April 13, 2025 to April 23, 2025
This trip was the BEST trip I have taken yet. And that takes into account many trips over the past 50 years.
Step 1, April 13, Amy and I flew to Istanbul, Turkey and changed planes.
April 14. We landed in Athens, Greece and headed to the hotel.
April 15. In the morning we went around the city of Athens to Hadrian’s Arch, and a quick stop at Panathenaic Stadium, where the Modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. During the Acropolis visit we saw the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally the famous Pantheon and the new Pantheon Museum. A fast paced day.
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April 16. On to Delphi. We went in a bus up to the ancient ruins of Delphi. We hiked up all over the site, including the center of the earth (or navel of the earth – a cone shaped monument which replaces the original decorated one).
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April 17. Off to Meteora and the monasteries Varlaam and St. Stevens. Monasteries built on tops of outcrops! (for the best view of the video below, click on the “Copy Link” and paste it in a new browser).
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April 18Â we took a ferry to Santorini. Santorini is a town situated on what is left of a mountain after the mountain erupted and blew most of the mountain away.’ We toured Oia village.
Eileen had a map on her phone which guided us around and Amy had a map and a SIM chip so she could call and arrange a ride back to our hotel.
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April 19 Volcano, Hot Springs and Thirassia! We took a ferry to the middle of the Santorini caldron where we climbed the active volcano there, steam and water vapor coming out of the ground at our feet!
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April 20 Off on another ferry to Mykonos!
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April 21 Delos Island and the lions!
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April 23 Amy and I took a plane back to Istanbul.
The terminal here in Istanbul was rocked by an 6.2 earthquake! The marble floor rolled underfoot and signs tipped back and forth.
We were fine, nothing broke, but we got to our airplane and made it back to Seattle.
This was an amazing trip. Seven days of hiking, climbing, walking and getting exercise outdoors! Amy and Eileen were champs for getting us everywhere and doing everything!!!!
FUN FACT:
If you’ve ever wondered why your teeth ache after biting into something very cold or sweet like ice cream, ancient fish may be the root cause (no pun intended!).
New research has shown that dentine, the sensitive interior of human teeth, likely evolved from the sensory tissue within bumps on the exoskeletons of armored fish 465 million years ago.
The fish used these bumps, called odontodes, to sense their surroundings in Earth’s early oceans, which were teeming with predators. Over time, the genetic tool kit for odontodes was repurposed for teeth in animals — and even humans.