See you in Greece - Σας δείτε στην Ελλάδα

Greece is a wonderful country to visit and it offers so much. Tourists will never cease to find excitement on any of the islands because the culture is so rich and the people are unbelievable nice. Although only a few cities were mentioned in this blog, there are more islands on the Aegean Sea that should be visited as well. However, my favorite ones are Mykonos and Ephesus. Both islands offer incredible beauty and magnificent views. Plus, they were the ones in which I had the most fun in. J

A vacation in Greece is something that one will never forget; I know I will certainly remember each day forever. From temples to mountains, monasteries to churches and exotic foods, Greece offers tourists a wonderful location for relaxing environments, yet exciting vacations.  

I hope you all enjoyed this blog about Greece and that the pictures and information provided serve as a guide to encourage you to visit this beautiful country or have it in mind for the near future.

Have fun, enjoy and see you in Greece!

The Cyclades - Κυκλάδες

Another place that I would have loved to visit while Greece is the Cyclades - a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. After some research I found out that they are the most beautiful Mediterranean islands and part of its beauty comes from the coexistence of white and blue in the Cycladic architecture, the traditional way of life, the island songs, the warm hospitality, the stark landscape embroidered with deserted country churches, the stunning coasts, and the beautiful beaches.

The name means ‘the islands' refers to the circle the islands form around the sacred island of Delos. According to Greek mythology, the Cyclades were created by the God Poseidon, who turned the Cyclades nymphs into islands after the nymphs had provoked the god’s wrath. 

An interesting fact that I learned was that the Cyclades is where the native Greek breed of cats first came from. I found this to be considerably interesting since I had no idea Greece had its own breed of cats!

Olympia - Ολυμπία

Another city that I would have loved to go to is Olympia, the sanctuary of ancient Greece. In classical times, this is where the Olympic Games took place in honor of Zeus.

Olympia is also known for the gigantic ivory and gold statue of Zeus, named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. There is much to see in this city, since there is a vast of archaeological remains.

I thought Mount Olympus was IN Olympia, but apparently that is not the case. After some research I realized I am not the only one who thought that since there is great confusion between the two.

- Olympia is the home of the original Olympic Games, and it is located in the Pelopponesse, the large peninsula forming the southwest of Greece.

- Mount Olympus is home to Zeus and the other Olympian gods and goddesses. It is located in Central Greece, on the Greek mainland. It is known fro its rich flora and national park.

Meteora - Μετέωρα

For ten days I was able to enjoy and admire a country that is so rich in culture. As we flew back to NY, I realized that although we visited several important and beautiful places in Greece, there were many cities and archeological sites we were not able to go to because of time and distance. One of the sites I would have loved to visit is Meteora.

Meteora means: ‘suspended rocks’ – ‘suspended in the air’ or ‘in the heavens above’.

This is one of the largest and most important sites of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries in Greece. There are six monasteries that are built on natural sandstone rock pillars.

This is the kind of place that even though you are not religious, you are going to want to visit. According to UNESCO, “these monasteries represent a unique artistic achievement and are one of the most powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site into a place of retreat, meditation and prayer. The Meteora provide an outstanding example of the types of monastic construction which illustrate a significant stage in history, that of the 14th and 15th centuries when the eremitic ideals of early Christianity were restored to a place of honor by monastic communities, both in the Western world and in the Orthodox Church.”

From the pictures I got to see in the brochure and the ones I found on Google, this site looks breathtaking and picturesque! Looks like it is a great place for reflection and peace. 

Cape Sounion - Aκρωτήριο Σούνιο

On our last day in Greece we docked on the port of Piraeus and our tour bus was ready to take us to Cape Sounion. The drive from the port to our destination was about 3 hours, so all of us fell asleep on the bus. As we got close to Cape Sounion I woke up and realized that we had been driving next to the shore for a while and the view was incredible; the temple of Poseidon – Neptune looked amazing with the contrast of the Aegean Sea.

