May/June 2021
This website contains short daily impressions of my Greece trip with unedited photos.
Table of Contents
Day 1
Flight from Zurich to Athens
Athens
Church Theotokos Gorgoepikoos and Agios Eleytherios
Athens Cathedral
Day 2
Acropolis
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Acropolis Museum
Zeus temple of Olympia
Spondi Restaurant – 2 Michelin stars
View of the Acropolis at night from Athens Gate Hotel
Day 3
View of the Acropolis from Athens Gate hotel by day
Anafiotika neighborhood
Roman Agora – The Tower of the Winds
Ancient Agora
The temple of Hephaisteion
Bust of Emperor Antonius Pius
A philosopher
Parliament – change of guards
Panathenaic Stadium
Central Market
Street art in Psiri district
Day 4
National Archaeological Museum
Museum of Cycladic Art
Benaki Museum
Sense Restaurant
View of the Acropolis
and on the Lycabettus hill
Greetings from the kitchen
Two types of bread, top right with goat cheese sprinkled with olive powder and bottom left with olive oil paste.
Lobster pasta with ouzo foam. The ouzo foam was the highlight of the evening for me.
Lamb with eggplant mousse
Four wonderful cheeses, including on the bottom left Greece’s first blue cheese, a goat cheese
View of the Acropolis from the restaurant
A great evening!
Day 5
Flight to Crete
Crete
Chania
Day 6
Morning buffet
Bay of Chania
Trimartiri Cathedral
In the city market hall
Restaurant Salis
The port of Chania
In the evening
Day 7
A last morning walk in Chania
Fishermen and lighthouse
Transfer to Rethymnon
Rethymnon
“Organized” beach of Icarus
Venetian fort
Neratze mosque
Rethymnon lighthouse
Venetian port
Day 8
Today I rented a car and drove into the hinterland.
Archaeological site of Phaistos
Landscapes, flowers and olive trees
Matala
A typical Greek salad
Cretan cemetery
Arkadi monastery
Margarites
Day 9
Drive to the island capital Heraklion.
Heraklion
Archaeological Museum of Heraklion
All exhibits are more than 2000 years old.
The Venetian port of Heraklion
Dinner at the excellent restaurant Peskesi
Day 10
The archaeological site of Knossos – Europe’s oldest city
Koules fortress
Historical Museum of Crete
Restaurant Kazoual – No. 1 on Tripadvisor
Sea bass with salt crust – wonderful
The Venetian port of Heraklion
Day 11
Actually, I would have taken the ship to Santorini today. But no ship leaves because of a nationwide strike. Thus, I stay one day longer in Heraklion.
Great ice cream from Da Vinci Gelato
Saint Titus Church
NTORE GASTRONOMY & SYMPOSIA Restaurant
Day 12
Since the strike lasted only one day, I was able to take the ferry from Heraklion to Santorini today.
We passed the Koules fortress in the port of Heraklion.
Santorini
View from my apartment
Visit to the excellent winery Artemis Karamolegos
A top wine was the Pyritis from over 120-year-old vines of the grape variety Assyrtiko.
This Vinsanto was also an excellent experience.
Fira
A walk along the crater rim of Fira
Sunset and dinner
Day 13
Good morning! View from my balcony!
Hike from Fira to Oia
Fira
On the left Skaros Rock, on the right Imerovigli village
Skaros Rock
Climbing Skaros Rock is an adventure and requires some serious climbing
View from Skaros Rock
While descending, I noticed that a woman was carrying a black cardboard box that is often used for ring storage. In fact, her boyfriend proposed to her on Skaros Rock after the dangerous climb and handed her the ring. She accepted it.
Continuing in the direction of Oia
On the left I can already see my destination Oia.
Oia
Ammoudi Bay
Fira
Sunset atmosphere in Fira
Day 14
Morning walk in Fira
The church of Imerovigli
Vine Restaurant
My last meal on Santorini.
In the evening I flew back to Athens.
Day 15
Today was the first time the sky was cloudy.
I picked up my rental car, with which I will discover the Greek peninsula Peloponnese in the next 12 days.
