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My wife and I took a tour of ancient Greece and the Aegean Islands during
10/25-11/9/2007. Below is a summary of our experiences.
The overnight flight from Boston-Munich-Athens was uneventful but
tiring due to jet lag. The modern Athens airport built for the 2004
Olympics was a welcome change from that of 13 years ago when it was
crowded and antiquated. By 3 pm local time, we were checked into the
hotel and ready to take a needed nap
We started the tour at Athens, the capital of Greece. Greece is a relatively
small country of 11 million people. However, its history is ancient. She
gave the western world democratic ideas, philosophy, mathematics and
geometry, the alphabets, and the mythology of gods. Her glory days are
from 14th century BC to approximately 4th century BC. More recently it
was conquered by Persia, The Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire up to
end of WWI, and in World War II by Germany in succession. As a result
the conditions of the country show its scars. If you compare Athens with
Rome, developments in Athens are more uneven and less complete.
Similarly, the coastline of Greece though beautiful (with the exception of
the islands) suffers in comparison to the Amalfi cost of Italy or the
Dalmatian coast of the Balkins. To some extent, her fabled history and
many of the Hollywood movies and recent celebrities that made the
country famous also unfairly raised our expectation of the country.
On the other hand, in terms of antiquities and ruins, Greece is among the
firsts in the world. The famous archaeological sites, with the Athens’
Acropolis at head of the list predates others by hundreds or thousands of
years (see photos). The major sites are in Athens, Delphi, Mycenes, the
Island of Crete, The Sounion cape, and the sacred island of Delos. The last
one deserves a special mention. Delos is a small island in the middle of
the Aegean Sea. It is totally uninhabited but has a large ruin of an entire
city dating back to a thousand year before Christ. Its nearest comparison
is the famed Inca city ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. While the later is
more spectacular in scenery, the Delos ruin existed some 2000 years
earlier.
Halfway through the trip we boarded a yacht with 40 other passengers to
tour the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The trip consists of visit to the
island of Delos, Mykonos, Patmos, Santorini, Sifnos, and Epheses (which
currently is a port city belong to Turkey) . This part of Grecian landscape
and tourist attractions are unique and unequaled by the rest of the world.
The Greek national color of blue and white are almost uniformly adopted
in the residential and commercial buildings of the islands with white walls
and blue window shutters. Under brilliant sunshine the visual effect is
stunning to say the least. Many travel books, movies, and brochures
feature this view exemplified by the well-known photo images of the
Santorini Island. This is one place that lived up to its hype. It was formed
by a gigantic volcanic explosion some 3500 years ago. What is left today
is a huge caldera filled with ocean water and the island forming a crescent
around it. Houses, churches, and inns built along the vertical cliffs
surrounding the caldera forming a spectacular sight (see photo).
We returned to Boston on 11/9/07. It was an enjoyable and informative trip.
Acropolis, Athens
Delphi ruins
Santorini KIsland view
near Mycenes
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