JOHNSTON IN GREECE, 2018 DAY 1 Welcome to Thessaloniki Transfer from airport. Orientation meeting. Overnight: Thessaloniki at Electra Palace hotel DAY 2 Thessaloniki, Vergina, Dion In the morning we take our city tour around the most emblematic Roman and Byzantine monuments of the second largest city of Greece, capital of the province of Macedonia, named after Alexander s sister. Thessaloniki s or Salonika s history begins in the 4 th century BC and continues to modern times. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Jews, Turks, the Balkan War, then the devastating World Wars of the 20 th century all left their marks, marks still visible in every corner of the city. We ll pay special attention to the history and sites of Sephardic Judaism in the city. From Thessaloniki we continue to Vergina (also known as Aiges) where we visit the extraordinary museum of the Grand Toumba, where Prof. Manolis Andronikos discovered the royal tombs of Philip II, king of Macedon and his young Prince. We close this day with a stroll among the ruins of Dion, the ancient sacred site of the cult of Zeus, situated at the foot of Mt Olympus. This is where Alexander the Great offered his sacrifices and organized rituals before starting his Asian campaign. Overnight: Thessaloniki at Electra Palace hotel
DAY 3 Pella, Boutari Winery in Naousa and Meteora We visit the remains of the city of Pella and its museum. It s a great introduction to the world of Phillip II and Alexander, as this was the new capital of their kingdom and the city of Alexander s birth and boyhood. From Pella we continue to the location of Aristotle s school before we enjoy a wine tasting and light lunch at the Boutari Estate in Naousa. Departure and overnight: Kalambaka at Amalia Hotel DAY 4 Meteora Monasteries: between heaven and earth Early morning light finds us at the top of Meteora, the rocky forest of Greece and one of the country s most spectacular landscapes. We visit one of the monasteries and discuss Byzantine art and architecture, the Greek Orthodox church, and the ways modern Greece is still connected to its Byzantine past. We have our lunch in Kalambaka before we depart to Delphi via Thermopylae: we travel back in time to the year 480 BCE when at these hot gates of Greece 300 Spartans confronted 700,000 Persians We will have dinner in Delphi and stay overnight at the nearby town of Arachova. Overnight: Arachova at Aigli Resort
DAY 5 Delphi Delphi was the most treasured sacred place of ancient Greece, and one of the most beautiful. We make a morning visit to the spectacular site and to its museum. Then we drive down to the sea for lunch, and afterwards continue on a beautiful scenic tour along the coastline to Nafpaktos, the medieval town of Lepanto, for our coffee break at its picturesque port. Then it s on to Olympia. For tonight s dinner, we are the guests of a local olive farm. Overnight: Olympia at Artys Hotel DAY 6 Olympia and Pylos Olympia: birthplace of the Ancient Olympics! We tour the site and the redesigned museum. After our lunch break we drive southwest into the land of Mycenaean King Nestor: Messinia and Pylos. In the late afternoon, we visit Methoni, the castle listed as one the-mustsee-places in Peloponnese. Overnight: Pylos at Karalis Beach Hotel DAY 7 Nestor s Palace-Mani, Oitylo In the morning we visit Nestor s Palace: after a long period of restoration, this best-preserved Mycenaean palace is finally open to us to rediscover. We ll also learn about the recent archeological finds nearby that dramatically alter our understanding of Mycenaean culture. From here, our coach takes us further south, pass the city of Kalamata, to the Mani peninsula, one of the most authentic and tourist-free parts of
Greece. We have our lunch in Kardamyli (visit Patrick Lee Fermor s house, if it is open to public by then), drive by Stoupa where Greek novelist and poet Nikos Kazantzakis lived for some time and met with Alexis Zorbas. We end our day in Oitylo village, where we ll spend two nights. Overnight: Oitylo at Porto Vitlo Hotel DAY 8 Mani Our full day tour of the Mani peninsula includes many remarkable sites: Areopolis, the Diros caves, Vatheia and fair warning Cape Tainaron, the legendary gates to Hades! Stone houses and family fortress-towers, barren rocks where only oregano and thyme grow among olive trees, mountains and the sea, small Byzantine churches in the middle of nowhere, stories about Greeks and Turks, pirates and Arabs: the Mani has something for everyone and some of the best fish and sea food in Greece. Overnight: Oitylo at Porto Vitlo Hotel DAY 9 Nafplion and Epidaurus Today we drive directly to Nafplion with a short stop in Sparta. The most spectacular ancient theatre of the country is nearby, in the small inner valley of Epidaurus, surrounded by rocky heights. Nafplion was the first capital of the new-born Greek state from 1823 to 1834. Venetians, Franks and Turks all left their marks on the city, from the medieval fortress remains through 18 th century castles, fountains, neoclassical buildings: all Nafplion s precious gems waiting for you to discover! Overnight in Nafplion at Amphitryon Hotel
DAY 10 Mycenae & National Archaeological Museum in Athens We start our day at the palace of Agamemnon, Mycenae. Indissolubly linked to the Homeric epics. The citadel, situated at a natural strongpoint, was the first to be discovered among a number of settlements and acropolises of the Late Bronze Age. We ll discuss the burial customs of the period while overlooking the remains of the famous burial circles and the almost intact Treasury of Atreus. Then we drive to Athens for the first of our two visits to the city, and explore the National Museum, where hundreds of ancient Greece s most famous and treasured artifacts are on display. Overnight: Athens at Herodeion Hotel DAY 11,12,13,14 Naxos and Delos From Peiraeus port we catch the ferry to Naxos for three days of relaxation, swimming, fine food and wine on, according to the Conde Nast Traveller one of the most beautiful islands in the world. No matter how long you stay on Naxos, it is never long enough. Fully grasping what the island has to offer from just one visit is a wonderful challenge. You must store the things you learn, retain images of its vast beaches and marble antiquities, husband its many unique local flavors, and plan to make a swift return for more. The millennia-long history of Delos is filled with the drama, angst and spirit of the ancient Mediterranean human experience. Delos was once the abode of powerful gods, a place of religious reverence and hard political struggle, a playground for the fabulously wealthy, an important port-of-call for Aegean
seafarers and the scene of untold human misery as the region s central market and clearinghouse for human chattel, bought and sold in iron restraints. We have our own charter cruise ship from Naxos for this half-day journey. Overnight: Naxos 3 nights at Alkyoni Beach Hotel DAY 14 Return to Athens In the afternoon of the 14 th day of our voyage, we catch the ferry across the Aegean Sea back to the Herodeion Hotel. Overnight: Athens at Herodeion Hotel DAY 15-16 Acropolis, Acropolis Museum Sounion, and Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center Our voyage finishes back in Athens: we climb the Acropolis for the Parthenon and its sister temples, then visit the spectacular new museum one of the world s greatest. The new Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center and the side trip to Cape Sounion enrich our sense of the ancient and contemporary faces of Athens. Overnight: Athens at Herodeion Hotel DAY 17 Flight back home Farewell friends! Hope to see you again soon!