For most of our vacations, my wife Karen and I like to go hiking, and in the US we make our own plans. For this trip we were happy to sign up with a touring company (Wilderness Travel www.wildernesstravel.com) who made the logistics a snap before and during the voyage.

We started our trip in Athens, three days before we were supposed to meet our group.  It’s a colorful, vibrant city that seemed chaotic at times but was always inviting.  We spent much of the time seeing the obvious attractions, the world-famous Greek and Roman ruins, but also did a walking tour of the city which took us to many spots we hadn’t known about before.

For even casual students of history or archaeology Athens is a pot of gold.  The Acropolis (which includes the Parthenon, the Caryatids {“lady columns”}, and Hadrian’s Amphitheater among other sites), the Acropolis Museum, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, are all within a short distance of each other and are well worth the time you may spend waiting in line.  A guidebook or guide to tell you about the site is strongly recommended.  We took a day trip to the island of Hydra and were so enchanted with the port town that we cancelled our planned hike to the interior of the island. 

Once we met the group we spent a half day seeing  . . .  the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum! This time we had an archaeologist guide and really learned the value of having an expert telling us about the sites.  Afterward, we went down to the port for the first of many ferry trips to one of the islands.  Our first stop was Tinos, a charming and colorful island where we did our first hike.  We also toured a marble museum which detailed the very arduous processes of mining, transporting, and sculpting marble.

Our next island stop was Naxos.  The hiking and shopping were outstanding, but we remember Naxos as the place where we had our first piece of chocolate pie, a wonderful indulgence (Karen found the recipe!).  From Naxos we took side trips to the islands of Delos and Mykonos, each with their own character.  Delos is completely occupied with active archaeological sites and inhabited only by archaeologists.  On Mykonos, we only visited Mykonos Town, a maze of small streets of whitewashed buildings.  It is famous for shops, restaurants, and windmills.

The island we were happiest to reach was Amorgos.  This is because a large part of the 5-hour ferry ride from Naxos to Amorgos was on the roughest seas we have ever traveled.  Even those of us who weren’t sick were quite shaken.  Once there, we checked into a lovely hotel with a grand patio where we had nightly views of beautiful sunsets.

Our last island stop, an optional add-on to the tour, was Santorini.  It’s probably the most famous of the islands, with its iconic scenes of blue-and-white chapels overlooking the sea.  It was a great way to wind down the trip, with lots to explore on foot, great views everywhere and excellent restaurants.

One necessity for this trip was to travel light, so we fit everything into a small suitcase and carry-on bag each.  No need to check luggage, and we were very mobile.  This also meant very little camera gear.  I took only a Sony RX 100 v, easy to carry on my belt on the trail, and with the equivalent of a 24-70mm lens.  As a narrow-angle addict, I was worried that my photography would be hampered, but was actually pleased to be shooting in new circumstances.  Most of my images were taken while on the move, so I was pushed to keep my eyes open for photo ops. But in beautiful, ancient surroundings, it’s easy to find something that catches your eye.

We think this trip was our best ever.  If you’d like to know more about the specifics or just to share stories, feel free to write me at davidablass@gmail.com.