Greece 2018

GREECE 2018.

Our Tour director was Marianna Xilinas, and our tour company partner was Explorica, Inc. Our student travelers/wedding party were Natalie, Mariah, Alyssa J, Simone, Emily, Alyssa R, Maria, Julissa, Lilia, Andrea, Adrienne, Jazmin, and Allyssa S. They were all wonderful traveling companions, great friends and excellent Americans while abroad. Air travel courtesy of Air Canada Rouge. Cruise accomodations provided by Celestyal Cruises.

Day One - LAX to Toronto to Athens.

The group at LAX, Terminal 6, Air Canada. Ready to go through security.

Lilia, Alyssa and Allyssa.

Mariah, Adrienne, and Emily.

Mrs. Tova Black and Andrea.

Maria, Simone and Julissa.

Jazmin and Natalie.

Day Two - Athens City Walk.

Met the tour director, Marianna, at the airport and checked into Candia hotel. Took the Metro to downtown for an Athens city walk: Syntagma Square, Hadrian’s Arch, Temple of Olympian Zeus. Lunch and shopping in the Plaka District.

View of the Acropolis from our hotel room balcony, Best Western Hotel Candia, Athens.

Adrienne, Andrea, Alyssa, and Lilia on the Metro, riding from the Metaxourgnio station to Syntagma.

In the National Gardens, Athens.

Syntagma Square.

Hadrian's Arch.

Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Residence in the Plaka District.

Tiny store in the Plaka District.

Ancient steps in the Plaka District.

Evening view of the Parthenon on the Acropolis from the hotel balcony.

Day Three - Athens Landmarks.

Athens guided sightseeing tour. Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the 2004 Olympic Games. Acropolis visit, Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike. Erechtheion. Acropolis Museum visit. Shopping in the Plaka. Greek dance and culture show.

Lilia, Julissa and Andrea outside the Panathenaic Stadium.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

The group listens attentively to our local guide, Ani, telling us about the original use of the Odeon.

Simone, Mariah and Alyssa in front of the Parthenon.

Simone, Alyssa, Mr. Black and Mariah. Caryatids holding up the entablature of the Erechtheion in the background (406 BCE).

Andrea, Lilia, Julissa and Mrs. Tova with all of Athens below them.

A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese.

The Parthenon is a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BCE.

Athens, view from the Acropolis.

Emily drawing and taking notes in her journal.

Alyssa, Allyssa, Maria and Marianna, our tour director, relax in Xenia Art Shop, a lovely place near the Acropolis.

Excellent lunch in the Plaka at Plakiotissa Taverna Mezedopolio.

Andrea with her Freddo Cappuccino at Coco's Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt.

Cool window display in the Plaka.

The Acropolis Museum.

Original caryatids, safely housed in the Acroplois Museum.

View from the museum.

Head of female statue, about 5th cent.BC

The plant head that topped the Parthenon pediment. Gypsum restoration, 1990.

Adrienne, Simone and Mariah.

Alyssa, Lilia and Julissa.

Pork gyros for dinner at Bairaktaris Taverna.

Lovely evening dinner with a great view at Bairaktaris Taverna.

Adrienne and Maria learn Greek dance from our tour director, Marianna, at Kalokairinos Tavern.

Male Greek dancers of Kalokairinos Tavern entertain our student travelers.

Traditional Greek dance with candles.

Turkish style dance with torches.

Everyone up to learn how to bellydance at Kalokairinos Tavern.

Mrs. Tova and Jazmin relax on the rooftop at the Best Western Candia Hotel.

Day Four - Delphi Excursion.

Delphi guided sightseeing tour: Delphi site visit, Temple of Apollo Archaeological Museum of Delphi. Open air movie at Cinema Αίγλη: "Mamma Mia 2."

Private bus to Delphi.

Delphi occupies an impressive site on the south-western slope of Mount Parnassus, overlooking the coastal plain to the south and the valley of Phocis.

The Treasury of Athens, built to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Marathon.

Local guide tells the group of the significance of Delphi to ancient peoples.

Greek inscriptions at Delphi.

Temple of Apollo.

Emily and Maria.

The Charioteer of Delphi, also known as Heniokhos, is one of the best surviving statues from Ancient Greece. Archaeological Museum of Delphi.

The Sphinx of Naxos at the Archaeological Museum of Delphi.

Kleobis and Biton, two Kouros at the Delphi Museum.

Bronze details.

