience is different. We got to volunteer to cook Greek appetizers with the chef. I volunteered and made tzatziki which was delicious and very garlicky.

    After the buffet and with the help of a few wines we were graced with a Greek dancer who coerced us onto the dance floor. The men later did a dance that was to attract women who expressed their interest by smashing plates at our feet. It was just a great night with heaps of laughs.

    The owner has a collection of Olympic flame torches that gave a great photo opportunity.

    Early start tomorrow as we head back to Athens.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    1
    Day 37

    Olympia to Athens

    July 21, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Day 37 of our trip and the heat wave continues but we are in good hands.

    We have mentioned Erin, who is the backbone of how the Insight tour operates but she is supported by the driver. Andreas is the best driver we have ever experienced. He is very proud of the coach, but his road skills make our holiday even more enjoyable.

    The history lesson continues today as we turn east toward Athens. There are always so many olives groves, but today we see the Kalamata variety which is the most popular black olive to be eaten. The others are mostly for pressing into olive oil.

    Now we visit the ruined city of Mycenae which is 3,500 years old. This is the oldest archeological site we have been to this trip. Mycenae is celebrated by Homer as the seat of King Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the Trojan War.

    First, we are taken to the Kings tomb and then to the ruins. Unlike other sites in Greece here they found gold and artifacts from the bronze era which they proudly display in their museum. The Mycenaeans were bold, adventurous traders and fierce warriors. They accomplished great feats of engineering and architecture. They designed and built remarkable fortification walls, bridges, and beehive-shaped tombs. Their cities featured elaborate drainage and irrigation systems. Fantastic visit.

    Next stop the Mycenean Center where two sisters continue the traditional pottery with artworks used back in the day. The jewellery was also of a particularly high standard, so we bought a few pieces.

    Stopped for a quick walk through an elegant town called Nafplio, known for its beautiful architecture, colourful shops and cafes. Their port has a Venetian built fort at the entrance and high above the town is their ancient city.

    The Corinth Canal is an artificial canal in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. We stopped briefly to admire this man-made achievement. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. It took 7 years and 700 workers to carve it through.

    It is 6.4 kilometres in length and only 24.6 metres wide at sea level, making it impassable for many modern ships. It was only recently reopened after a landslide. We watched a yacht and a luxury super yacht pass. They pay maybe 300 euros. It is based on the vessel length. Hard to imagine cruise ships were once allowed to navigate this canal.

    Serious damage was caused to the canal in World War 2 during the Battle of Greece between the defending Allied troops and the Nazis. German parachutists and glider troops attempted to capture the main bridge over the canal. The bridge was eventually defended and protected by British and Anzac forces.

    In the evening we walked deep in a neighborhood full of boardwalk restaurants to enjoy a hearty dinner in true Greek style, complete with wine and good cheer.

    Now we have another night in Athens before a crazy early start tomorrow. Our group now shrinks to 15 people. Our favorite couple are Yannis (John) and Cornelia from New Orleans. They are 90 years old and so switched on. Their trip now takes them to join relatives. Another couple transfer to a cruise.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    3
    111
    Day 38

    Athens to Santorini

    July 22, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    At last we get to go to the islands for the second week of our Insight Tour.

    We were lucky enough to visit Santorini on a day excursion from our Mediterranean cruise about 6 years ago. We promised to return and here we are.

    The bad news is we are taking the high velocity ferry that only leaves at 6:30am each day so we were up at 4:15am . Yuck.

    Last night was a nice farewell to four in our group and goodbye to our legendary driver Andreus.

    The ferry to Santorini is called World Champion. Built in Tasmania it holds some form of speed record. They even have a Formula 1 race car mid deck.

    The loading process is organized bedlam . We find ourselves on the upper deck but seated apart. The travel time is 5 hours. If we went on the standard ferries it takes twice as long.

    This port services 227 islands making it a very busy harbour. We stop at Syros, Mykonos, Naxos, Ios along our route to Santorini. The ferry service is a really quick turnaround.

    We found some seats together but didn’t realize they were first class. The area attendant was kind and let us stay which we really appreciated.

