2025 Trip To Greece
Our October 2025 trip to Greece was divided into four parts: first, exploring Athens, then driving to the cliff-topping Meteora Monasteries, continuing on to the the historic sites in Central Greece and the Peloponnese (Dephoi, Olympia, Monemvasia, Napflio), and finally, flying off for a relaxing visit to the Greek honeymoon island of Santorini. Wherever we went, we encountered the echos of a storied history, reminding us that Greece is an important (essential?) place to visit for our understanding of where we came from and its effects on the course of history.
Aside from its important historic implications, we found that Greece was an enjoyable place to spend our time. We were greeted warmly wherever we went, accommodations were extremely comfortable (and reasonably priced), the driving was remarkably easy and we ate well.
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Athens is the obvious starting point for any serious visit to Greece. It is the largest Greek city (one-third the country’s population lives there), the capital, an iconic hub of the ancient world, a celebrated symbol of democracy and western civilization, and the lead actor in an enduring historical epic. As an early city-state it was invaded and occupied numerous times, but still emerged as the vibrant cultural center and political leader of Greece. We are not in the habit of springing for personal tours, but we did so in Athens, in an attempt to grasp the fullness of the Greek story. It turned out to be money well spent. (For more on Athens click the button below.)
The Parthenon
Before traveling to Greece, we learned about the Meteora Monasteries, which we had overlooked on our original itinerary. These monasteries, perched atop steep cliffs a few hours north of Athens, provide dramatic images of the Greek countryside. Unlike other historic sites in Greece, where one must imagine temples from destroyed ruins, the monasteries are largely intact and in use. (Like the Acropolis, they are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.) (For more on the Meteora Monasteries click the button below.)
The Meteora Monasteries
Our objective was to gain a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Greek life beyond the conventional tourist attractions. We anticipated that traversing the country would provide us with a deeper appreciation for Greece, but in reality, these routes offered limited insights. The historic tourist destinations, on the other hand, presented a wealth of captivating stories that are detailed in the subsequent pages.
Outside of Athens, the population density appeared low, and the roads bypassed the towns where we might encounter local life. Our itinerary included visits to Delphoi (renowned for the Oracle of Delphi and once regarded as the epicenter of the world), Olympia (the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games), Monemvasia (a fortified city situated on an island), and Napflio (celebrated as modern Greece’s inaugural capital). Each of these destinations held intriguing narratives, which are presented in the following sections. (For more on Peloponnese click the button below.)
Monemvasia
We flew to Santorini to experience life in the Greek islands. Santorini is known as a honeymoon destination and an island with iconic architecture and beautiful sunsets. The island exists in a caldera, a semicircular land mass that was once part of a volcanic crater, and has a history of enduring thousands earthquakes and aftershocks, including some notable ones this past year. On first impression, it looks like the many honeymoon hotels and dwellings are lined up like lemmings, ready to topple into the sea, and yet they hold on.
We had a wonderful visit, touring the island and experiencing a sunset sail by catamaran, but we were relieved not to feel any temblors. (For more on Santorini click the button below)
Santorini
As we left Greece, we had a feeling of being overwhelmed by the impressive weight of historic information and a little daunted trying to fit Greek history into the timeline of world civilizations. In contrast we felt underwhelmed by some of the cultural aspects of Greek life and unclear about the Greek identity. More than once we heard “but Greece is a small country”, which made us question how Greeks feel about their place in the world. This may be unfair, given our short time there, but we kept looking for defining cultural identifiers, like newer architecture or manufactured products that had a Greek stamp, and came up short.
Going to Santorini was the most enjoyable part of our trip, possibly because we could just relax in a pampered setting with a definable architecture and lifestyle. But the island seemed like an outlier, almost like another country.