The Melancholy Roman, probably Titus Flamininus ca. 195 BCE

Lunch in Delphi, at Taverna Omfalos.

"Mamma Mia 2" at the Cine Aegli, open air cinema, near the Zappeion in the National Gardens of Athens.

Everyone sang along!

Students enjoy the rooftop pool at night at the Best Western Candia Hotel.

Day Five - Celestyal Cruises: Piraeus to Mykonos.

Depart Athens on four‐day Aegean cruise. Mykonos visit. Weaver shop visit, art galleries, windmills, sunset on the island. Cruise overnight to Samos.

Greek style coffee at the Candia Hotel in Athens.

About to board the Celestyal Olympia, our home for the next four days.

Aegean Ocean, view from the bow.

Ms. Tova, Adrienne and Lilia in one of the ship's lounges.

First views of Mykonos.

Mariah, Simone, Alyssa and Mr. Black make a safe landing in Mykonos.

The group waits for our walk through town.

Picturesque Mykonos.

73 year-old Niki Xidaki in Little Venice is one of the last weavers active on the island.

These Mykonian textiles inspired Christian Dior and launched a cottage industry that endured over 25 years.

The entire group waits for sunset.

View from the former residence of a sea captain.

Hazy, but beautiful sunset.

The cluster of Kato Myloi (Lower Windmills), which rise proudly over the sea, on the small hill southwest of Hora (the city of Mykonos).

Typical Mykonian view.

In the White Beans Art Gallery.

Greek cat.

Dusk in the Mykonian harbor.

Shopper's paradise.

Waiting for tender boats to take us back to the cruise ship.

The majestic Celestyal Olympia.

After very rough waters, safe on the ship.

Day Six - Samos to Patmos to Rhodes.

Samos visit. Breakfast at sunrise. Greek Orthodox Church visit. Samos winery tour and wine tasting. Heraion of Samos. Cruise on and visit Patmos. Dancing in the Muses Lounge. Cruise overnight to Rhodes.

Sunrise in Samos.

Adrienne, Andrea, Julissa, Lilia and Simone enjoy breakfast in Samos at the Aeolis Hotel.

Maria, Jazmin, Allyssa, Alyssa and Ms. Tova enjoy breakfast in Samos.

Natalie at breakfast in Samos.

Quiet and serene morning in Samos.

Photo ops.

Our local guide tells the history of Samos on our walk through town.

Interior of St. Spyridon, Greek Orthodox church in Samos Town from 1892.

Beautiful and intricate icon painting inside St. Spyridon.

The Malagari winery is featured at the Samos Wine Museum.

Winemaking displays at the Samos Wine Museum.

Of particular interest is the depiction of the cultivation of the vineyards in dry-stone terraces.

Traditional winemaking tools, tanks, laboratory instruments, barrel-making tools, that go back over more than a century. The huge wooden tanks were in use until a few decades ago.

In the wine cellar with furniture made from used wine barrels.

The Heraion of Samos was a large sanctuary to the goddess Hera.

Many construction phases are known, the first phase dating to the 8th century BCE.

The site of the temple's ruins, with its sole standing column, was designated a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Pythagoreion in 1992.

Greek carvings in architectural elements at the ruins.

Samian grapevine near the site of the Temple.

Pythagorion Beach.

Enjoying lunch after a swim at Remataki Restaurant on the Waterfront, at Pythagorion Beach.

Pythagorian harbor, where we waited for the tender boats.

Allyssa, Alyssa, Maria, Mr. Black and Ms. Tova arrive in Patmos Island.

Doorways of Patmos.

In Patmos, view of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian on the hill in the distance.

Quiet alley in Patmos.

Tiny, family built and run church in the Greek Orthodox style.

In Greek Orthodox churches on the islands, it is the tradition to light a candle upon entering.

Sunset in Patmos near Oklacà Restaurant Bar.

Alyssa, Allyssa and Maria find the perfect lunch at Oklacà Restaurant Bar, at the water's edge in Patmos.

Back on the Celestyal Olympia, it is Barbecue Night!

Dancing in the Muses Lounge.

Jazmin and Julissa dance it out!

Adrienne, Lilia, Julissa, Andrea, Jazmin and Ms. Tova relax after dancing in the Muses Lounge.

Day Seven - Rhodes to Crete.

Rhodes visit. Lindos Acropolis visit, Temple of Athena Lindia. Medieval town walking tour, Citadel of the Knights of St. John. Sunset wedding at sea. Cruise overnight to Crete.