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DAY
1 DEPARTURE
FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Athens.
DAY
2 ARRIVE ATHENS - ELEUSIS - NAFPLIO (2
NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our tour manager/guide
where we will board our own private coach and be transferred
to our hotel in the Nafplio area. En route, we will stop
for a visit to Ancient Eleusis, which was a center
for religious devotion that culminated in the Annual
Eleusian Mysteries. Existing from the Mycenaean period,
thousands of people from around the world would come to be
initiated. Our visit to the ancient sight will be
highlighted by:
the remains of the Greater Propylaia, built by
the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius; the Ploutonion,
the sanctuary of Hades; the Lesser Propylaia;
the Telesterion, a 5th century temple; and the
Anaktoron, the holiest portion of the sight.
Our visit will also include a visit to the small Museum
with artifacts from the ancient sight.
We continue to
Nafplio, our base for the next three evenings. Nafplio
is one of the loveliest towns in all of Greece - the old
city features neoclassic houses, picturesque streets,
Turkish fountains, fascinating mosques and magnificent
outdoor cafes.
DAY
3 MYCENAE
We will make an early start today as we travel to Mycenae, a
fortified Palace Complex uncovered by archaeologist
Heinrich Schielmann in 1874. The complex is one of the
earliest examples of sophisticated citadel architecture, and
only the ruling class would have inhabited the hilltop
palace. Highlights of our visit will include: the 13th
century BC Lion Gate; Grave Circle A,
with six royal family shaft graves; the Royal Palace
situated at the acropolis summit; and the Secret
Stairway, a flight of 99 steps dropping to a cistern
deep beneath the citadel. We return to Nafplio for the
evening.
- Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 NAFPLIO AREA - MYSTRAS - OLYMPIA AREA (1 NIGHT)
This morning we travel to majestic Mystras, which occupies a
panoramic site on a spur of the rugged Taygetos range.
Founded by the Franks in 1249, it was later the seat of the
Despots of Morea and became the last major Byzantine
cultural center by the 15th century. Before exploring the
site, we will stop for a fine view of the entire site from
the Kastro (Castle). We will enter the site from the
castle and explore the monasteries, churches, palaces and
houses that line the narrow, winding streets. We will visit
the Despot’s Palace, a rare example of Byzantine
civic architecture, highlighted by the Throne Room of the
rulers of the Cantacuzene and Palaiologgos dynasties. We
continue to Olympia for the evening.
DAY
5 OLYMPIA - DELPHI (1 NIGHT)
This morning we explore ancient Olympia. Built on
the banks of the River Alfios, Olympia is beautiful, green
and placid and was the home of the original Olympic Games,
begun in 776 BC. We will enjoy a tour through the remains
of the Ancient Olympia Complex, including the Temple
of Zeus, the Palaestra and Pheidia’s Workshop. Next we
visit the Olympia Archaeological Museum, one of the
richest museums in Greece, which displays the treasures
excavated from the area. We continue to our hotel in the
Delphi area for the evening.
- Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
6 DELPHI - ATHENS (3 NIGHTS)
Today we explore Ancient Delphi, which to the Greeks
was one of the most sacred spots in their world. Its
setting is dramatic, a natural amphitheater that faces the
sea and lies under the shadow of Mt. Parnassus. At the
center of Delphi stands the Sanctuary of Apollo,
for many centuries antiquity’s largest center of
pilgrimage. Our exploration of ancient Delphi will include:
a walk up the Sacred Way, which winds up the
hill to the Temple; the treasury buildings of the various
ancient city-states; and the spectacular ruins of the Doric
Temple of Apollo, the home of the Pythia, the
oracle who would deliver the prophecies of the gods. After
exploring the sacred site, we will visit the Delphi
Museum, with a collection of sculptures and
architectural remains of an importance second only to those
of the Athenian Acropolis. This afternoon we will journey
to Athens, Greece’s ancient and historic capital city. Upon
our arrival, we will take a Walking Tour through the
Monastiraki, the old area that takes its name from a
sunken monastery. This section of Athens is highlighted by:
the Fethiye Mosque, Tsistaraki Mosque, the Roman Agora, the
remains of Hadrian’s Library and the unique Tower of the
Winds.
DAY
7 ATHENS (BIRTHPLACE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION)
Our morning commences with a visit to the Acropolis,
which has dominated the skyline of Athens for over 2,000
years. A citadel was built on the rock in Mycenaean times,
and was the first of a series of temples that honored
Athena, the city’s divine patroness. In 480 BC the Persians
captured the Acropolis, and the Athenian leader Pericles
rebuilt the site according to his plan of unsurpassed beauty
and grandeur. During our tour of the Acropolis, we will
view: the Propylaia, the monumental entrance
to the complex; the Temple of Athena Nike; the
Parthenon, the temple to Athena which crowns
the Acropolis; the Erectheion, dedicated to
Poseidon and Athena; and the Theater of Herodes
Atticus, originally built in AD 161. Our time on
the Acropolis concludes with a visit to the Acropolis
Museum, featuring a superb collection of treasures
excavated from the area. Our day continues as we view
Hadrian’s Arch, an enormous triumphal arch built by the
Roman Emperor, which is still a symbolic entrance to
Athens. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest
temple in Athens, and we will get a sense of its enormous
size on our visit when we view the 15 columns that remain of
the original 104. This evening we will explore and dine in
the lively Plaka Area, the historic heart of Athens.
DAY
8 ATHENS & CAPE SOUNION
Our morning commences with a visit to the National
Archaeological Museum, one of the world’s most important
museums, which houses treasures collected from many small
museums in and around Athens. (Subject to Museum
re-opening) Our day continues with a visit to the
Ancient Agora, or marketplace, which formed the
political heart of Athens from 600 BC. Socrates was
indicted and executed here in 399 BC. The theater, schools
and stoas filled with shops also made this the center of
social and commercial life. We will explore the vast
remains of the ancient complex, which have been excavated
since the 1930s, including Hephaisteion, the
best-preserved Temple, and the Stoa of Attalos,
a reconstructed, colonnaded building, which houses a small
museum with the finds from the Agora.
- Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
9 DEPARTURE FROM ATHENS
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your
guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight
home.
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