#16 Greece
Corfu —-> Santorini —-> Athens —-> Rhodes
Let’s start with Corfu. We set sail from Corfu and explored the Adriatic Sea for 7 days. One of the best parts about sailing is that you anchor in a new village every night. We anchored in Syvota, Paxos, Antipaxos, Parga (my favorite), and Plataria. Each village has its own charm and personality, which makes this experience so much more magical. This trip included almost 200 people, the people we did have the opportunity to spend time with are now forever friends. There are so many beautiful moments: sun, blue skies, the wide sea, dreamy anchorages, and wildlife crossing your route like dolphins, turtles, and fish of every kind, getting sun-kissed every morning by the sunrise and crowned by the beautiful sunset at the end of the day.
Sailing fascinates me as sailing is thousands of years old. Throughout history, sailing has helped various civilizations to develop and prosper as people sailed across oceans to settle in new undiscovered areas. Each time we set sail, it’s as if we can feel the same excitement, uncertainty, and craving for adventure as it used to be thousands of years ago. In a way, sailing is like a bridge connecting us with the first explorers of the world. If you ever have an opportunity to take a sailing trip, I would give it a try. It’s like camping, but on water. ;)
During this trip, we visited the Meteora Monasteries. This is a place that we recommend people visit if they are in mainland Greece. There are 6 Meteora monasteries perched on the huge cliffs people can visit today. Serene, spiritual, magical, mystical, extraordinary, breathtaking, immense, inspiring, impressive. We only had the opportunity to visit two, which were breathtaking!
“From the early Christian times, the cliffs of Meteora were regarded as a perfect place to achieve absolute isolation. A place for people to find peace and harmony and, thus, to support mankind’s eternal struggle for spiritual ascension. Meteora today is the largest archaeological site in Greece in terms of the area that it covers. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989 and an official holy place for Greece since 1995.”
Below are some professional and nonprofessional photos taken on the trip. I am so thankful someone else captured the beauty.
Santorini
This island feels like a honeymoon stop, which is great after a week with 200 other humans. It is most famous for its unique blue domes and sunset viewpoints. The blue domes are churches. Some are private, and others are public. You can tell by the size and the condition whether it is a private or public church. We stayed in Imerovigli, which is central to everything. We easily walked to Fira, the drive to Oia was very short, and visiting the south end of the island to explore the black sand beach, Périssa Beach, was easily accessible. It felt like every winding walkway gave us a new view from the last. Every turn had its own unique beauty to share.
Athens
In college, I took a Greek Mythology course, so it was a fun way of exploring the nature of the myths and their function for individuals living in Athens, their societies, and their nations in real life. We bought an Athens Pass that gave us entry to most of the historical sites. With the pass, you can visit:
Acropolis of Athens
Ancient Agora of Athens Museum
Ancient Agora of Athens- Areios Pagos
Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos
Hadrian's Library
Kerameikos
Lykeion Archaeological Site
North & South slope of the Acropolis
Olympia
Roman Agora of Athens
It’s well worth it. I also highly recommend a walking tour since you learn much more from someone native to Athens!
Rhodes
Our final stop! Rhodes island offers visitors a history that goes back in time thousands of years, to the ages of mythology.
The beautiful myth of Rhodes says that after Zeus's victory against the Giants, he decided to divide the earth among the Olympian gods; The only god who received nothing was Helios, the god of the Sun.
He, according the myth, was absent and "No one remembered to include him in the draw"! When he came back he demanded his share, but Zeus told him that he was not able to make the cast again because the rest of the gods would not agree. Helios was disappointed but asked Zeus and the other gods to promise that the land that was to rise out of the sea could be his.
As he spoke, a beautiful island slowly emerged from the bottom of the blue sea, Rhodes. Helios bathed Rhodes with his own radiance and made it the most beautiful island in the Aegean Sea.
Who wouldn’t be tempted to visit this island after reading that?
We did not have a lot of time to spend in Rhodes. We explored as much of Old Town as we could. It was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1988 and is the largest medieval city in Europe. The Palace of the Grand Master is the gem of the crown and very beautiful. Walking through this imposing 14th-century structure with ancient art, architecture, exquisite marble, sculptures, and mosaics will give you a glimpse of what life was like way back when. We loved strolling down every cobbled stone street and absorbing as much history as possible.
A traditional Greek dish that we loved was Gemista. It is naturally vegan, which is great for us. Vegetables such as bell peppers or tomatoes are filled with rice, and chopped vegetables and are baked in a tomato-based sauce. It is delicious and really easy to make at home.
That’s a wrap! 3 weeks in Greece was so much fun, and we cannot wait to explore different islands the next time we return!!
What has been your favorite Greece island to visit? Comment below and let us know!
Until next time…
Explore more.
Adventure awaits!!
Information on the monasteries was found here: https://visitmeteora.travel/meteora-monasteries/
