Greek History

It’s almost time for our next adventure, with our next trip to Greece just a few days away as we eagerly anticipate our next trip. We leave these shores on Friday and after this disappointing English summer, the sunshine which awaits us will be very welcome.

This is our last holiday before retirement: we finish work later this year, after which we are just going to travel, then we’ll travel, and after that we’ll travel some more. To look at it another way, this is the very last time we will ever be paid our salaries whilst on holiday. Ah well. We’re ready.

On Friday then, we will be heading to islands in the Cyclades, and then into Athens. We have a hotel booked in Athens but otherwise this is a backpacking trip, nothing booked on the islands. Just how we like it.

Of our two previous Greece trips together, one remains one of our favourite trips so far. We started and finished in Thessaloniki, a wonderful and beautiful city, then headed to Ionnina , nestled on a lakeside amongst sumptuous scenery. From Ioannina we headed up into the Zagora Mountains and the Vikos Gorge, absolutely stunning area and brilliant walking country so unlike so much of Greece.

From there we drove right down to the port town of Volos (don’t believe the criticism in the guide books, great place for a one nighter), taking the early morning ferry to first, briefly, Skiathos, then spending time on each of Alonissos and Skopolos. Finally we headed by boat back to Volos, then by train back to Thessaloniki via Larissa, passing Mount Olympus on the way.

Every bit of that trip was wonderful; each section its own separate phase, again nothing booked apart from the hotel at Thessaloniki which bookended the trip. 

If the next two weeks are half as good, we’ll be happy.