Greece, the Cradle of Western civilization and the wonders of Nature

For sometime now, Greece has been on our bucket list. Santorini is of course, the poster child of the Greek Islands (Cyclades) alongside Athens and the Parthenon which overlooks the city named after the goddess, Athina. Theresa had ambitious plans to include the Peloponnese peninsula as well. We managed to put everything together in a walking cum road trip adventure.

We also happen to have family in Greece - Debra is a dear cousin on my mother's side. We re-connected with her on this trip. She helpfully gave us insider tips on what to expect when getting about the city as independent travellers, as well as driving safely in the countryside.

We mutually agreed that Spring would be a great season to visit, when it was still cool and relatively uncrowded. This turned out to be absolutely true in our case.

The extra bonus was the abundance of colourful spring flowers which grow wild in every nook and cranny, to literally liven up the ruins!

The moment I started booking airline tickets and hotel accommodations, even one whole year ahead for certain popular places,

Theresa went to work with her dressmaker, Grace, to assemble bespoke full length dresses with floral themes, based on her very own designs. She even sourced for hair accessories to match her outfits.

The pictures you see are therefore a culmination of our dreams come true and we are indeed grateful to have been there and finally done that!

Who knows, we might return again, for this trip has been particularly poignant for the many, many wonderful experiences we've had.

Acropolis, Ancient Agora and the Temple of Olympian Zeus

By staying at the Athens Gate Hotel, we realised the reason why Athens is a walker's paradise. Within minutes on foot, we were able to reach the famous ruins through easy pedestrian-friendly walkways and traffic light-controlled roadways. As a matter of fact, the streets of Athens are narrow and winding in places like the Plaka and it is all too easy for first-timers to walk in circles, without a reliable Google map and compass.

From the wrap-around balcony of our hotel room, we could see both the Parthenon, up on the Acropolis as well as the imposing columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This provided us the unique privilege of seeing them in golden light at sunrise/ at sunset and even at night, when they were grandly illuminated.

The West Entrance to the Acropolis was our preferred approach as it afforded many extra photoshoot opportunities, as opposed to the East Entrance, right by the Acropolis Museum.

Doing this first thing after breakfast with a pre-bought entrance ticket helped us "cut queue" and freed up the afternoons to do either the Ancient Agora or the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

We didn't miss the convenience of taking the accessible bus and underground trains as somehow, we became familiar with common landmarks, after getting hopelessly lost on the first day!

Honestly, one simply cannot see it all in one day. As it turned out, our 3 nights' stay at the central hotel we chose gave us  barely enough time, to sample "everything". Indeed, it left us wanting for more. I suspect, God-willing, we shall return one day !

Santorini

The jewel in the crown, Santorini is arguably the most iconic of all the many idyllic islands of the Cyclades. It's distinctive blue domes and whitewashed cliff dwellings, perched high above the caldera, have featured in many travel brochures and websites.

Sunsets and sunrises are both spectacular in their own way and thus we chose the Armeni Luxury Villas for the privilege of watching Nature's display, right from our very own, open yet private, villa patio, complete with a jacuzzi.

Special mention goes to our kind hotel manager, Veronica (who's famous for the right reasons on TripAdvisor!). Together with Caesar, the chef, the team took care of us like family and no request was too trivial to ask of her. We felt blessed indeed.

Another way to see a Santorini sunset is to witness the sun dip into the Aegean sea on a late afternoon/sunset catamaran cruise. Veronica liaised with "Spiridakos sailing cruises" to secure for us seats on a good sailing day (an important consideration for those who happen to be poor sailors!).

Captain Zannis instilled confidence in everyone on board, as we rode the winds and the waves, to skilfully position his craft in just the right spot of sheltered Ammoudi Bay, after an earlier tour of secluded beaches along the way. An optional cool dip into the sea to swim 50m to the caldera's underwater hotspring bay was taken up by a few brave souls.

His capable crew like Maria and Zikos, also multi-tasked to whip up a delicious dinner on board, before taking us safely back to shore, to a waiting bus shuttle.

Another fruitful day we spent was to walk down the thousand steps to Ammoudi Bay for a well-deserved lunch of fresh-caught scorpion fish and healthy Greek salad, right on the edge of the water.

Again, the wild flowers made our journey memorable for the sights and smell of Spring in the air!

