Monday, January 11, 2010

Our Greece Trip



My travels include the globe, as well as my Writer's Journey. I LOVE to travel. It took me a couple of years to talk DH into visiting Greece for our most recent big anniversary. He finally gave in and, to show it, he wrapped up a bunch of Greek travel brochures for one of my Christmas presents and that, along with the nifty new camera, was his way of saying, "OK, let's go!"

A Greek friend from Dallas put us in touch with Maria Cariannopoulos, who met us in Greece with sesame cookies. Yummmm.





This trip included just about everything. First stop, the Oracle at Delphi. It would be hard not to believe in a higher power in such a beautiful spot. The surrounding countryside is what most of Greece is like, very few flat places.

We took a bus partway, then hiked the rest, to the top of a stone spire to visit one of the fantastical Meteora monasteries. Their supplies are brought up by ropes and pulleys in buckets and nets.






We also saw Olympia, site of the games after which the modern Olympics are modeled. Right after our tour, a devastating fire crept to within yards of the ruins, but heroic efforts on the part of Greek firefighters saved them. Men (no women) would come from all over that part of the ancient world to compete at these games. The beautiful olive trees, which grow wild in that part of the world, add so much to all the ruins.

Our mini cruise included several Greek Isles and a stop in Turkey to see Ephesus. I couldn't possibly pick a favorite, but Santorini, where the fable of Atlantis probably originated, is a favorite. It was drizzling and foggy for our stay there, but that didn't diminish the beauty at all.




The big finale (after many other stops I'm not including here) was the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens. I was surprised to learn that most ancient Greek cities had Acropolises (Acropoli?), and we visited several others. Almost everything you see in Greece requires lots of going up and down so, if you haven't gone and you're planning on it, get in shape! (Excuse my outfit--it was hot!)

1 comment:

  1. I have always wanted to go to Greece, and the Oracles of Delphi is one of those places I've wanted to go. Did you go on a cruise, or was a mini-cruise part of the larger trip? Did DH put the whole trip together, or did you have a tour guide or travel agent build it for you? I would soooooo love to do this. Maybe my dbf and I could figure out how to do this, too. Any pointers?

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