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News Release June 7, 2007
Greece And The Greek Islands Travelcade
We hope you are beginning to think about joining us on our 15 day Travelcade in May 2009 that will spend 6 nights touring Greece and 7 nights cruising the Greek Islands. Exact dates and prices will not be available until this fall; but we'd like to share more of our planned events so you will be ready to sign up when the Travelcade opens for Fleetwood members and friends. Be sure to check the web site often to stay informed.
Our trip will begin in Athens where we will stay for 4 nights in a 5 star hotel in a central location. As the epicenter of Greek civilization there will be many historic sites and monuments to see and tour. We will begin with a city tour utilizing a Mercedes motor coach with a bathroom and air conditioning, for our comfort. On this driving tour narrated by an English speaking Greek native, we'll view Athens landmarks, such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Constitution Square and the Parliament House, the Presidential Palace and Panathenian Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896. We'll also view Catholic University, the Academy, the National Library and much more. Of course we'll see the massive Roman Temple of the Olympian Zeus, the Acropolis and the limestone plateau topped by the Parthenon. This is just one of four UNESCO World Heritage sites we will visit. A walking tour among the temples, gates and walkways atop the Acropolis reveals the Golden Age of Greece. As we tour the Acropolis Museum we'll see beautiful carved statuary and marble friezes. We will have free time to future explore on our own, or do some shopping.
Our next city to explore is Delphi, Greece, another UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Oracle of Apollo resided. Our guide will point out sites along the way, including several small traditional towns, as Levadia and Arachova, where bright, multicolored carpets are woven. In Delphi we'll tour the Sanctuary of Delphi on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. Here we will see the Corinthian Valley, of Biblical times. On our second day in Delphi our archeological guide will lead us on a walking tour of the town of Delphia, with a history of it's own. After visiting the Museum of Delphi which contains an exquisite collection of ancient sculpture we'll have free time to again enjoy the shops and cafes of this lovely area.
On our next day of driving we'll pass the ancient city of Argos, and will visit the eerie Tomb of Agamemnon, known as the Beehive Tomb. In Mycenae, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, our tour will take us through the Lion's Gate, Europe's earliest example of monumental sculpture. This city, a lofty citadel-town, commanded an empire that stretched throughout the Mediterranean. Our destination is the port city of Piraeus, where we will board our exclusively chartered 48-passenger yacht, the s/c Pantheon, one of the nicest yachts exploring the Greek Islands. As we set sail that evening we'll pass Cape Sounion, where the white marble pillars of the Temple of Poseidon stand on a high promontory and are illuminated at night. Later that evening we'll enjoy a fun Greek language lesson.
Our first port of call will be to the Cyclades, where we will visit the small island of Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Our tour will take us to our third UNESCO World Heritage Site that was unearthed here in the 19th century. This open-air-museum contains many ancient monuments and buildings that are remarkably intact. That afternoon our next stop will be at Mykonos, where brilliant white houses and blue-tiled roofs form one of the prettiest vistas in the Aegean Sea. As we walk the narrow streets, in their zigzag pattern, to confuse pirates, we'll stop to explore their archeological museum, as well as a visit to a local bakery that has been turning out bread in wood-fired ovens since the 15th century. We'll end our day as the Mykonians do: with a glass of ouzo and traditional mezedes appetizers. That evening, after dinner on board, we'll hear a fascinating lecture on "the Art of Bargaining in the Turkish Bazaar."
On day 9 our explorations of ancient civilizations continues with a visit to Ephesus, now Kusadasi, Turkey. This is the grandest archeological site in the Aegean region. This remarkably preserved Greek and Roman City is where Cleopatra and Mark Anthony rode in procession more than 2000 years ago. We'll also see the Basilica of St. John and the ruins of the Temple of Diana. Our free time will allow us to shop for their colorful rugs, or other treasures in their bazaars. Later that evening, aboard ship, we'll have a special belly dancing demonstration.
Day 10 takes us to the island of Patmos, Greece, where St. John was imprisoned, and wrote the Biblical Book of Revelations. This tiny island has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Grotto and Monastery of St. John, and the historic center of the medieval town of Chora.
On day 11 our cruise takes us through the beautiful Cyclades Islands, with their soaring cliffs, white-washed villages and timeless ruins. We'll stop in lovely Santorini, formed by the half-submerged crescent of a volcanic caldera. Ashore we'll take a cable car to the cliff top town of Fira, where we will walk along the narrow, picturesque streets. We'll tour their Prehistoric Museum, which houses artifacts from Akrotiri, a city buried in the eruption that created the caldera in 1600 BC. After lunch we'll visit a local winery and can take an optional tour of traditional villages of Santorini.
Our next stop on our Aegean cruise is at the Villages of Sifnos. This island was used by the Romans as a place for exiles. Olive trees grow everywhere; and there is a church for each day of the year, and most of them are open on that day. The following day we explore the picturesque island of Hydra, with it's cube-shaped tiled house, piled one atop the other, along the rocks. Later we cruise back to Piraeus, in Greece, and enjoy our Captain's Farewell dinner and our last night aboard ship. On our final day in Piraeus we will tour the city, walking among the winding streets in the picturesque neighborhoods of the Plaka.
We then return to Athens and our flight home, or we can begin an optional 4-night post-trip to the Greek Island of Crete. In Crete we will take daily tours of the harbor towns of Chania and Rethymnos, and the fortress town of Heraklion, as well as a tour of the Knossos Palace and the Archeological Museum. We then return to Athens and our flight home. What a tour. We hope you will decide to join us. This Travelcade will open in the fall of 2007, first for Fleetwood members, and then for family and friends. The prices for 2008 are $4699 per person, and $899 for the optional tour to Crete. Please e-mail us at hpeterson500@wmconnect.com or phone us at 321-432-9038 to let us know of your interest, so we can let you know when Vantage Travel has the dates and final prices set for their 2009 tours. Also keep checking the Club web site at www.fleetwoodclub.org, and click on the Travelcade bar. We hope you will join us on this exciting Travelcade.
Harry and Betty Peterson, Travelcade Leaders
e-mail address: hpeterson500@WMconnect.com
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