Day 7: Guided tour of Athens

This morning, despite a general strike in Greece, the group had a full guided tour of the highlights of Athens. This included the wonderful newly opened Acropolis museum, as well as the Acropolis itself.  We also saw the parliament building, the famous Academy, the Olympic stadium where the first of the modern Olympic games took place and the guarding of the tomb of the unknown soldier.  In the afternoon some went to visit the site of the biggest temple from ancient times, the Temple of Zeus just across from our hotel.  Later there was free time for shopping before a delicious last night dinner.
A strike in front of the hotel.

At the new olympic stadium

A statue of Athena on top of the Academy

A march for the general strike

The New Acropolis museum, designed to house the treasures of the Acropolis, built to withstand the biggest
earthquakes.

Our guide and group inside the Acropolis museum

The view from the Acropolis museum to the Acropolis

At the Entrance to the Acropolis

The Parthenon

A dog resting in front of the Temple of Poseidon

The East (back) of the Parthenon

A view over the modern city of Athens from the Acropolis

A View to the Temple of Zeus and the Olympic stadium.

The remains of the Temple of Zeus, the largest Temple of the classical world, in the distance is the Acropolis

Day 6: Return flight to Athens from Santorini

We had a leisurely breakfast in Santorini before taking a flight to from Athens to back to Santorini.  On the flight you got a  spectacular view of some of the Greek islands on the flight.  After arriving in Athens some went shopping in the historic plaka district while others visited the new Acropolis museum.  That evening we enjoyed dinner in the plaka.
The new volcano rising in the sea filled caldera.

A view from the plane of the black beach

Our smiling bus greets us on our return to Athens.

Another lovely dinner in the Plaka

Day 5: A visit to the prehistoric museum & volcano of Nea Kamani

Our day started early with a visit to the prehistoric museum in Thira.  It exhibits some of the remains from the amazing finds of a 4,000 year old city uncovered by an earthquake on Santorini.  This includes incredible fresco's which showed life in Santorini before the eruption of 3,500 years ago which destroyed most of the island.  We can see at the time a variety of life on the islands, included deer and even monkeys!  Some of the earliest pieces are small sculptors which resemble today's minimalist modern art.  Later work includes the famous orange Greek figures against a black background.  After the museum we trekked down to the old harbour and took a boat to the new volcano which is rising up in the middle of the sea filled caldera.  It resembles a landscape from another planet, with sheer black twisted basalt, pumice stones and lots of iron ore.   You also got spectacular views from the boat towards the 2,000ft high steep cliffs of the caldera.  On the return, some took a donkey back up the steep climb while most took a cable car. The evening ended with a meal and some Greek dancing.

One of the amazing 4,000 year old frescoes.

The view from the volcano back to the caldera with the town of Thira on top.

The boat docked at the volcano of Nea Kamani

Sara and Grace go swimming in the hot volcanic springs feeding into the sea

A view to the village of Oia from the volcano

Day 4: Guided tour of Santorini

This morning we had a privately guided tour of the beautiful island of Santorini.  First stop was Oia (pronounced Ee-aa) arguably one of the most beautiful villages in the world and the scene of countless classic Greek postcards and sunset pictures.   Later we visited the famous Kamari black sand beach. A storm had come up that morning and we watched great waves pound the beach.  After a traditional Greek lunch we had a relaxing afternoon to shop in Thira followed by our own food party in the evening.









Kameni beach, famous for its black volcanic sands

A classic view of the windmills of Oia.

A typical Greek church in Oia

One of our loyal Greek companions.  The dog with no name.

Another view of Oia.

View back across the Caldera

Some interesting decoration

Day 3: Sunday 7th Travel to Santorini

This morning we departed Athens on our flight across the Aegean sea to the beautiful island of Santorini.  The island itself is spectacular, effectively the caldera of a giant volcano that exploded about 3,500 years ago sending a huge tidal wave across the Mediterranean sea.

Here the group is taking a walk along the edge of the caldera, in the distance is the remains of the original island and to the left is the new volcano rising in the middle of the sea.

A view over the main town of Fira.

Our hotel with spectacular views over the sea and volcano.

Dinner at a traditional taverna.

One of the many hotel cats.