OVERVIEW
Our exploration of the fabled land of Greece spans the chronology of early Western Civilization, bringing to life the legends of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and giving context to Greek mythology and history. We start at King Minos’ Palace of Knossos on the Aegean Island of Crete; absorb some of the world’s most stupendous vistas from the rim of Santorini’s sea-filled caldera; continue to Mycenae, where Agamemnon marshaled the Greek armies for the Trojan War; and finish in Athens, pinnacle of Classical Greece.
Part two in Turkey focuses on three major areas of interest—Izmir (with visits to ancient biblical ruins at Ephesus and Pergamum), Cappadocia, a surreal geological wonderland, and Istanbul, a city we believe to be one of the most exotic, fascinating, and historically relevant on the planet.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Crete – with Imbros Gorge, one of Crete’s dramatic gorge walks, and the fabled Palace of Knossos, home of mythical King Minos, namesake for the advanced yet mysterious Minoan civilization which controlled much of the Mediterranean in the 3rd and 2nd millenniums before Christ
- Santorini – a Cycladic Island where a violent 17th century B.C. volcanic eruption left behind a gigantic crater that filled with seawater when part of the rim was blasted away. 2700 years later, a hike along the rim provides vistas that put this walk in our Top 10 worldwide
- Ephesus & Pergamum – two ancient sites with stupendous ruins in Turkey, listed in the Book of Revelation as 2 of the 7 churches to whom the letter was addressed
- Cappadocia – with a series of stunning walks through surreal, delightfully eroded tufa stone formations—a geological fantasyland
- Istanbul – a kaleidoscope of exotic Turkish delights like the Spice Market, the Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace in one of the world’s greatest ancient cities.
