Best Things to See in Athens and the Greek Islands

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Athens! Crowds of people, tourists abound, activity, lights, historical ruins, ancient buildings, modern skyscrapers, Greek Orthodox Churches, church bells ringing, Greek flags, graffiti everywhere, crazy cab drivers, traffic, horns blaring, orange trees lining the boulevard, beautiful azure waters, delicious Mediterranean food, Greek statues, shops and more shops, outdoor restaurants, gypsies playing music on street corners, multiple stray cats wandering among the ruins and throughout the city, the Acropolis!

How did we get here? With the help of Eileen Murphy with Land and Sea Travel. She has over 20+ years of cruise experience under her belt and it really shows! She is extremely detail-oriented, and answered all our questions and then some. Eileen stayed on top of everything throughout the process; from selecting the Greek islands cruise that was right for us, to booking discounted international flights and beautiful hotels in Athens. She also coordinated transportation to and from the Athens airport and Piraeus Port. Everything went off without a hitch and I can’t say enough nice things about our experience with Eileen. The icing on the cake is that she was also able to get us $400 cruise credit which we used for fine dining and spa treatments aboard the ship. Nice!

After two days in the city, my friend and I were more than ready for our 7-day cruise to the Greek Islands. One of our first stops is Patmos, an Aegean island noted as a significant Christian pilgrimage site. It’s Cave of the Apocalypse is where St. John, the Theologian is said to have penned the Book of Revelations. We tour the cave and a monastery sitting on the peak of the hill; it’s a great workout for our legs!

Onto Rhodes, known for the Colossus of Rhodes; one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Such history! Our tour bus takes us to a small, cramped one-room home (about 450 square feet) with outdoor plumbing, and beds divided by simple curtains. The guide explains that this is how low to middle-class families lived in Rhodes as recently as the 1970’s! The floors were their pride and joy, featuring beautiful designs made of pebbles that appear to be rugs at first glance. Our next stop is a pottery shop, where we watch the craftsmen making beautiful Greek pottery, and of course, pick up a couple of pieces to take home. Rhodes is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, so be sure to put it on your list.

Hello Mykonos -- my personal favorite – we opted for a walking tour through the picturesque village on the sea with winding, cobblestone lanes, whitewashed buildings with blue doors and shutters, magenta bougainvillea climbing the walls and old windmills that once milled wheat, majestically looking down from the hill tops. (Check these out on Air B&B for a unique hotel experience.) We also briefly stopped at “Little Venice”, as it is known to locals. The neighborhood is made up of old houses (from the 13th to mid-18th century) situated precariously on the edge of the sea…scary! It is impossible not to fall in love with this charming village of 10,000 residents. (Which grows to 50,000 with tourists during the summer!) 

Kefalonia - Tourists alighting at Argostoli (the main town) will discover many Kodak moments --- blue seas, sandy beaches and a chance to explore one or two of the many eel-filled caves (ewwww!) by boat. Their claim to fame? This is where “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” with Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz was filmed in 2000. (A great love story where a Greek fisherman leaves the island to fight with the Greek army during WWII, and his fiancée falls in love with a local Italian Commander…a must-see for romantics!)

Corfu…a Greek island in the Ionian Sea is one of the most popular destinations in the Greek islands. It’s easily accessible by ferry from the mainland. Many expats from England, Germany and Russia inhabit the island along with 32,000 local residents. Corfu is a lush, tropical island which offers historical temples, forts, and Medieval castles. Take a leisurely horse and buggy ride through Corfu town, then wine, dine and shop; it’s a shopper’s paradise. Be sure to pick up some donkey milk products; we were told they are even better than goat’s milk and quite popular here.