My first stop was the small town of Nafplion, which was the first capital of Greece after independence from the Turks and also the scene of both the coronation of the first Greek king and the assassination of his first prime minister.
Nafplion
Palamidi Castle
In 1388 the Venetians bought the city from French crusaders. Even today the Venetian lion adorns buildings of the city.
Bourtzi Castle
Bourtzi Castle is located on an island in front of the city.
Day 16
Drive to Mycenae.
Archaeological site of Mycenae
The Mycenaean civilization dominated the eastern Mediterranean between 1700 to 1100 BC.
Museum of Mycenae
Loukous Monastery
The monastery church, built in 1170, which is richly decorated inside. Unfortunately, taking pictures inside was forbidden.
Elonas Monastery
The town of Githio
The Marathonisi Peninsula
Restaurant Saga
I love sardines.
Evening atmosphere at the harbor
Day 17
Morning walk in Githio
The roof terrace of my hotel with pool
The shipwreck “Dimitrios” at Valtaki beach
The cozy town of Areopoli
Byzantine sculptures from churches in the area
The freedom fighter Petros Mavromichalis, who started the war of freedom against the Ottomans in Areopoli in 1821 with fellow fighters.
Vathia
Rivalries and blood feuds among families led to these fortified houses and the race for the tallest building. Throughout the Mani Peninsula there are many such villages, but Vathia is the most scenic.
Cape Tenaro – The southernmost part of mainland Greece
With the rental car I reached Mystras, where I stay overnight. Mystras is a Byzantine city of ruins, which I will explore tomorrow.
Day 18
By car I drove the few kilometers from the present village of Mystras to the entrance of the archaeological site.
Mystras
The Kastro Fort
The entrance to the fort
Church of St. Sophia
Built ca. 1350
Frescoes in the church of St. Nicolas
Built in the 17th century
Despot’s Palace
Pantanassas Monastery
Built in 1428
Perivleptou Monastery
Built in the middle of the 14th century
Church of St. Theodore
Metropolis
Archaeological Site of Tegea
Afterwards I drove to the mountain village of Dimitsana, from where I will hike the spectacular Lousios Gorge tomorrow.
Day 19
I took a cab to Stemnitsa so I could hike the 12 km back to Dimitsana.
Hike from Stemnitsa to Dimitsana
From Stemnitsa to the monastery Timiou Prodromou
The spectacularly located monastery Timiou Prodromou
On the way from Timiou Prodromou Monastery to Old Filosofou Monastery
The ruins of the Old Filosofou Monastery
The New Filosofou Monastery
The monastery even had a WIFI router without password, with which I could go on the Internet.
On the way from New Filosofou Monastery to Dimitsana
Back in Dimitsana
Day 20
With my car I drove to another mountain village.
Lagadia
The master builders and stonemasons of Lagadia were known throughout Greece for their artistry and were therefore often hired to build representative buildings, churches and schools.
Square of the heroes of the fight for independence
The Apollo Epicurius Temple of Bassae
This 5th century BC temple is very well preserved and was the first Greek structure to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. To protect the temple from weathering, it is now wrapped. In addition, the temple was stabilized inside.
Afterwards I drove to Olympia, where I will visit the historic site and museums tomorrow.
Day 21
Olympia served as an important religious cult site for a long time. From 776 BC to 339 AD, that is for more than 1,160 years, the Olympic Games were held here every 4 years without interruption. It was not until the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I ended the games, as he would not tolerate this pagan event. An earthquake in 551 destroyed most of the site.
Ancient Olympia
The archaeological site
The site is extremely extensive and impressive.
The entrance to the stadium
The start line
and the finish line
The temple of Zeus
Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games
The archaeological museum of Olympia
The statue of Nike, goddess of victory, which stood in front of the temple of Zeus.
Restaurant ‘Taverna The Garden’ at Hotel Europa
In the mountains of Greece and on the first evening in Olympia, I was not satisfied with the restaurants. However, ‘Taverna The Garden’ was a complete success: attentive service, excellent food and a wonderful place. And only a few euros more expensive than other places.
The food items are all amuse bouche, which are not charged.
