We left Orlando on Tuesday morning and flew to Chicago, then continued on to Athens, where we landed Wednesday morning. We had time to explore a little around our first hotel, enjoying the ease to walk the streets of Athens. On Thursday, we took a private tour of the Peloponnese Peninsula. On Friday, we checked in with Adventures by Disney (AbD) and then explored the Acropolis Museum on our own.

TRAVEL AND ON OUR OWN

Covid was creeping back some in late 2023, so we played it safe and wore masks on our flight from MCO to ORD, and then overnight to ATH.

BACK TO EUROPE

08/29/23—09/11/23

Since we landed two days before our AbD tour began, we stayed in the New Hotel (yeah, that was the name) by Marriott. AbD did pick us up at the airport, though, and dropped us off at hour hotel. Our room wasn’t ready, so we walked down the street and had our first Greek meal, including a cappuccino and some avocado toast.

We took a little nap, unpacked, and freshened up at our hotel, then walked down the street to Zappeion Garden. After a little dinner on the street, we roamed around Syntagma Square and the crowded streets of the shopping part of Athens. We ended our evening with a glass of wine on the roof of the New Hotel, getting a great view of the Acropolis.

On Thursday, I booked a tour through Viator to see a part of mainland Greece that I knew we wouldn’t see with AbD. What I didn’t realize, though, was that it was a private vehicle tour. It was fun.

Our first two stops was the Corinth Canal and then the Archaeological Site of Mycenae. The canal is 4 miles long and only 80’ wide, and was completed in 1893. Mycenae was one of the major centers of Greek civilization. At its peak in 1350BC, it had a population of about 30,000. It was the first of many ruins we’d visit on this trip.

The Lions Gate

Part of Mycenae is the Treasury of Atreus, which is an underground tomb. From there, we drove to Epidaurus, where we visited the fascinating Ancient Theatre. It was designed into a mountain and is considered the be the most perfect ancient Greek theatre with regard to acoustics and aesthetics. Someone at the top could hear someone speaking at center stage. Ruins also existing at Epidaurus and there were many remains of great Greek statues in the museum.

Our final stop was Nafplio and the Fortress of Palamidi. We ate lunch there, and by the time we made it to the fortress, we were tired and hot and ready to head home.

We woke the next morning and had breakfast at a Vegan bakery, then checked out of the New Hotel and moved over to the Electra Metropolis Hotel. There, we met our AbD guides who gave us tickets to the Acropolis Museum. We had the whole afternoon to explore on our own before the group met in the evening.

The Caryatids (but one is missing)

Under the museum was an excavation site