Day 1 -
Athens, Greece
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Walking in the shadow of the Acropolis in the Agora, you can almost hear the voices of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle arguing about who was the greatest philosopher. In the soaring, subtly curved Doric columns of the Parthenon you see the masterful hand of Pericles, Athens’ greatest general and builder. And in the ethereally graceful bodies of the Karyatids supporting the porch of the Erectheum, you behold the beauty of the immortals. Ancient Athens, the birthplace of democracy and epicentre of western civilisation, is a city for all eternity.
Meals included:
Dinner
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Day 2 -
At Sea
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Our graceful ships fly along the waves, just like the legendary clippers of a century and a-half ago. And this is as much an adventure in highly evolved relaxation as it is in tradition.
Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 3 -
Bodrum, Turkey
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Known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, this was the birthplace of Heredotus and the site of King Mausolu’s Tomb (4th century BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In the harbour, Bodrum Castle, or the medieval castle of St. Peter, is a fine example of 15th century crusader architecture, and has been converted into a Museum of Underwater Archaeology, with remains dating as far back as the Bronze Age.
Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 4 -
Dalyan River, Turkey
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At first glance, this is a picture one hardly expects to see in Turkey. A lovely, unspoiled lake teeming with fish, a lush marshy delta, verdant farmlands, a lazy, reed-fringed river meandering into the sea. And a lonely, deserted beach where sea turtles lay their eggs. But the sea is an incredibly clear blue, and on the bottom are ruins of an ancient civilisation. On shore, you can see ruins of the Lycian city of Caunos, with its basilica and fortifications looming over the green marsh where endangered Caretta loggerhead turtles hatch in the spring.
Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 5 -
Santorini, Greece
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The island of Santorini is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. Around 1500 BC, a volcanic eruption destroyed the centre of the island, leaving a crescent shaped rim of cliffs around a harbour formed in the volcano’s caldera
Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 6 -
Milos, Greece
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It was on Milos that the statue of Venus de Milo was found. Wether marble or obsidian, Milos is famous for its extraordinary rock formations, as well as spouting geysers and soothing hot springs. Of historic note, Panayia Thalassitra is where Melians made their last stand against the Athenians in 416BC, and below it lies a huge Christian catacomb carved into the volcanic tufna.
Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 7 -
Hydra, Greece
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It looks barren and rocky, but the narrow harbour of Hydra hides a surprise, a town of stately mansions all built around 1800 by blockade runners who had made fortunes outwitting the British during the Napoleonic Wars. Many of Hydra’s merchants were also celebrated naval heroes during the Greek fight for independence from Turkey in the 1820s. Another surprise is that there are no cars, so if you want to see the spectacular view from the Monastery of Ilias you’ll have to ride a donkey to the top.
Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 8 -
Athens, Greece
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Enjoy breakfast before departing for the return journey home
Meals included:
Breakfast
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