Greece-Crete, Athens, Meteora
Greece
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Apr 22 - May 2, 2025
Erica did a great job planning our trip with only a couple of weeks lead time. The hotels Kim Kim booked were strategically located in the heart of the places we stayed at, allowing us to walk around to shop, visit the sites, and have dinner. Our guide Chris who lead us on a hike up to the Varlaam Monastery in Meteora was fantastic, stopping frequently to engage with the group and share with us his love of hiking and rock climbing the Meteora area. Our guide Nicholas in Crete was also great, spending the day with us leading a small group tour trough tiny villages, over gravel roads (with goats as spectators) to a an olive oil/wine making farm for a tasting, and finally to a beautiful eco-friendly mountain resort for an outstanding lunch. Our last day in Greece was an unscheduled day , allowing us to stroll around the Plaka section of Athens and giving our daughter the chance to lead us out to the American College of Greece where we got to see where she had just spent the last several months studying. The crowds were not yet overwhelming, and the Greek people were very friendly and welcoming. Efharisto!
Activity Reviews
The Knossos Palace tour was incredible. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and we loved that we were each given ear pieces so that we could hear what she was saying. We went before the height of the tourist season which was great for 2 reasons: 1. we had a minimal wait to view the palace, and 2. it was not too hot yet. My only regret is that we didn't have a little bit more time to explore on our own after the tour.
4 and 1/2 bus ride to and from Athens included a strategic stop at the 1/2way point for a bathroom and food break. We stopped there on the way up and the way back, and the place was prepared to serve a lot of people fast with a cafeteria style food line. Breaking up the bus ride into 2 days with a night stay in Meteora was the right choice (many people on the bus ride back had taken the bus up earlier the same day).
We loved this experience. Our young guide Nicholas was great, sharing stories of his family and Greek traditions, his trip to New York City, and willingly answering all of our questions. The Range Rover drive over gravel roads was awesome, the visit to the olive oil and wine making farm was delicious and enjoyable, and the lunch at the Milia Mountain Retreat was outstanding!
Chris who lead us on a hike up to the Varlaam Monastery in Meteora was fantastic, stopping frequently to engage with the group and share with us his love of hiking and rock climbing the Meteora area. The Varlaam Monastery was beautiful, the views from the terrace were breathtaking, and the museum was informative and small enough to be able to enjoy in the 1 hour we were allotted.
4 and 1/2 bus ride to and from Athens included a strategic stop at the 1/2way point for a bathroom and food break. We stopped there on the way up and the way back, and the place was prepared to serve a lot of people fast with a cafeteria style food line. Breaking up the bus ride into 2 days with a night stay in Meteora was the right choice (many people on the bus ride back had taken the bus up earlier the same day).
This tour was a bit rushed in the beginning as there were a lot of people to pick up, which was done using 2 vans that were consolidated into one. We got to the Rousanou (St Barbara) Monastery shortly before they closed and it was a small monastery, making it hard to move around with the crowd. The tour was more relaxed after the first stop, and we were fortunate that the clouds that were with us most of the day cleared enough in time for us to see the sunset from the Meteora rocks.
Our guide Yannis was friendly, enthusiastic and gracious. Our first tour stop was at the Corinth Canal, which was narrow and steep and definitely worth a stop, even in the rain. We opted not to go into the Temple of Apollo, our second stop, and consequently squandered a bit of time that we wish we had to explore at our next stop, the Acrocorinth. We found the Acrocorinth interesting and it was worthy of its own guided tour. It was unfortunate that Yannis, a former taxi driver turned tour guide, was not a certified tour guide (apparently requiring a college degree in Greece) and consequently he said he was allowed to accompany us into any of the historical sites.
Our guide Yannis was friendly, enthusiastic and gracious.
