July 12, 2024
From the Hermes Hotel in Athens …
Tolo is a gorgeous small seaside town. Last night, after a late dinner, we walk down to the beach for swimming and the sunset. Then to the Hotel Solon bar to celebrate our arrival in Greece. Then more wine in the hotel lobby until late!
After breakfast we check out of the Hotel Zakros and board the bus for a quick ride to the Epidaurus Archaeological Site.
Epidaurus was a major center for the worship of Asclepius, the god of medicine, and housed a healing sanctuary that attracted pilgrims seeking cures. The archaeological site is renowned for its theater, with its exceptional acoustics and classical Greek architecture. We walk to the top of the theatre to take in this ancient engineering feat and the view of the surrounding landscape.
Next we’re back on the bus to Mycenae, about an hour away. Our first stop is the Mycenaen School of Ceramic Art to learn about the production of authentic ceramics.
Mycenae is an ancient archaeological site, known as a major center of Greek civilization during the late Bronze Age and the home of King Agamemnon. Mycenae features include the Lion Gate, the Cyclopean walls, and the Treasury of Atreus.
A 30-minute drive down the road and we arrive at the Corinth Canal. Completed in 1893, the Corinth Canal connects the Ionian Sea with the Aegean Sea cutting through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth. An engineering marvel, the canal is about 4 miles long (6.4 kilometers) and 70 feet wide (21 meters), the canal significantly reduced the journey around the Peloponnese peninsula.
We end the afternoon with a one-hour drive to Athens. Tomorrow we see tour the Athens area.
July 11, 2024
From the bus about an hour outside of Tolo, Greece …
The overnight ferry is an adventure! I share a cabin with Brad and Juan. It’s tight, but there is good AirCon and everyone sleeps well. Not everyone on board the ferry has a cabin. Many people find a chair in the lounge for the night. And others bring air mattresses or sleeping bags and sleep in every nook, cranny, and stairwell of the ferry!
The ferry arrives a little after 1p in the port of Patros, Greece. We board a new bus and meet Costas, our driver for Greece. We stop at Pic Nic for a quick slice of pizza or chicken stick. (I thought it would be a kebob here, but no … it’s a chicken stick! And it’s delicious.) Then it’s a 60-minute ride to Olympia passing the many farms and agricultural areas that line the roadside in this part of Greece.
A general strike was declared in Greece yesterday, and that means no tour guide on our visit to Olympia.
Olympia is an archaeological site located in the western part of Greece. It is the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games, which were held here from around 776 BC until AD 393. The ancient Olympic Games featured a 200 meter sprint, wrestling, boxing, pankration (wrestling/boxing), the pentathlon, and equestrian events. The site includes athletic facilities, the Olympic Games stadium, the Temple of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), and the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.
After a one-hour walking tour through the site, we’re back on the bus headed to Tolo, a three-hour ride from Olympia. Tolo is a seaside village in the Peloponnese region of Greece, known for beautiful beaches, clear blue waters, and a charming atmosphere.
This has been a fast-paced trip with two nights each in Venice, Florence, and Rome. But an even faster pace the last couple of days with just one night in Sorrento, one night on the ferry, and just one night tonight in Tolo. After that things slow a little with three nights in Athens and then four nights on the cruise. Tomorrow we make our way to Athens with stops in Mycenae, Epidaurus, and the Corinth Canal.
July 10, 2024
From the port of Bari, Italy …
Yesterday was a complex day of travel. Leaving Rome by bus on a three-hour ride to Naples. Taking the high-speed ferry to Capri. A boat tour around Capri. And then the high-speed ferry to Sorrento.
Today is also complex. At 7:45a we check out of the Hotel Central Park in Sorrento for a 60-minute bus ride to Pompeii. It takes a while to navigate the tight twisting streets out of Sorrento.
Buried under volcanic ash of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, Pompeii, Italy, is an ancient Roman city known for its well-preserved ruins. Pompeii offers a glimpse into life during the Roman Empire as we walk along ancient streets lined with villas and public buildings like the Forum and amphitheater. The entire sites covers approximately 160 acres with 40 acres still to be excavated.
Our guided walking tour through the ruins takes a couple of hours, then we enjoy lunch at the cafe near the entrance to Pompeii. Around 12:30p we leave the west coast of Italy for the 4-hour trip all the way across the country to the east coast port of Bari.
We board the 7:30p SuperfastAnek overnight ferry from Bari, Italy to Patras, Greece. According to Brad the ferry is neither super, nor fast. It does serve as a reminder of a different era of European travel when trains and ferries were the main modes of travel before airplanes.
Dinner is on the ferry just before departure. And Mallory gets me logged into the onboard Wi-Fi so I can keep working on the updates. After dinner we are treated to a spectacular sunset in the rear deck of the ferry.
Tomorrow we arrive in Greece!
July 9, 2024
From the patio bar of the Hotel Central Park in Sorrento …
Today is an earlier start. We’re leaving Rome to spend the day in Capri. A little after 7a we’ve had breakfast, checked out of the Cardinal Hotel St. Peter, and are on the road south on the A1 Autostrada del Sol, the “sunny” highway.
A small island located in the Bay of Naples, off the coast of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, Capri is renowned for its scenic coastline, limestone cliffs, and sea caves like the Grotta Azzurra, where sunlight creates a dazzling blue reflection in the water of the cave.
Getting to Capri is a high-speed ferry ride from the port in Naples to the small island harbor. Seeing the Blue Grotto depends on conditions that day and getting on wooden rowboat to pass under the entrance of the cave. But when we get to Capri we hear there’s a two-hour wait, so we opt instead for a tour around the island to see the caves, coves, and beaches of Capri. It’s stunning! Our boat pilot is Maximo. He is an expert at navigating the boat in close quarters of cave entrances and makes the tour an excellent alternative to the Blue Grotto.
After the tour we take the funicular to the town at the top of the island. Lunch is at Ristorante Longano da Tarantino. I have the best pizza I have ever tasted! And I eat the whole thing! Then Cory, Hannah, and I shop around the town and find a refreshing cup of lemon sorbet.
Around 4p we get in another high-speed ferry back to the mainland, but the return is to Sorrento.
Celebrated for its striking views, scenic cliffs, and lemon groves, Sorrento is a coastal town in southern Italy, overlooking the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. The town is known for making limoncello lemon liqueur and its citrus-scented gardens. Visitors can walk through the narrow streets with shops selling crafts and souvenirs, dine in restaurants serving fresh seafood, and explore the nearby island of Capri, the ruins of Pompeii, or the picturesque Amalfi Coast.
Dinner is with Marguerite and Juan with a limoncello spritz. And it’s a spirited conversation about working in restaurant kitchens.
Tomorrow we see Pompeii and leave Italy on an overnight ferry to Greece.
July 8, 2024
While enjoying a cocktail at Pimm’s Good Restaurant …
A shorter post today because we are on the move all day. We leave the Cardinal Hotel St. Peter at 8a to begin our tour of Vatican City at 9a.
The world’s smallest independent state and the center of Catholicism, Vatican City is home to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s celebrated frescoes. We spend the morning on a guided VIP tour. The frescoes of the Sistine Chapel are incredible and St. Peter’s Basilica is kind enormous and a little overwhelming.
Next, the Roman Colosseum, home to gladiator contests and public spectacles. Colosseum stands as a symbol of the Roman Empire’s architectural and engineering skills.
Then the Roman Forum. The scale of this archaeological site is impressive and everywhere you turn there is another amazing photographic view.
We’ve got time for cocktails before dinner and tomorrow we head to Capri!
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View from the balcony ...
Michael S. Liberman