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| Day 1 |
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DEPART U.S.
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Depart the U.S. on your flight to Athens
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| Day 2 |
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ARRIVE ATHENS
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Arrive at the Athens Airport; meet your guide and transfer to your hotel. Welcome Dinner. D
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| Day 3 |
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ATHENS - TOLO
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Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Athens including the Acropolis,* Parthenon, and incredible National Archaeological Museum. Drive to Tolo; check into your hotel. B/L
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| Day 4 |
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TOLO
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Tour Mycenae*, a city nearly 4000 years old, where King Agamemnon was killed by his Queen, Clytemnestra; the sanctuary of Epidaurus*, with the oracle of Asklepios, the god of medicine; Nauplia with a 17th c. Palamedes Fort. Participate in Holy Saturday festivities. B/D |
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| Day 5 |
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TOLO - GREEK EASTER
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Visit ancient Assini (Asine), mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, with its Cyclopean walls. On the April departure, celebrate Greek Easter with a lamb roast, folk music and dancing. Have time to explore on your own. B/D
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| Day 6 |
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TOLO - DELPHI
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Journey to Delphi,* world-renowned site of the famous Oracle of Delphi, built on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus, and once considered the “Center of the World”. B/L
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| Day 7 |
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DELPHI - METEORA
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Explore Delphi, now called "the most spectacularly beautiful ancient site in Greece,” and follow the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo. Visit the Museum containing treasures taken from the site, including the "Navel of the World," as well as Siphnian and Athenian treasures and the famous life-size sculpture of the Bronze Charioteer.. Travel to Meteora. Overnight. B/L
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| Day 8 |
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METEORA
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Visit the spectacular monasteries perched on high rocks, each built around a central courtyard surrounded by cells for the Monks, with 15-16th c. frescoes, paintings and treasures. Continue to Thessalonika, stopping en route at the archeological site of Dion, near Mt. Olympus, legendary home of the gods and the highest mountain in Greece. Arrive in the prosperous city of Thessalonika, capital of the state of Macedonia and the second most important city in Greece. B/L
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| Day 9 |
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THESSALONIKA
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Tour the city of Thessalonika, founded in 316 BC and named for the sister of Alexander the Great. This city was once the most important trading center on the road between Rome and Constantinople (modern Istanbul), with cultural and architectural influences from the Romans, ancient Greeks, Byzantines and Turks. Visit the Archaeological Museum of Salonika containing artifacts from Vergina, site of the palace and tomb of King Philip II. B/D
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| Day 10 |
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THESSALONIKA - PELLA, VERGINA
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Visit the important archaeological site of Vergina* and the Royal Tomb of King Philip II, Alexander's father. The Museum contains gold objects found in the tomb. Continue to Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great and the capital of Macedonia at the peak of its power. See splendid mosaics from 300 BC in House of the Lion Hunt. B/L |
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| Day 11 |
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FLY TO SANTORINI VIA ATHENS
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Depart Thessalonika; arrive Athens and transfer to your flight to Santorini, a beautiful island known for winding, narrow streets, charming white houses and the still-active volcano that has shaped the island’s history. B/D
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| Day 12 |
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SANTORINI
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Tour the marvelously preserved ruins of the ancient Minoan city of Akrotiri and its Museum of outstanding discoveries. Enjoy a harbor cruise. B/L
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| Day 13 |
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SANTORINI - ATHENS
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Time to explore this picturesque island on your own. Fly to Athens and overnight. B/D
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| Day 14 |
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DEPART ATHENS
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Board your flight to the U.S. B |
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