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Travel to Greece
ITINERARY 2005

July 12-24, 2005

Day 1 Fly out of Detroit to Athens.
Arrive in Athens Airport.
Immediate departure for Nauplion.
Stop at and walk over the Corinth Canal.
Visit Corinth. Coffee and snacks at a waterfront café.
Arrive in Nauplion.
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Rex.
Nauplion by night: Optional after dinner walk by the water.
Day 2 Breakfast at the Hotel Rex.
Explore Nauplion (the first capital of Greece after the Revolution of 1821) and its surroundings.
Visit the imposing Venician fortress of Palamidi from which the view is breathtaking.
Take a brief boat ride to the charming islet of Bourtzi.
Walk through the castle, experience history’s everlasting presence.
Have Lunch by the water.
Visit the Nauplion Archaeological Museum
Stroll through the charming streets of Nauplion.
Afternoon at the Arvanitia Beach.
Dinner at the Hotel Rex.
Enchanting, evening walk around the hill of Acronauplia by moonlight (something to look forward to!!!).
Day 3 Breakfast at the Hotel Rex.
Visit the 13th century BC Cyclopean citadel of Tiryns, which Homer called “wall-girt” (Iliad 2.559). Here, the legends of Amphitryon, Alcmene, Zeus and Heracles will come alive.
Pass through Argos, the most ancient of Greek cities, which in antiquity was sacred to Hera, and was connected with the myth of Danaos and his fifty pitiful daughters.
Visit the impressive prehistoric site of Mycenae, which was uncovered in 1874 by Schlieman. Its Cyclopean Walls, its Lion Gate, its secret stairway, its tholos tombs are all awe inspiring.
Lunch
Visit Nemea, presently famous for its wines, but more well known in antiquity for its athletic games, and Heracles’ first labor; for it was here that the hero had killed the fierce lion whose skin he always wore.
Return to Nauplion
Visit the Arvanitia beach if time allows.
Dinner at the Hotel Rex.
Day 4 Breakfast at the Hotel Rex.
Day at Epidaurus, famous for its sanctuary of Asplepeios, the healer son of Apollo, and its outstanding ancient theater.
Visit the entire site and the museum.
Lunch and afternoon at the beach
Dinner on our own today. During dinner we will analyze the play we will see this evening
Attend evening Greek Drama performance at the ancient theater.
Return to Nauplion. Overnight at Hotel Rex.
Day 5 Breakfast at the Hotel Rex.
Depart from Nauplion
Pass through Lerna, the place where Heracles killed the multi-headed monster Hydra.
Stop at Tripolis, which played an important part during the
Greek Revolution.
Lunch in Sparta, one of the most powerful city states of ancient Greece.
Afternoon exploration of Mystras, the last major cultural center of the Byzantine Empire. Its haunting castles, with the panoramic view, its monasteries, churches and palaces will revive Greece’s medieval
history, and will keep us captive for hours.
Arrive in Gythion. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Pantheon.
Day 6 After breakfast we will visit the spectacular Diros Caves. In a thirty minute boat ride in the caves, we will marvel at the overhanging
stalactites, which are reflected by the stream water below.
Lunch
Afternoon visit and exploration of Monemvasia, which reached its prime in the 15th century . It is nicknamed “the Gibraltar of Greece,” and it is the birth place of the famous 20th century poet Yannis Ritsos. The upper town here is in ruins, but the lower town is restored and awe inspiring.
Return to Gythion. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Pantheon.
Day 7 After breakfast we will explore Mani.
We will enjoy lunch and the beach at Neo Oityeo.
Drive to Kalamata.
Dinner and overnight at Hotel Pharea
Optional evening city strolling.
Day 8 After breakfast we will visit the intriguing site of Messene, whose towers, bouleuterion and temples date from the 4rth century BC.
Lunch
Visit Koroni, Methoni, Pylos, Sfakteria, and Nestor’s Palace, where Homer’s stories will come alive.
Arrive in Olympia. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Europa.
Day 9 After breakfast visit the Ancient Site and the Archeological Museum of Olympia, where the Olympic Games originated in 776 BC.
Late lunch by the beach.
Stop for coffee and a short visit at Patras.
Dinner at Xylocastro (on our own).
Arrive in Athens.
Overnight at the Hotel St. George Lycabettus.
Day 10 After breakfast we will celebrate the golden age of Athens by exploring the Acropolis and the Agora areas with their multiple monuments and their museums.
Lunch at the surrounding area.
Return to the Hotel. Rest
Evening walk and dinner at Plaka, below the Acropolis (on our own).
Overnight at the Hotel St. George Lycabettus.
Day 11 After breakfast leave for an extensive sight seeing tour of Athens. It will include ancient monuments, byzantine churches, modern
neoclassical buildings, the Panathenaic Stadium, the National Garden, the
Parliament House in front of which we will watch the impressive change of the
guard by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
.
Lunch at the Garden of the National Museum.
Visit the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Return to the Hotel. Rest.
Evening Visit and dinner at the Lecabettus Hill from which the view is majestic.
Overnight at the Hotel St. George Lecabettus.
Day 12 After breakfast depart for:
a) The airport to return to the USA
b) The optional 4 day Aegean Island Cruise