Spring Travel Destination to Greece

Greece is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and the perfect spring travel destination for any and everyone. I know because in March 2008 I took a tour of the wonderful country. Our tour group had ages ranging from early teens to senior citizens. Regardless of age, we all came back feeling warmed by the Greek sun and awed by its beauty.

Greece holds a fascination for any age and personality. Whether you enjoy a unique night life, like to laze about on a cruise, have a passion for history, or just like to take in the sights Greece is the country to visit. I hope my journey will inspire you to seriously consider a trip to Greece this spring. After all, you only live once so make every moment memorable.

Athens is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the world. In March, the climate was perfect. We had sunshine and mid-seventies every day AND it was not peak tourist season so we could enjoy the sights without huge crowds. The lifestyle is also completely unique in Athens. Instead of the typical 9 to 5, eat, and then go to bed, the city is alive on its own time schedule. The movie theaters did not open until midnight and the restaurants until ten p.m. In Athens, life starts at night and goes on until four in the morning. People get up and begin work around eight or nine then return home for a nap in the afternoon. Those who are to loud can get a ticket during the rest times of one to three! They return to work and then emerge later on and do not start dinner until at least ten at night. If you are a night person, like me, this is the city to be!

Note: If you are on a tour, like I was, they make exceptions so you do not have to follow the Athens time schedule. Hey now. Some people need to eat at five and go to bed by ten to function.

One of the most famous sites is the Parthenon. You simply must see its beauty to experience it. The Parthenon is high atop a hill in Greece and from it, the whole city is laid out before your eyes. Never have I seen a sight so beautiful and I have seen a lot in my travels.

If you know what you are really seeing then it will only enhance the travel experience. Get pumped for your spring trip by reading up on one of the greatest wonders of the Greek Civilization!

A true Greek salad actually contains no salad. WHAT? It's true. The ingredients are simply green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olive oil. The feta cheese is optional but a delicious definite yes. Everything is cooked in olive oil which was amazing for a gluten-free/lactose-free girl like me. All of it tasted fresh and was a completely new experience which I have tried to replicate but continually fall short of. O well. All the more reason to return to Greece!

I am not brave when it comes to food. Thankfully, my dietary restrictions mean I can bypass trying most options. Regardless of diet, I still could not bring myself to try the octopus tentacles. A guy on my tour was so enamored of them that he ate all of mine and the rest of the tables. According to him, they were delicious. Maybe but I could not get past the idea of eating those suckers *shudder.

I loved the fresh tastes and flavors of Greek food. Cooking in olive oil is not only healthier then butter but makes a lactose/gluten free girl like me super happy! After your trip, recreate those favorite dishes and taste the country again.

On our tour we stopped at a restaurant/rest place which had this Gelato picture. I had to post it because I have never seen an advertisement making a gelato experience sexy. So...if you insist on eating gelato then Edelweiss sexy gelato is the way to go!

*If you are under your country's drinking age then this module is off-limits for you. Enjoy responsibly and legally.

Poseidon's temple is amazing as it is still standing. Many Greek temples have suffered serious damage but Poseidon has kept its beautiful columns above the sea. I loved seeing how something from so long ago could still be here today. Imagine..this is where hundreds of years ago the people of Greece stood where I did and marveled at its wonders.

The god of the Sea, Poseidon, is one of the most fascinating and famous of the greek gods. His fury and passion has inspired multiple films and books. You can even purchase his likeness for your very own!

I had to take a picture by the beautiful sea at the temple of Poseidon. With the perfect sun and weather, how could I not take a picture to remember the moment?

One of the most beautiful parts of Greece were its islands. We took a day cruise to three of them. The most beautiful, to me was the island of Hydra. No cars are allowed on the island so people rely on donkeys or simply walk from place to place. The home's were all beautiful and fit the scenery perfectly. I loved entering the little shop's and walking down the sun-warmed streets.

Our tour guide was horrified when my brother and several other people on the tour could not resist the clear water on the island of Hydra and jumped in. He was worried they would drown or injure themselves but they had the time of their lives. I am not a fan of anything cold so I refrained but they said it was amazing. However, I did take a picture to show how perfectly clear it was.

Before visiting the oracle of Delphi and temple of Apollo, we spent a night in a town overlooking the sea below. I woke up to this view and fell in love with the beauty. The landscape is gorgeous regardless of the place in Greece and something which should definitely be experienced by all.

