We have had a trip to Greece on our “Bucket List” for many years. Linda’s sister Debbie is married to Angelo, who grew up in Greece. During their visit to Fort Myers Beach in March 2026, we finalized our plans and booked our flights to Greece. It was great to have Debbie and Angelo guide us and for Angelo to translate Greek to English for us.
May 31, 2026
Linda and I flew out of nearby Central Wisconsin Airport, caught a connecting flight in Minneapolis to Atlanta. Debbie and Angelo drove from their home in Bluffton SC to Savanna GA to catch a short flight to Atlanta. We had seats together for our long, 10 hour flight to Athens.
June 1, 2026
Flight landed slightly ahead of schedule. Took a taxi to our hotel in Nea Makri. Greece is very mountainous and dry, but the flowers were blooming along the road.
Marathon Beach Resort is right on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Bright blue skies and 80 degrees. Checked into our room with a nice view of the pool and the Sea before enjoying a drink at the pool.
Easy to walk along the coast, past fishing and pleasure boats in the harbor and surrounded by many restaurants.
June 2, 2026
Drove to the nearby town of Marathon. The famous Battle of Marathon in 490BC was a turning point in the Greek defense against the Persians.
At the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics, Marathon was the starting point of the marathon races. Marathon is also the starting point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon. There is a blue stripe painted on the main road for the runners to follow. We sat by the statue of the famous race.
Nice seafood dinner along the coast.
Moved into a larger suite with a better view of the Sea.
June 3, 2026
Drove to the southern tip of the Greek mainland to see the remains of the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion.
Linda and I walked to the top to see the impressive structure and the beautiful view of the Sea.
Enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a nearby restaurant on the coast.
June 4, 2026
Our tour guide Michael picked us up for the tour of Athens. Traffic and parking in Athens is crazy. We were glad to leave the driving to Michael. We started at the impressive Acropolis, which towers over the city of Athens. Linda and I walked to the top to see the remaining structures and to learn about the history.
The Theater is still used today.
From the sight of the scaffolding and the crane, it was clear that they were actively working to restore the ancient structure.
The Erechtheion or Temple of Athena has impressive statues of Athena.
It is a very popular attraction and a point of pride for the Greek people.
The view of the city of Athens from the Acropolis is impressive.
An overhead view of the Acropolis Museum, our next stop.
The Acropolis Museum is built over the top of an active archeological site.
The statues of Athena are impressive.
We watched the changing of the guard in front of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Old Royal Palace which still houses the Hellenic Parliament.
The Panathenaic Stadium was built in 330 BC and used in the 1896 and 2004 Olympics.
June 5
After a relaxing morning, we visited the Monastery of Saint Efriam near Nea Makri. He is the patron saint of healing. A beautiful place high on the mountain.
Linda lit a candle and said a prayer for a friend battling cancer.
June 6, 2026
We drove rough curvy mountain roads to visit Angelo’s village of Thespies, near Theva. The area around the village is a rich agricultural area that can grow many types of crops: onions, potatoes, wheat and several other crops grow well here.
Visited with Maria, the widow of Angelo’s cousin in her home. She was very kind and gracious.
Took the National Road back to the hotel. It is a very smooth toll road. The Chinese made BYD rental car beeped every time I exceeded the speed limit.
June 7, 2026
Drove the National Road to look at the Corinth Canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It was an impressive engineering project for its time: 1881-1893.
Hiked up to see the archaeological site of Mycenae on the top of the mountain. Linda waited in the shade of the Lion’s gate while I climbed to the top to get an incredible view!
The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000. It is a large site to explore. It had a fresh water well and it is surrounded by lush agricultural land near to village of Mykines today.
Visited the nice little museum of the artifacts found at the site.
Next, we visited the Palamidi Fortress in Nafplio high above the sea.
Linda and I walked through the impressive site and took some great pictures of the Sea below!
The fortress was built by the Venetians and finished in 1714. It has eight separate bastions that could battle independently, while connected with narrow protected passageways. The Miltiades bastion was later used as a prison and among its walls held Theodoros Kolokotronis, hero of the Greek Revolution.
Enjoyed a nice lunch at the busy seaport of Nafplio. I was caught eating vegetables!
Big ships docked at the harbor and with the Palamidi Fortress high above the town.
We visited the impressive Ancient Theatre at the Asklepieion of Epidaurus
The Theatre is still used today.
Nice little museum of artifacts. This ancient site was dedicated to the Greek God of medicine, Asclepius here holding the staff with a snake wrapped around it that serves as the inspiration for the symbol of medicine.
Much like the story of Princess Owatonna, I drank from the “Healing Waters”.
June 8, 2026
After a busy day yesterday, we enjoyed a long walk along the coast in Nea Makri. Found a great restaurant with fresh seafood. Wonderful lunch!
Later, we found a place with great Souvlaki!
June 9, 2026
Drove to Delphi, over the mountains and past several ski resorts. Strange to see signs for chains required on a sunny warm day! Curvy, narrow mountain roads would be dicey in the snow.
Stuck in traffic for a while in the ski resort town of Arachova with its famous clock tower.
Visited the sacred site of Delphi, the ancient Greeks considered the center of the world.
Hiked up to see the remains of Apollo’s Temple
The view from the top of the remains of Delphi over a lush green valley.
The theater was impressive.
Delphi Archaeological Museum was nice.
Nice lunch at a beachside restaurant in Itea.
June 10, 2026
After a lot of driving the day before, we stayed close to the hotel. Our last full day in Nea Makri was a beautiful day! Took a long walk along the beach. Linda dipped her feet in the Aegean Sea.
Angelo had a nice long talk with Elena, the widow of Angelo’s cousin. Enjoyed a tremendous meal at a seaside restaurant.
Next, we began our tour of some Greek Isles.
Steve Pelton 