Glyfada, a beautiful seaside suburb of Athens

The first reason to visit Greece was to catch up with our cousin, Debra Manetas who's currently living there with her wonderful Greek husband of more than 40 years, Michael Manetas.

They stay in a lovely suburb of Athens called Glyfada, which is a province by the sea. It has a great countryside feeling with proximity to good public facilities as well as natural beauty spots like the hotspring resort of Vouliagmeni. Not surprisingly, Debra even told us of hitherto unknown ruins found right in her neighbourhood!

Wow, one can almost feel the sense of history just by touching the earth in Greece. And with the changing seasons, we can only imagine our connectedness to Nature like Ralph Waldo Emerson, as conjured in his epic prose poems like his "Transparent Eyeball".

More than simply ticking off a bucket list, we seek enlightenment from the people we meet. Thus we generally found the local Greeks a living embodiment of their philosophy; stoic, hardworking and kind people.

Cousin Debra was especially caring during our self-drive on the Peloponnese Peninsula, asking after us every other day and sharing her extensive local knowledge. Grateful are we !

Ancient Corinthia, Isthmus, Acrocorinth and the Temple of Apollo

Ancient Corinth and the Acrocorinth are the highlights of this sprawling and lofty complex of ruins.

At the base, you see the standing remaining columns of the Temple of Apollo, highlighted against the distant silhouette of the Acrocorinth peak, then meander slowly along marked trails amongst the ruins and pretty wildflowers.

Theresa's conscious decision to wear bespoke floral dresses was validated as she sat and posed in the midst of all the man made ruins and natural splendour .

Strangers came up spontaneously to ask for group photographs with the diva! This made my "job" as official paparazzi all the more fun!

Sometimes, the best pictures happen on the spur of the moment and make our holiday experiences more enriching.

Looking at the candid pictures taken up on the Acrocorinth, we also realised the wisdom of travelling in springtime, as opposed to peak summer months.

For example, crowds were manageable, people were friendly and we could actually pause and people-watch. Wait patiently, and then you get to snap those precious moments to create the illusion of having the place all to ourselves :-)

Ancient Mycenae

This site is significant for pre-dating the Greek civilization as we know it from the times of Aristotle, Socrates and Plato. It is believed that these ancient Mycenaeans lived some 2 millenia before Christ.

At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000 and an area of 32 hectares.

Of course, Theresa simply had to patiently wait for the crowds to thin out before her pose in front of the iconic Lion Gate which has featured in many travel blogs.

As we climbed up to the highest point of the complex of ancient ruins, we even got the bird's eye view we always wanted, as a backdrop for our couple pose.

During the times of Homer, he wrote about the fabled city of gold and we know now that early archaeological excavations had uncovered a treasure trove of gold ornaments, including the Gold Mask of Agamemnon (leader of the Achaeans in Homer's epic of the Trojan War).

It now lies on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Epidaurus, an ancient amphitheatre with the best acoustics in all of Greece

The amphitheatre of Epidaurus was what we came to see. And what a sight it was and to experience. Standing right in it's centre, you can imagine talking to a maximum crowd of 12,000 spectators. The acoustics were as good as described as we were treated to an impromptu narration by a professor amongst the visitors that day.

The whole area was once a complex of hospitals and sick wards, dedicated to the Greek God of Medicine, Asclepius. This fine theatre was the venue for music and cultural performances, as part of the healing process and operated right up to 426 A.D. when Emperor Theodosius decided to close down such pagan sanctuaries. Today, music therapy has an important role to play in the healing profession as well as in education.

Koroni and Methoni Castles, the "Two Eyes" of the Venetians in ancient Messenia

These 2 castles are right on the southernmost fingertip of the Peloponnese Peninsula. Naturally they were the first line of sight and defence for the ancient Venetians (their "Two Eyes") when they controlled this part of Greece in ancient times.

Each one has unique features and because we chose to visit it first, we got to know Koroni better for  it's quaint giftshop fronting a working nunnery with its inviting shady and manicured gardens. There were also climbable parapets for expansive views to be had,overlooking its own vineyard and farm animal enclosures.

Methoni Castle, by contrast, is gated and uninhabited. Its outstanding icon is a southernmost islet with a lone "Bourtzi", an octogonal-shaped little fortress, connected to the main fortified acropolis by a narrow stone-paved walkway. Unfortunately, we arrived half an hour before official closing time and the gate keeper insisted on keeping to schedule, forcing us to quickly race to the Bourtzi for our prized shots!