We spent our "day early" walking down the steep hill to the Dolmabahçe Palace, a 19th-century imperial palace located along the European shore of the Bosporus. The rooms were beautifully decorated and had high ceilings and vast rooms. We visited the Painting Gallery building that had wonderful paintings about and by Turks.

There's an underground funicular from the waterfront to Taxim Square that provided a great alternative to the uphill walk to our hotel. Later we enjoyed the view from the rooftop bar.

The following day took us to Hagia Sophia, which we had recently seen. This time we were able to view the interior from the mezzanine since the ground floor is closed to tourists. The good news was, we were able to view the Byzantine mosaics that were off-limits on our first visit.

Next, we walked to the nearby Hippodrome where chariot races were once held. It was a community gathering place.

Our last day in Istanbul was spent at Topkapi Palace, and our last evening had us touring on a Bosporus cruise.

We'd been to Ephesus three years previously but we had missed the Terraced Houses that contain well-preserved frescoes and mosaics. So in the free time after our guided site tour, we headed straight there to enjoy something new to us. Fabulous!

That afternoon we visited Sultanköy Carpet Shop and witnessed a demonstration covering the long weaving tradition in Turkiye. 

Our first port of call on the M/V Aruthesa was the island of Patmos,  home to the Monastery of St. John the Theologian and the Holy Cave of the Apocalypses. Before the monastery, in the 1st century, St. John lived in a cave where he received a vision that inspired him to write the Book of Revelation. Later, in the 11th century, the monastery was built above the cave.

Our next island was Kalymnos, covered with limestone cliffs. We stopped at the small private Traditional House Folk Art Museum that displayed local lifestyle of the 19th century.

This island is home to St. Savvas Monastery which founded in the 20th century.

It turns out that this island is famous for its sponges. It has faced strong competition from synthetic sponge makers,

Santorini is a global tourist destination. Enormous cruise ships arrive everyday, disgorging thousands of visitors whom all want the same view.

OAT came up with a plan to address this issue and we successfully avoided crowds on our visit to Oia at the ridgeline of the island. It is indeed a beautiful location that deserves its popularity. 

After enjoying our view, we went to Kissiras Microgreens that is a small self-sustainable farm-to-table restaurant. An organic meal for $20? It was terrific!

The surprise of the day was the Akrotiri Archaeological Site that dates back to 5000 BCE and is the source of some fabulous relics.

The island of Paros was famous for the Parian marble that has a translucent white color which was in high demand by sculptors. Now the quarries are quiet, having sent their stone to the world.

We started with a walking tour in Paros where we saw the ancient Holy Shrine of the Virgin Mary, then we walked through the streets of Parikia, capital of Paros Island.

After Parikia, we drove to Marpissa village. On the way we saw ancient quarries from where the finest Parian marble was quarried. Also saw olive trees over 1,500 years old. We stopped the bus at the cemetery of the Marpissa village and we learned about the funeral customs of Greece and how important it plays with respect to their Greek ancestors.

The next morning, it was windy as we tendered to the ‘old’ port of Mykonos. We briefly visited the cosmopolitan Mykonos town of Chora which is the capital of Mykonos. Ancient and modern history woven together in a very small place. We walked up a short hill to the famous 16th century windmills that used to mill wheat but are no longer functioning. Then we walked by the shore in Little Venice. 

Later we sailed to Ermoupoli were we walked through the marble paved streets of the capital and largest city of Syros. And we felt the prosperous past by discovering the mansions, City Hall and the town square. Some of us went with our guide to see The Church of the Dormition of the Virgin that displays an icon painted by El Greco. 

Disembarking from our ship we began a long overland journey to Meteora where we passed by the battle site of Thermopylae at which 300 Spartans famously fought an enormous Persian army and lost. Meteora sits below the steep range of cliffs that are home to several 16th century Orthodox Monasteries.

The following day we visited two monasteries, Varlaam Monastery and St. Stephens Nunnery. 

Another long overland journey brought us over Mount Parnassus to Delphi where we visited the archaeological museum and then the ancient site. We walked through the ruins up to the theater and Apollo’s Temple. From up above, you could see beautiful views of the valley and Athena’s Temple. We saw the place where the priestess Pythia gave the answers to the pilgrims: “Nothing in excess” and “Know thyself” which are two of the most famous quotes written on the walls of the Temple of Apollo.

We visited Athens twice, once after Delphi and our Moka Honey Farm experience; and again at the end of our trip.

At Moka Honey Farm we donned beekeeper suits and gloves and headed out to the hives to meet those tiny locals and to learn about their life cycles and the way they make honey. The bee hives are in such a state of collapse globally and the Moka Farm indicated that in two weeks they would have no more bees.

In Athens we started early to beat most of the crowds to the Acropolis. We were fortunate that the Parthenon was not covered in scaffolding as it was for 50 years!! But renovation continues. With its columns, it is considered the most architecturally perfect structure in the West. After viewing the upper area, we walked around the base of the Acropolis, and then we were off to the stunning Athens Archaeological Museum.

Then we were off to the Peloponnese to see ancient cities.

On our return from the Peloponnese, we returned to Athens to visit the Acropolis Museum and the Byzantine & Christian Museum.

Made a quick stop at the Old Isthmus Bridge, located over the historic Corinth Canal, gateway to the Peloponnese. After the Corinth Canal, we stopped at the Archaeological site of Mycenae. Walked up a hill and through the famous Lion Gate, named after the two opposing lions carved in relief and set above gate door. Nearby is the beehive tomb “Treasury of Atreus” or “Tomb of Agamemnon”. This burial mound dates back to 1250 BC and is believed to hold the remains of a Mycenaean-era ruler.

On our way to Ancient Olympia we went to The Archaeological Site of the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since early Greeks recognized Epidaurus as the birthplace of Asklepios, the god of healing. Epidaurus is most famous for its well preserved fourth-century theater with its near-perfect acoustics.

We went first to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia before we started our walking tour of Ancient Olympia. The museum which features a wealth of exhibits spanning Greek prehistory up to the Roman era, including the statue of Hermes and the infant Dionysus. At the ancient site we walked through the archeological ruins of that gave birth to the forerunner of our modern Olympic Games.

Along our travels back to Athens, we briefly stopped at Ancient Corinth and walked up to the Temple of Apollo. There  were nice 360° views of steep rock mountains on one side and water on another. A private Sunday mass was being held outside amidst the ruins.