*I apologize for the trees blocking the view. We had to get up very early (as you can tell its still rather dark) and I was half asleep.

To get to the oracle of Delphi was a bit of a climb (thank goodness I was healthy back then!) but completely worth it for the view and the site. In the days of Greek legends people would go here to ask the oracle for help or questions. Did the oracle predict the future accurately? Honestly, I have no idea but I do know the setting was beautiful. Behind me lies the remains of Apollo's temple and theater near the oracle. Beautiful, isn't it?

Part of our tour was tracing the steps of the apostle Paul on his journey to spread the Gospel. One of the most famous of the cities he visited was Corinth. We actually had to do a little walking of our own to get there as the bus broke down about a mile away and we walked to the place. Even the walk was beautiful! The city lies in ruins but a small museum is there and the ruins itself are amazing to behold. Sadly, my picture is just a small taste of the city.

Outside the museum of Corinth lie just a few of many Greek statues. Ironically, i saw a great deal of Greek statues in the Vatican in Rome. They were taken by the Romans or whoever loved them. Notice the head missing in the figure to my right. Sometimes they stole only the head of the statue. It's sad but I still took a picture by one of the beautiful works which did not require a head.

This pedestal resided a mini hike away from the temple of Poseidon. I could not resist giving my own pose and when you travel to Greece, do the same.

Rainfall is generally heavy in the landscape of meteora and guess what? This was our only day of rain. We visited this monastery which was located hundreds of feet above the ground below. The Meteoron monasteries provided protection from the Turkish invaders as the only method up was either a system of ropes, a net, or basket. I am very happy we did not have to take one of those methods to reach the monastery. There is now a path cut inside the rock which winds its way up. At the top we were greeted by Eastern Orthodox monks who led us on our tour inside and outside the stone walls of this monastery.

Not much information is available because most tourists focus on the gods of the past and not the religion of the Eastern Orthodox church which still runs and maintains these monasteries. There uniqueness makes the six which have survived a true sight to see. You cannot understand until you have to crane your neck to see a glimpse of them above.

The city of Olympia may lie in ruins but every Olympic year, the torch is lit in the place where the real Olympics were once held. Just seeing the buildings where Olympic hopefuls from long ago once shared their talent is amazing to think of. Also, I found out those who competed in the Olympics did so stark naked which sounds rather painful for some sports. Naturally, women were not allowed to attend.

When you visit Olympia you MUST passionately cross the original Olympic finish line. Regardless of whether you enjoy sports or not it is truly something to experience and share. I even did a victory pose although I declined to race like most of my tour did.

According to classic Greek myth, the city of Mycenae was actually built by the famous Perseus. Whether this is true or not the city grew to become one of the largest civilizations in Greece. The fame of the city has even caused the era between 1600 BC and 1100 BC to be known as Mycenaean.

Today only ruins remain but even those amaze me because they have lasted thousands of years. Think of our buildings today and how they fall apart so easily. If the city had not been destroyed during the Bronze Age Collapse, I am sure much more than its ruins would still be around today.

In my picture, I am 'meditating' on the ruins of Mycenae and enjoying the fresh breeze all at the same time.

On one of our last days in Greece we paid a visit to the temple of Zeus. Although many temples are dedicated to the king of the gods I found this to be the most impressive. Just to get a picture meant my family member had to back way up. Look at how tiny I am in comparison to the huge columns!

Note: I am not saluting. I forgot my sunglasses and it was so sunny and warm that I had to block it from my eyes. Also, I was wearing wayyyy to many layers in the warm weather.

Zeus is one of the weirdest of the Greek gods to me. He was constantly taking strange forms to get with mortal woman (a bull? really Zeus) and was all over the map in his actions. The whole loving couple of Hera and Zeus in the Disney Hercules? Yeah. Not true. If you really want to know more, then find out the truth about the god above all gods, Zeus.

Did you know there is also a changing of the guard ceremony in Greece? I had no idea until I saw it. The guard's outfit, I did not torment him like in the movies, moved me to take his picture. Later on we experienced more culture on our last night when our restaurant had Greek dancers come in dressed in the traditional dress and perform their traditional dances. I loved it and would experience everything again!

Would you take a spring destination vacation to the beautiful country of Greece?