Our itinerary: We flew into Athens (2 nights), then rented a car and drove to Delphi (1 night), then continued along the west coast (1 night) to the Zagoria region of Greece (2 nights). After Meteora (1 night), we hit the east coast of Greece (1 night), then headed back to drop off the car and catch a ferry to and from Samos (1 week).
Click here for some general tips for traveling in Greece.
Two days is more than enough time for Athens.
While here, you must walk to the top of the Acropolis. Here's a view of
Athens from the Acropolis.
To the right is Lykavittos
Hill (lyki and
vaino mean "path of light"),
accidentally dropped by the
goddess Athena, and the highest point in the city at 910 feet.
At the Acropolis: "An expression of the glory of Athens," the
construction on the
Parthenon, a temple for Athena, began in 447BC and took 9 years to
complete.
A great day trip out of Athens is to Cape Sounion
at the
southern most tip of mainland Greece. Here, a
priestess stands near a temple dedicated to Poseidon (444BC), the
powerful trident wielding god
of the sea.
Enjoying my first liter
of the sweet Greek wine (three euros worth) in
Arachova en route to Delphi (just west of Athens).
The remains of the temple to Apollo in Delphi, in existence since the
6th century BC, where worshippers paid to hear the words of the gods
through the Oracle, a priestess, and then interpreted by a priest.
A sacrifice at the entrance to the stadium at Delphi, which held
7000 spectators for track and field events at the Pythian Games
to celebrate Apollo's slaying of the serpent Pytho.
Tent camping in Greece is awesome! After a day in Delphi, we spent an
evening sleeping below nearby Mt Parnassus, yielding
this view of the Gulf of Corinth, home of the largest olive grove in all
of Greece, and recipient of the Apostle Paul's "letter of love."
The last major city before going into the Zagoria in Central
Greece is Ionnina.
Here the traffic cruises by the fortress,
built by the
murderous Turkish tyrant Ali Pasha in 1815, on the way to Lake Pamvotis
to consume copious amounts of food and drink on the waterfront. The
Turks ruled Greece from the middle of the 15th century until the Greek War
of Independence began in 1821.
The Pindos Mountains in the Zagoria region of northwestern Greece.
The Vikos Gorge, its 3000 ft limestone walls carved by the
Voidomatis River, is in the Zagoria region of Greece. The locals warn of
those wiley Albanian bandits, but we didn't see any when we treked
along the bottom of this fantastic place. We did encounter lots of
turtles, little green lizards, and a wiley Englishman.
On the eastern edge of the Pindos Mountains, Meteora is home
to 8 'living' monasterys, which are perched precariously on these towering
limestone features.
We hopped on a ferry in Pireas (near Athens) and took a 12 hour ferry
to the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea. Mt
Vigla (the "Look Out") guards the west end of the island.
The peak
is shrouded in clouds at 4769 ft.
Sunset over Pythagorio, Samos, birthplace of the ancient
geometer Pythagorus and of my grandfather Costas Sethares; and
the current home of the Sideris family, my third cousins. When my
Papou came to the U.S.,
"Sideris," the Greek word for iron, was rewritten
by the immigration officials at Ellis Island as "Sethares."
One of the many vineyards in the valley between
Voliotes and Monolates
(Samos), this valley is also home to fig, mulberry, olive, cherry,
chestnut, and walnut
trees. The sea confronts the valley to the north.
The Chapel Profitisilias just below the summit of Mt Vigla, in clouds,
at 4769 feet. The faithful hike 3 miles up the massif to worship at this
church twice a year.
My two favorite Greeks on the planet at St John's Monastery on the
holy island of Patmos (a short ferry from Samos). The apostle John
purportedly
dictated the book of Revelation
in a cave here when he was about 90 years old.
In Ephesus, Turkey (a day trip from Samos), one can see some of the
best preserved ancient
Greek (6th century BC) and subsequent Roman ruins in the world,
as well as the plethora of tourists who throng to the site. You ought
to drink the local's apple tea before walking about, and save the carpet
purchase until after the walk.
