by Patricia M. Lee

kaleidoscope of people, images, events, mythology and history presented us with an ever-changing scene on our visit to Greece.

Our introduction to the country began in Athens. Here we trekked the zigzag path 300 feet up the Acropolis (“high city”), admired the Parthenon and the Temple of the Virgin, studied the sculptures in the museum, and viewed the Theater of Dionysius.

Then we descended to the Plaka (“old city”).
In the evening we drove to the suburbs for a glendi (feast, fun, wine and dine) in the Old Stables winery. In a lovely trellised setting, we sipped ouzo and dined on delicious Greek food, while the orchestra and dancers performed a repertoire of Greek dances representing different regions of the country.

A musical glow surrounded us as the audience joined with the dancers for a grand finale.

In a lovely trellised setting, we sipped ouzo …

The next day we drove to Delphi with its spectacular views, ruins, and museum. An ancient Homeric hymn to Apollo recounts how he slew the dragon and founded the first temple at Delphi. Zeus sent two sacred eagles, from two ends of the earth who met in Delphi, the navel of the earth. The navel stone can be viewed in the museum as well as the sculpture of a charioteer, who is a reminder of the victory of the Pythias games that took place around 475 B.C. I was intrigued by his eyes that seemed to hold some mysterious secret. “If only he could speak,” I thought.

From Delphi, we visited the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes and Skiathos, all of which exude a romantic mystique.

In Mykonos, sophistication and history combine with whitewashed square houses, blue windows, charming shops and a maze of intriguing cobblestone streets. The curving streets were designed to thwart marauding pirates. Today, vendors with donkeys, laden with flowers and vegetables, traverse the streets. Tavernas offer respite from walking, and if you’re lucky you can glimpse the town mascots –two pelicans who seem to flaunt their celebrity status.

Santorini is built on the top of a volcanic mountain. The rocklike foundations create designs on the sheer cliffs.

Visitors must ride donkeys, climb the mountain, or take the cable car to reach the town. We opted for the cable car, which gave us a panoramic view of the water below. Whitewashed houses and several hotels spill down the cliffside. We enjoyed the view while sipping a glass of ouzo.

Rhodes, the largest of the islands, combines the old with the new. Old Town is surrounded by 40-foot thick walls containing a maze of small medieval streets with shops and cafés. We walked to the Grand Palace, traversed the Avenue of the Knights of St. John (the finest medieval street surviving in Europe), and visited the museum, which boasts the Venus of Rhodes sculpture. Cafés and restaurants line the Mandrake Harbor.

Skiathos, the northernmost and the smallest of these islands, is hilly, and covered with pine woods and olive trees. A jagged coastline contains small coves and sandy beaches. Here we shopped for hand-painted scarves and pottery, and enjoyed the beauty of nature that surrounded us. Our Grecian Odyssey ended too soon.

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