    The water is blue and the sun is shining bright and hot. The port on Santorini is called Thira. The island is the remains of what was once a volcano so all the townships are built on the brim. The buildings are therefore on steep angles and are crammed in.

    Getting off the ferry is like participating in a stampede. Our bus was close-by and the driver navigated with considerable experience up the very steep and windy road to the top.

    Our hotel is 5 ⭐️ but we were early for our rooms, so we walked to town for some supplies.

    The vegetation here is weird. They rarely get rain, but they do get regular early morning fogs, and this dampens the ground. This creates good conditions for grape vines, so all the spare land is planted with grape vines planted really low to the ground.

    Pool time in the afternoon and everyone seems tired probably due to the early start. Erin is always alert and has told us we must be ready at 8pm to walk to town for the sunset.

    Loaded with cheese, crackers and some wine we file through the crowds to an unknown patio with a most beautiful view of the island. One lovely cruise ship is about to depart.

    The sunset is just what we needed. So pretty here. Impossible to take a bad photo.

    Tonight, we attend a Greek wedding. More about that on tomorrows blog.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    2
    Day 38

    Santorini

    July 22, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    No wake up call and no excursion today. This will make a nice change after a few hectic days.

    Last night we attended a traditional Greek wedding show. It starts with you waiting in a staircase in stifling heat but soon you move into a large room full of family photos and a staircase.

    We are told we are cousins and guests of the bride. The wall has a video playing of the bride getting ready and the chaos of the bridesmaids and aunts.

    The mother of the groom comes in an revs the crowd up and this was one of many who sang and made us laugh.

    Once we were seated, the bride and groom went to all the tables introducing their husband to “the cousins”.

    The show included quite a few wedding appropriate songs backed by a Greek band. The dancing started and the plate smashing too. A great night.

    We walked to town after breakfast and again we are battling strong heat. We found the museum for cool place to hide for a while and then a shop to buy some trinkets.

    There were 3 cruise ships in the port so it was packed in town. The best decision we could make was to go back to our hotel and enjoy the afternoon in and beside the pool.

    Tonight we will attend a celebration of Angelina’s 15th birthday. Whilst her family are from the USA their heritage from Puerto Rico . When you are 15 they celebrate quinceanera which is the transition child to womanhood. The parents want us to attend this tradition.    Read more

  • Europe, England & Greece 2023
    Day 40

    Oia

    July 24, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We head out on a tour today by combining with another small group staying next door at the Hotel Greco.

    The trip takes us to the archeological site of Akrotiri discovered in 1967 when archeologists spoke with local farmers and fishermen about man made pieces they had been finding over some time.

    The settlement was destroyed in the Theran eruption sometime in the 16th century BC and was buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of fine frescoes and many objects and artworks that we saw here and the museum in town.

    Only 10% of an ancient civilization has been excavated. The site is covered, and boardwalks built so you can walk around to see what they revealed. Our tour guide Yanni gave us an excellent insight into what happened here. It is older than Pompeii. The indigenous people had three story homes that had sewerage systems flushing with seawater. The ladies were the planners, and the men did the hard labour. The eruptions and tsunamis destroyed everything, but the site shows they knew it was coming as they have not yet discovered human remains.

    Next stop we visited is one of Santorini’s best wineries . Domaine Sigalos presented four wines with a small meze. The dessert wine was popular with the group. The vineyard grapes are ripe and harvesting starts next week.

    Now for the highlight of Santorini.

    Oia is a coastal town on the northwestern tip of Santorini island. The town has whitewashed houses carved into the rugged clifftops, and overlooks a vast caldera which is what Greeks call the water in the middle of the volcano.

    We went to Oia about ten years ago and we promised each other we would return one day and here we are. It is almost impossible to take a poor photo here. Just about every Greek advertisement for holidays use this location because the blue and white is brilliant. The history of the two colors is that they combine the two worlds of the earth and sky. The blue is only allowed on churches. Did not disappoint and was well worth the journey.

    We battled the masses and returned to our hotel. In the evening we caught a local bus to another sunset location and then wandered back to Fira. It was busy but we found a gyros place and ate late.

    Tomorrow is move on day. News is filtering through about the wildfires and evacuation of tourists on Rhodes Island. We will keep an eye on our plans.    Read more

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