Greece, Sparta, Mykonos, Santorini

Day 7: Athens - Sparta (Private Tour)

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove down to Sparta in a hired private car. Once again we passed through the Corinth Canal and reached the ruins at Mystras after a 4 hour drive. We walked up the ruins of the medieval fortress state which is now a World Heritage Site. We walked all the way up to the fortress from the lower town. On the way we saw the remains of various beautiful Byzantine churches. The surviving wall-paintings in them date to the late fourteenth century. The palace of the despots which was built between the thirteenth and the fifteenth centuries was closed for renovation and so we could not visit it. Overall the trek was very interesting although quite tiring. We had our well-earned lunch at a roadside restaurant at Mystras on the way to Sparta. At Sparta we stayed overnight at Hotel Maniatis, which was just about okay for a night’s stay. Hotel Menelaion which was just nearby seemed a much better option at least from the outside. 

Sparta itself is a beautiful little town. A walk through the town, visiting the central square and having a coffee at one of the cafés overlooking the square was quite refreshing.

Day 8: Sparta – Athens (Private Tour)

After breakfast at Hotel and we left for Monemvasia, the spectacular medieval town. True to its name there is only one narrow entrance to this town,  which was cut off from the mainland by an earthquake. Here we walked through the narrow streets which were lined with souvenir shops and tavernas. The town is a complex network of stone houses, which were connected to the cobbled alleyways by narrow winding stairways. The view of the sea from the top was simply breathtaking.

After Monemvasia, we proceeded to Athens and stayed overnight at Ledra Marriott hotel in Athens.

Day 9:  Athens – Mykonos

As before, we packed only for Mykonos and Santorini and left the additional luggage at Hotel Ledra Marriott. We took a ferry to Mykonos. There are quite a few options for these ferries. We took a normal ferry which starts in the morning. There is also a fast ferry service. Some services are cancelled depending on the weather.

In Mykonos, we stayed at St John Hotel. It is an exquisite property. After the check in, we took a cab to the local market. Here we hired scooters and drove around Mykonos visiting the not-to-be missed famous windmills.

Mykonos is an extremely beautiful place. It has beaches, quaint lanes and by-lanes and one can spend a week!

Day 10: Mykonos

We visited Delos, another island close to Mykonos.  Delos can be described as a floating museum and a shrine to the past is one of the greatest and most organized settlements of ancient Greece. In 1873 the French Archaeological School of Athens began excavating the island, uncovering the history we know today.

The trip to Delos is a short boat journey. We had organized a tour with a guide. This also involves a lot of walking. Sunscreen, walking shoes and water are essential.

Delos did not seem to have too many visitors but it is a definite must do.

Day 11:   Mykonos – Santorini

After breakfast, we took a ferry to Santorini. Reached Santorini in the afternoon. Checked in to Hotel  Majestic. This again is a very nice property. Rooms are large, comfortable. The restaurant is good. We went for a walk into the nearby town of Fira.

Day 12 :  Santorini

After breakfast, we will proceed for Caldera Tour. We left the port of Athinios in a traditional  boat for our visit of active craters of the volcano on the top of the island of Nea Kameni. The whole group from the boat was accompanied by a guide for the climb. This is an active volcanic centre with the most recent rock formations a little more than 50 yrs. In several places we can see and smell the sulphur fumes from various vents near the crater. This trip again involves a lot and lot of tough climbing to reach the crater.

We then sailed to Palea Kameni, “old burnt”, where thermal springs provide natural warm-water bathing, while the surrounding water and beaches were cold, and winds can be daunting.  For getting to the hot springs, we have to dive out of the boat at a good 100 m distance as the area near the hot spring is too shallow for the boat to reach. So, those who are interested in bathing on the hot spring dived in the water and swam for 100 m to bathe in the hot spring and swam back a 100 m to get on to the boat. Not very tempting for most of us…

The boat stopped at Thirassia  for lunch. This is a typical cycladic village with a way of life as it used to be before the invasion of tourism. Tiny houses of various colours give a special character to these small settlements. Is an ideal place to taste some of the traditional plates of Santorini. Nothing for the veggies, though.

In the evening we went to Oia by cab to catch the sunset. This is one of the most commonly pictured places in Greece in Indian movies. The village is beautiful with very narrow  cobbled lanes, beautiful sunset, nice restaurants and expensive shopping.

Overnight at Majestic hotel in Santorini.

Day 13: Santorini - Athens/India

After Breakfast at the hotel we reached the ferry terminal to Athens. There was a long queue waiting at a very inconvenient waiting room. May be one can reach a little early and find some place to sit.

On reaching then hotel, we went for some local sightseeing in Athens by ourselves.

Day 14:   Athens – India

After some local visits including the Acropolis Museum (which is an outstanding Museum, an attempt to recreate Acropolis with its remains), we left Athens for Mumbai.