We have had an amazing start to our month long Greek adventure!

We arrived in Athens a few days ago and after adjusting to the time change and getting our bearings the first afternoon (by that I mean finding the closest bakery that had baklava!), we’ve been on the move ever since!

Our first full day in Athens, we took the Hop On, Hop Off, sight-seeing bus. This was a great way to scout out the areas that we wanted to spend more time in! After a ninety minute  tour, we hopped off in the area of Plaka, the neighbourhood in the shadow of the Acropolis. We strolled the cobblestone streets where the views were stunning, the shopping was fun and we had a great meal at an old taverna. Our meal started and ended with a friendly handshake. I had heard before coming here that you arrive in Greece as a tourist but you leave as a friend. Our first experiences have proven this correct. People are warm and friendly!

Our second full day in Greece was a long one. We started the day with a four hour bus ride to Meteora. The towering rock formations of Meteora were breathtaking. These stones that are crowned with monasteries, are sacred and beautiful. One can sense the serenity of the place as soon as you see it. The rock formations spring up unexpectedly from a flat landscape, almost like a forest of stone. Initially caves in the rocks were inhabited by hermits and monks. Eventually the monasteries were constructed, the first one being built 613 meters above sea level on the top of a rock! The first monk called this rock and subsequently the whole area, Meteora, which means ‘suspended between heaven and earth’. There are six functioning  monasteries in total today and all are inhabited by either Orthodox Christian Monks or Nuns.

We trekked into three of the monasteries. We are talking hundreds of stone steps! It was a workout but was well worth the effort. The views were indescribable and the pictures below won’t do this place justice. When looking at the pictures, keep in mind that these monasteries have survived a thousand years and they were built by hand. Monks and their supplies used to get to these monasteries by a net and pulley system! Now they have cable cars and lift systems that transport them.

After a full day of stairs and being as close to heaven as we have ever been, it was another four hour bus ride back to Athens. I won’t lie…there may have been some snoring and drooling happening on the bus!

Thursday was equally as long and just as cool! We took the train four hours to Katerini where Damian, our personal guide for the day met us (we got lucky as we were the only ones booked for his tour that day). We were at the base of Mount Olympus! Our tour took us to an archeological dig site where we walked on the same ancient road as Alexander the Great.  Amongst the ancient ruins we saw perfectly preserved mosaic tile floors, partial walls and bath houses. Throughout our tour, Damian told us the local history and mythology of the area. It was informative and entertaining.

Damian then took us to Mount Olympus where we hiked to Zeus’s Bathtub, a beautiful waterfall, with crystal clear water that we could drink from. After my first sip, he informed me that myth had it that the water contained special powers and as such the Gods did not like mere mortals to bathe or drink from it…it was rumoured that drinking the water could age a woman by 40 years!! Oops! I won’t make that mistake again!

We ended our day with Damian at an ancient castle on the coast of the Aegean Sea.

Today we thought we would take it easier…so Kevin decided we would go to Lycabettus Hill, here in Athens. After walking up a huge hill, several hundred steps and a ride in a 210 meter funicular we were rewarded with an amazing view of the whole city of Athens! We also rewarded ourselves with a nice lunch and a big glass of wine at the mountaintop restaurant!

We are feeling pretty impressed with ourselves. We think we’ve mastered the subway system in Athens (it is pretty easy)! We’ve been  on planes, trains, subways, autos and buses so far; walked for miles, spent time close to heaven, walked amongst the Gods and had some amazing wine, tzatziki, souvlaki and baklava! Life is good on the Greek road.