According to legend, Cape Sounion is the spot where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea. Every year the Athenians were forced to send 7 boys and 7 girls to Minos attribute. These youths were placed in the labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur. Theseus - Aegeus’ son - had volunteered to go with the third tribute and attempt to slay the beast. He had agreed with his father that if he survived the contest, he would hoist a white sail. Theseus managed to overcome and slain the Minotaur, but had simply forgotten about the white sail. As he sailed back from Crete, King Aegeus saw the black flag on his son’s ship and despaired, throwing himself off a cliff.

We were able to walk around, take many pictures and enjoy the wonderful view this spot offered. On our way back to the hotel, we all planned to take the subway into Plaqa so we could all enjoy one last meal in Athens. The subway station was amazing! There is an entire exposition of the ancient artifacts they found while they built the station. The subway system was also amazingly modern and cheap.  

As we got back to out hotel, we all went to the terrace, hung out in the pool and enjoyed a nice glass of wine with the view of the Parthenon. It was a truly wonderful experience: Greece is certainly a country worth visiting!

Santorini – Σαντορίνη

Santorini is basically what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion. The explosion destroyed the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island. It lead to the creation of the current geological caldera.

Our tour guide told us that we had two options for the tours: * Tour the city and shop. *Do the volcano hike and see a little of the city.

As a group we figured we needed a little more excitement, and so we all decided to do the second option. While we prepared for our tour, we were told to wear bathing suits because we would have the opportunity to swim in the hot springs. We all looked hilarious with our distinct fashion trends: sneakers and bathing suits. 

When we were on the line getting ready to disembark, we realized we were being disembarked in the middle of the Aegean sea into a smaller boat, because our cruise ship was too big to go near the volcano area. This was exciting and freaky! We all got into the smaller boat and sailed to the edge, where another boat was waiting to take us to the volcano.

The color of the water changed drastically as we approached the volcano. This was due to the sulfur in the water. The hike wasn’t intense at all! I hiked a volcano in Guatemala once before, therefore I was expecting this one to be a bit challenging, but I was way off! It was fairly easy to climb; the only problem was that is was extremely sandy, so we had to be very cautious with our steps. To my disappointment, this is not an active volcano. By the time we got to the top there was not much to do or see. However, we got to smell a little fume that still emanates from years ago, through a hole in one of the remaining peaks.

As we made our return from the other side of the volcano, the boat took us to the hot springs. I was not able to swim in them, but from what I saw and heard, people had mixed feelings about them. The boat had to stay about twenty-five feet from the hot springs, so people had to swim from the boat to the hot springs. The water from the boat to the hot springs was really cold; this I assume was the part that most people did not like.

After this, we sailed to the edge of the island and got on a bus that drove us up a very scary hill, till we got to the town of Santorini. We had very little time to explore, since most of our day had been spent hiking and enjoying the volcano. In order to get back on the cruise ship, we had to descend from the other side of the town. The way they do it is CRAZY! But AWESOME! We all got to sit in cable cars and ride down to the cruise. 

Crete – Κρήτη

The following island on the list was Crete, the largest and most populous Greek island. We were told that the excursion to Crete had two options. We could either go on a guided tour with a professor or we could explore on our own. Of course, more than half of the group decided to do the second choice since this one allowed everyone to sleep until at least 8:30am. By the time we all got ready to disembark on the boat, we realized neither of us really knew where to go or what to see. However with our good spirits we all decided to take it as easy as possible and just walk around. 

As we strolled on the streets of Crete, we noticed that the port in which our bout docked is considered the commercial port; therefore the surroundings were mostly houses and commercial places. We managed to find a place to grab a quick bite to eat and we found it extremely interesting to see that the bagel was considered a regular sandwich or piece of bread.

By the time we got to the port, to get checked and pass security, we saw a huge line of passengers (from various cruise ships) so we stood at the end of line waiting. Somehow I overheard a tourist saying that whoever was in the Aquamarine cruise ship was most likely going to miss the boat because of the huge line. I immediately told all my classmates, and of course, we all freaked out. We started to run and ask people if they would let us cut the line and thankfully, they did and we passed through security in a rush. As we ran to the exit of the security checkpoint we noticed that the bus to the cruise was giving the final call; we were so relieved when we got to the cruise!

Having said that, there are a large number of archaeological sites to visit in Crete: the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, and the diverse archaeology of the island of Koufonisi which includes Minoan, Roman, and World War II ruins.