A Magical Journey - the first ...

If this is your first trip to Greece, then our Magical Journey will give you some good ideas for taking in the major sites and the must-see islands.

Our trip was 18 days, but the basic structure could easily be modified to suit your timetable. Our Magical Journey visits Athens, Mycenae, Epidauarus and Nafplio, Olympia, Delphi, Naxos, Delos, Mykonos and Santorini. We hope you enjoy it!

I first fell in love with Greece when I was young, and I learned that the labyrinth in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, was the Palace of Knossos in Crete. From then on, the stories took on a whole new meaning and opened a world into a fabulous and mysterious past where incredibly advanced thinking was taking place. I had an image of the island that was completely shattered when I discovered that the island of Crete had not one, but two major airports. My first realization of the intrusion of modern man into this mythical world.

I'm not old enough to remember the day Kennedy was shot, but I remember where I was the day they roped off the Parthenon. Terribly distressing news. The reports talked about vandalism and graffiti, and, although having had nothing to do with the roping off, the destruction from pollution.

So you see, my impression of Greece was that the magical land was lost. People went to "Greece" on fancy island cruise packages that didn't appeal to me in the least. I looked at one brochure that sailed 12 hours to get to Crete for a four hour stop-over, giving you from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to check out the Palace half an hour away and get back to your boat - yeah right! Not for me.

So I kind of forgot about Greece for a while, until just over a year ago when I began to plan our first real holiday in twelve years, and almost by accident Greece became our destination.

Our trip was completely planned on the internet, and it was perfect in every way and went well beyond our expectations. We had the perfect balance of discovery and relaxation, no difficult travel arrangements, breathtaking views from EVERY room we stayed in, we never rented a vehicle, and we discovered so much about Greece, and a lot about ourselves.

Yes, the Parthenon's roped off, but not much else is. Some areas of Greece have been over-developed by package tourism and unless that's what you're looking for - steer clear. Even if you do the main attraction islands as we did in our first trip, with a little planning and a little research, you can still find the real Greece, and you can still find the magic. I've become completely enthralled with this magical land, which DOES still exist.

Now without further ado, I shall turn you over to Rob, who discovered a talent for writing - and for providing a good laugh - as he documented our Magical Journey to Greece.

Much to his dismay, a little editing was necessary, mostly to protect the interesting individuals we met along the way ...

May 2 - Arriving in Athens

We made it! After what seemed to be an endless journey, we are finally here - our first trip to Greece.

The flights were basically a pain - seated near the throne on both legs - but Jane met a very helpful guy on the second half. 'John' pointed out all of the relevant sights from his window seat.

Poor guy just finished his masters in England and was coming home to fulfill his two year military obligation.

The rumours of some Greek taxi drivers are not exaggerated - the taxi driver that we had from the airport drove like a madman. To be perfectly honest, he would have scared Jacques (Villeneuve, that is) had he picked him up, but after all those hours of travel we were fine with his driving.

We checked in at the lovely Hotel Plaka and were soon strolling about Athens. The view from our room is one we will not soon forget. The Acropolis seems to be within arms reach!

The view from our room

After an impromptu tour of the Plaka district, we decide that Athens isn't nearly as bad as we had heard. We found a square with plenty of happy people, and decided to join them. We must have become somewhat delusional at that point, because an old man with a polaroid took our picture and charged us $7.50 for it (1,500 drachma).

After a few Heinekens, and a gift of owl's eyes from a jewellry store proprietor (blue charms for luck) for Jane, we're back to the hotel. Going to see the Acropolis and the museum in the morning.

Amphoras near the base of the Acropolis

Click here for the NEXT DAY ...

Related articles of Interest

• Greece opens its Acropolis Museum (cbc.ca)