Dorade and steamed vegetables
Sunset
At the end offered fruits
Tomorrow I travel on to Delphi, famous for its oracle.
Day 22
The big city of Patras was on my way to Delphi.
Patras
Achaia Clauss Winery
Founded in 1861 by an emigrant Bavarian, this winery is one of the best known in Greece.
Unfortunately, the visit was a disappointment. I could not reach the winery by phone before 10 am. When I arrived, I could only taste a heavy, port-like sweet wine, which I did not like. A tour did not take place.
Agios Andreas Cathedral
It is the largest Greek Orthodox church in Greece.
The skull relic of St. Andrew is kept in the silver vessel.
Archaeological Museum of Patras
Roman quarters and villas with impressive mosaics have been uncovered in the center of the city.
Gladiatore practicing
Afterwards I drove on to Delphi.
Day 23
Delphi was the most important oracle site of the ancient world.
Delphi
Athenians Treasury
The reconstructed Athenians Treasury, built to commemorate their victory in the Battle of Marathon.
View to the left to the temple of Apollo and to the right to the Athenian Treasury
Temple of Apollo
The Temple of Apollo built in the 4th century BC – It was the main temple where the oracle, a priestess, was active.
Theater
The theater was built in the 4th century BC and has a capacity of 5,000 people.
Stadium
It was built in the 5th century BC and had a capacity for 6,500 spectators. The Phytian Games were held here, the second most important in ancient Greece after the Games at Olympia.
Athena Proaina District
The Archaeological Museum of Delphi
For the friends of cat pictures: A cat in front of a marble sarcophagus found in a burial site at Delphi.
Overview of the area around the Temple of Apollo
Day 24
My day began with the PCR test required by the Swiss government for entry, which I took in the nearby town of Amfissa. It was my fifth PCR test.
Journey from Delphi to Corinth
I made a car stop in this small seaside town on the southern coast of mainland Greece.
The Rion-Antirion Bridge
This impressive bridge connects the Peleponnes with the Greek mainland. Before its construction, some technical complications had to be solved, because the deepest part of the strait is 65 meters deep and the subsoil is unstable. Moreover, earthquakes and strong winds are not uncommon and the two parts of land drift apart by 3 cm every year. It is therefore not surprising that the two-minute crossing costs € 13.50.
Ancient Corinth
View from the restaurant ‘Taverna Gemelos’ to the archaeological site
Octopus, vegetables and salad – but in Mexico the octopus was more tender
On a walk I was able to capture a few evening moods through the grille.
Day 25
Ancient Corinth
Apostle Paul dealt extensively with the issues of the Corinthians of that time in the Corinthian letters of the New Testament. He lived in the city for 18 months.
Museum
6th century BC
A marble sphinx on a tomb (6th century B.C.)
A sarcophagus (2nd century AD)
A mosaic from a Roman villa, in the center the god of wine Dionysus (2nd century AD).
Head of the goddess of love Aphrodite (5th century BC)
Archaeological site
The temple of Apollo was the center of the city
Apollo temple with a shopping arcade in the foreground
Spring and bath
The road to the port of Lechaion. In the background on the hill is the fortified settlement of Akrokorinthos, which I visited afterwards.
The Odeon
Akrokorinthos
Although I could drive up by car, I decided to take on the 1.5 hour climb. The walk was good training for the five-day hike through the Swiss Alps, some stages of the Via Alpina, which I will tackle next week.
The chapel
In the background the uppermost tower
View
On the hill, amazingly, there is a spring, the Upper Peirene Spring, which supplied the fortress with water.
Apollo temple with full moon rising
Day 26
On the last day of my trip I drove 13 km to the Corinth Canal.
Corinth Canal
The Corinth Canal, opened in 1893, considerably shortened the sea route from the Ionian to the Aegean Sea, as ships were spared the route around the Peloponnese.
In January 2021, the canal had to be closed due to landslides. The date of reopening is not yet known.
Flight back to Switzerland
Towards evening I flew back from Athens to Switzerland.
With this, a varied and instructive journey comes to an end.
This text is an automatic English translation from the German original by deepl.com