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Exclusive Tour Features
EXCLUSIVE TOUR FEATURES:
- Round trip motor coach transportation from Peoria to O’Hare Airport.
- Round trip air transportation from Chicago to Athens on regularly scheduled flights.
- 5 nights of First Class hotel accommodations in Greece:
- 4 nights Athens
- 1 night Archovia
4 nights accommodations aboard a Greek Island & Turkey Cruise of Lewis Cruises in an outside cabin with porthole and 2 lower beds.
- Breakfasts daily while on land.
- 3 meals daily while on the cruise
- Welcome dinner in Athens with entertainment.
- BBQ dinner in Archovia.
- Welcome Dinner in Athens with entertainment.
- A cooking class with a famous Greek chef in Athens followed by dinner and wine.
- Wine tasting on a private estate.
- City tour of Athens including the Acropolis.
- Visit of Delphi with entrance fees.
- Visit of Cheese farm and wine estate.
- Visit of Cape Sounion.
- Port Taxes for the cruise.
- Airline fuel surcharges.
- Round trip transfers between airport, hotels and cruise.
- English speaking guide throughout.
Cabin upgrade to outside cabin with a picture window, $100.00 additional per person.
$3599.00 per person based on double occupancy.
Not included: US and foreign departure tax of $205.00 subject to change, optional shore excursions, tips to guides and drivers, optional insurance package of $ 269.00 per person.
Optional travel insurance package will be offered to you with your final invoice at the cost of $299.00 per person.
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Itinerary
DAY 1 - CHICAGO EN ROUTE
Depart Chicago on your overnight flight to Europe.
DAY 2 - ATHENS
Arrive Athens after connecting in Europe. Upon arrival in Athens, you will be welcomed by our representative and transferred to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure. WELCOME DINNER this evening is included.
DAY 3 - ATHENS
This morning you'll experience the blend of ancient and modern worlds on your sightseeing tour of this most fascinating city. A highlight of the tour will be a drive up the Acropolis Hill to visit the remarkably preserved Parthenon. Your tour will also take you on a scenic drive to view the National Library, House of Parliament, and Temple of Olympian Zeus. We continue to the Papayianakos Estate at the Vineyards of Attica(the countryside vineyards area of Athens) known from ancient days as favorite lands of Gods Dionysos and Vacchos! Meet the owners for an intro and discussion on wines, culture and history of wine, taste their wines with nice dishes prepared for you within a fantastic surrounding.
DAY 4 – ATHENS/DELPHI/ARACHOVA
Today we drive towards Delphi, the ancient Oracle, and the famous Delphi Museum home of the Charioteer; visit and continue to the Olive Farm for a visit, a beautiful opportunity to see this “liquid gold” from the trees to the bottle. In the afternoon on to the picturesque village of Arachova for a typical BBQ Dinner. You may do fantastic shopping for traditional woolen products and art on wood. Overnight at Arachova overlooking the breathtaking Parnassos Gorge.
DAY 5 – ARACHOVA/ATHENS
This morning we visit the Cheese farm where the famous Formaela local cheese is made. Continue to the famous Lazarides Wine Estate, one of the pioneers Greek wine producers for the new era of Greek wines. Drive to Athens for your overnight. Tonight one of the most famous Greek Chefs, Chef Lazarou is welcoming us at his restaurant VAROULKO where he is creating a dozen of unique seafood dishes; Chef Lazarou would meet us and discuss some of his cooking secrets.
DAY 6 - ATHENS/PIRAEUS/CRUISE MYKONOS
This morning you'll start the day with a short drive to the colorful port of Piraeus where you board your cruise ship, your home for the next 4 nights. Your first stop is the delightful island Mykonos, where you have time to browse through the many smart boutiques, photograph the numerous windmills, or relax at a seaside cafe. Return to the ship in the early evening.
DAY 7 - CRUISING KUSADASI, TURKEY/PATMOS, GREECE
In the morning you arrive at Kusadasi, Turkey. Join an OPTIONAL tour to ancient Ephesus, perhaps the best preserved ancient site. The afternoon port of call is Patmos, the sacred island in Greece, home of St John the Divine. Optional tour includes the visit to the Byzantine Monastery and the Grotto where the St. John wrote the book of Revelations.
DAY 8 - CRUISING RHODES
The crusader city of Rhodes welcomes your ship this morning. You have time all day ashore to explore the city's medieval battlements, or to walk through the winding cobblestone streets with their colorful markets. This is where you find excellent bargains on wool, furs, brass and Grecian artifacts. In the afternoon you may wish to join an optional excursion to Lindos' Temple of Athens, which is perched majestically above the Aegean Sea. You return to the ship in the evening.
DAY 9 - CRUISING HERAKLION/SANTORINI
This morning you arrive in Heraklion, Crete. The optional shore excursion takes you to the Palace of Knossos, legendary home of the Minotaur, in its peaceful setting among the flourishing vineyards of this beautiful green island. A visit to the magnificent collection of finds in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion completes your introduction to this great and sophisticated Bronze Age civilization. Your next stop is Santorini (ancient Thera) an island of artifacts belonging to various periods. For an added adventure, you can take either the cable car ride or mount a donkey for the exciting trip up the volcanic cliffs for a fascinating panoramic view. Visit the excavated Minoan city of Akrotiri which was destroyed in 1500 B.C. by an eruption of the volcano of Thera. Sail back to Piraeus this evening.
DAY 10 – DISEMBARKATION/ CAPE SOUNION/ ATHENS
Lets Cook Day! Disembark. Our day starts by driving to Markopoulo, near Athens. At the Art Café of the Windmill we meet our Hosts for the day. We get our plan for the day printed in a souvenir booklet, the recipe, what we need to buy, our schedule for the day. We then join them for a visit and shopping at the local fresh vegetable market directly from the producers. We return to our base and get ready to follow the instructions to prepare our dishes for the day. Food goes into the oven while we go for a short tour to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion and back to the Windmill for appetizers, and wines to go with our creations. Congratulations to the Chefs, yourselves
DAY 11 – ATHENS/DISEMBARKATION
Farewell with the “Wonders and Taste of Greece” as you board your flight back to Chicago.
Call Norma Joseph at (309) 677-4907 for information and reservations.
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