Vacation 2012 (Part 1)

Greek Odyssey - Greece

Our first vacation of 2012 was a romp around Greece, exploring many of it's ancient ruins and temples, as well as some natural wonders and some traditional Greek villages. This is part 1 of our 2012 vacations because we've already got 2 more booked, but you'll see those journals when they're posted...

All of the daily journals are arranged that the top half are David's pictures and the bottom half are Amber's pictures, followed by a daily description written by Amber at the bottom. Descriptions on this page are written by David.

Day 1: Kalos Orisate

Day 1 of our trip is actually 3 days. We arrived 2 days early to do some SCUBA diving in the Mediterranean Sea. We only dove one time on the second day, then spent the next afternoon exploring the National Gardens, and finally going to our welcome dinner to meet the rest of our adventuring family for the next week and a half.

Day 2: Ancient Athens

Day 2 of our trip finds us visiting the Olympic Stadium, the one from the first modern Olympics of 1896, followed by visiting the Acropolis. We then had lunch on our own in Plaka, the touristy section of Athens. And finally having dinner at Geros Tou Moria Taverna, where we were entertained with traditional music & dance.

Day 3: The Oracle's Lore

Day 3 we are off to visit Delphi, the home of the ancient Oracle. If I were to see the Oracle, I'd ask her why the hills there are so steep. Then we visited the museum of Delphi, followed by lunch in the city of Delphi at the to Patrikomas Taverna, which had an amazing view of the country side.

Day 4: Soarin' Over Santorini

Day 4 and we are relocating to the island of Santorini. Upon arrival we are whisked away to the Volcan Winery to taste some of their especialities. Then on to our hotel, where we discover we have a 2 story room with a loft. Both sides of our room have terrific views, one side with a vineyard and sea, and the other with the caldera of the Santorini volcano. Then a traditional Greek dinner at Kallisti Taverna.

Day 5: Cruisin' The Caldera

Day 5 puts us on a private sail boat, cruising over the caldera to hike up the active volcano of Santorini. Steam vents still expel sulfery gases. After our hike we go over to the island of Thirasia and have lunch right on the beach at Captain John's Taverna (not a terribly greek name), where we had some terrific seafood including barbequed octopus. Then we sailed on to the shore of Oia, where we road Donkey's on up to the villages. Riding a donkey is quite the exciting prospect...

Greek Odyssey - Greece

Day 1: Kalos Orisate

Day 2: Ancient Athens

Day 3: The Oracle's Lore

Day 4: Soarin' Over Santorini

Day 5: Cruisin' The Caldera

Day 6: Minoan Muses

Day 7: Cretan Coastline

Day 8: Krazy for Knossos

Day 9: Shepherd's Path

Vacation 2012 (Part 1) Greek Odyssey - Greece Our first vacation of 2012 was a romp around Greece, exploring many of it's ancient ruins and temples, as well as some natural wonders and some traditional Greek villages. This is part 1 of our 2012 vacations because we've already got 2 more booked, but you'll see those journals when they're posted... All of the daily journals are arranged that the top half are David's pictures and the bottom half are Amber's pictures, followed by a daily description written by Amber at the bottom. Descriptions on this page are written by David.
	Day 1: Kalos Orisate Day 1 of our trip is actually 3 days. We arrived 2 days early to do some SCUBA diving in the Mediterranean Sea. We only dove one time on the second day, then spent the next afternoon exploring the National Gardens, and finally going to our welcome dinner to meet the rest of our adventuring family for the next week and a half.
	Day 2: Ancient Athens Day 2 of our trip finds us visiting the Olympic Stadium, the one from the first modern Olympics of 1896, followed by visiting the Acropolis. We then had lunch on our own in Plaka, the touristy section of Athens. And finally having dinner at Geros Tou Moria Taverna, where we were entertained with traditional music & dance.
	Day 3: The Oracle's Lore Day 3 we are off to visit Delphi, the home of the ancient Oracle. If I were to see the Oracle, I'd ask her why the hills there are so steep. Then we visited the museum of Delphi, followed by lunch in the city of Delphi at the to Patrikomas Taverna, which had an amazing view of the country side.
	Day 4: Soarin' Over Santorini Day 4 and we are relocating to the island of Santorini. Upon arrival we are whisked away to the Volcan Winery to taste some of their especialities. Then on to our hotel, where we discover we have a 2 story room with a loft. Both sides of our room have terrific views, one side with a vineyard and sea, and the other with the caldera of the Santorini volcano. Then a traditional Greek dinner at Kallisti Taverna.
	Day 5: Cruisin' The Caldera Day 5 puts us on a private sail boat, cruising over the caldera to hike up the active volcano of Santorini. Steam vents still expel sulfery gases. After our hike we go over to the island of Thirasia and have lunch right on the beach at Captain John's Taverna (not a terribly greek name), where we had some terrific seafood including barbequed octopus. Then we sailed on to the shore of Oia, where we road Donkey's on up to the villages. Riding a donkey is quite the exciting prospect...
	Day 6: Minoan Muses Day 6 we start off visiting Akrotiri, a city that was buried in 1450 BC by the volcano. Because of that's it's amazingly well preserved for a 3500 year old city. Then we have lunch at Kamari Beach, and then take a 2 hour ferry ride over to Crete. Our arrival in Crete is quite late and pretty much ends our day.
	Day 7: Cretan Coastline Day 7 finds us Kayaking across the bay to Spinalonga, a 16th century Venetian fortress. In more recent times it was used as a leper colony. Then we had lunch at another village known as Plaka. Then we enjoyed a terrific buffet dinner at the hotel, where we sampled a little of everything.
	Day 8: Krazy for Knossos Day 8 we visit the village of Knossos, which was built in 1900 BC, but leveled in 1700 BC by an earthquake. Much of the ruins have been restored. Then we went to the village of Arolithos for lunch. There we tried Ouzo... I think my car would enjoy it a bit more than I... After lunch we made a Komboloi, basically greek worry beads. Then we had a relaxing evening on our own.
	Day 9: Shepherd's Path Day 9 and we no longer have to wonder what it's like to milk a goat... we see it in living color as we visit the tiny village of Polithis and take a tour from a sheep and goat farmer. We hike up to a quaint little church, whose bell was made from an unexploded bomb, then the previously mentioned goat milk gets turned into cheese before our very eyes. We have a traditional home made lunch in the village. That evening we had our farewell dinner, with greek music and dancing, and hopefully the last time we hear the song from Zorba the Greek...