|
DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Athens.
DAY
2 ARRIVE ATHENS (2 NIGHTS) – ELEUSIS
We will be met at the airport by our tour manager/guide, and
travel just outside of Athens, where we will visit
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 our hotel
in central Athens. Time permitting; we will take a
Walking Tour through the Monastiraki, the old area which
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
3 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.
- Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 ATHENS & CAPE SOUNION - FLIGHT TO CRETE (2 NIGHTS)
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. 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 colonnades 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.
This afternoon we will take a short excursion to Cape Sounion, on the
coast of the Aegean Sea. Here we will visit the Temple
of Poseidon, ideally positioned for worship of the
powerful god of the sea, as it was built on a beautiful site
set back from the sheer cliffs tumbling into the Aegean
Sea. The present temple, built in 444 BC, stands on the
site of older ruins. It features an Ionic Frieze made from
Parian marble and 15 of the 34 original Doric columns
survive. This afternoon we will transfer to the
airport for a short flight to the Island of Crete, which
holds the glories of the Minoan culture
DAY
5 IRAKLION (TREASURES OF THE MINOANS)
This morning we will explore the treasures of
Iraklion, beginning with a visit to the Palace of Knossos,
one of the great archaeological sites of the world. Using
every possible clue and remnant, large parts of the palace
have been rebuilt, including walls, floors, stairs, windows,
and columns. During out tour, we will get a good sense of
the structure's labyrinthine nature, as we will be viewing
the remains of two major palaces plus several restorations
that were made from about 2000 to 1250 BC.
This afternoon we will visit the Archaeological Museum,
one of the world's premier collections of art and artifacts
from the Minoan civilization. Many of its most spectacular
objects are from the excavations at Knossos, and feature a
variety of objects, styles, techniques, and materials.
DAY
6 CRETE - HYDROFOIL TO SANTORINI (3 NIGHTS) - ANCIENT
AKROTIRI
This morning we will take a Hydrofoil Speed Ferry from
Iraklion to the spectacular Island of Santorini. Upon our
arrival on Santorini, we will transfer to Ancient
Akrotiri, where excavations have been in progress since
1967. This site has provided the world with a fascinating
look at urban life in the Minoan period, and is sometimes
nicknamed the "Minoan Pompeii." The elaborate architecture
and vivid frescoes demonstrate the high level of culture,
which was frozen in time around 1450 BC by a cataclysmic
eruption of the island's volcano. We continue with a
Donkey Ride to Fira, one of the most scenic towns in the
world, with a spectacular location on the edge of the
caldera. Fira offers unmatched views down and out to sea,
and to the off shore islands. After checking into our
hotel, we will take advantage of the emptying of Santorini’s
capital and explore the beautiful buildings, churches and
windmills. After dinner we will take a Volta (stroll)
Along M. Nomikou Street, one of the most exquisite in
the Cyclades, which follows the edge of the caldera.
DAY
7 TOUR OF THE CALDERA ISLANDS
Today we will explore the tantalizing Islands in the
Caldera, part of the glory of Santorini's seascape, and
reminders of the larger island that existed before the
volcano left the crescent in the sea. We will take a
Full-Day Boat Excursion, departing from the port of Fira.
Our first stop will be Thirassia, a small, inhabited
island west across the caldera from Santorini, where we will
have a bit of time to explore the cliff top village of the
same name, a quiet retreat from Santorini's summer crowds.
Our tour will also include stops at the two smoldering dark
islands in the middle of the caldera. Palea Kameni
("Old Burnt") is the smaller and more distant, and Nea
Kameni ("New Burnt"), which began its appearance
sometime in the early 18th century. We will return to
Santorini for the afternoon, where we will enjoy a bit of
free to time to explore or shop at our leisure.
- Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
8 THE BEACHES OF SANTORINI
Today we will enjoy a relaxing day on the beaches of
Santorini. We will begin the morning with some beach time
at Kamari on the east coast of Santorini, which
features the largest beach on the island. The natural
setting, at the foot of cliffs rising sharply toward Ancient
Thira, is excellent, and the beach itself features the
island’s unique black pebbles. Kamari’s pebbles get very
hot in the afternoon; therefore, we will transfer to the
Red Beach, or Paralia Kokkini, at the end of the road to
Ancient Akrotiri. This beach is unique because it is
composed of small red volcanic pebbles. We return to Fira
for the evening.
- Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
9 SANTORINI - ANCIENT THIRA - FLIGHT TO ATHENS (1
NIGHT)
This morning we will visit the ruins of Ancient Thira,
located on a high rocky headland called Mesa Vouna. This is
an incredible site, with cliffs dropping abruptly to the sea
on three sides, and dramatic views of Santorini and the
neighboring islands. We will take a Tour of the Remains,
of which most buildings date from the Hellenistic era, when
Ptolemaic forces occupied the site. In addition, there are
also extensive Roman and Byzantine remains. This afternoon
we will take a short flight back to Athens for our final
evening in Greece.
DAY
10 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.
|
