Day 1: USA to Thesaalonica-Greece
Depart on your overnight flights to Greece (with connecting flights in Vienna) with Austrian Airlines. In-flight meals and beverage services are provided at overatlantic flight. Get some rest on the flight.
Day 2: Thessalonica
Arrive Thessalonica afternoon. Massive battlement Byzantine wall to the citadel for panoramic view of the city, St. George Church, an ancient Roman monument (Church and Basilica St. Demetrius): famous Via Egnatia. Drive to Ouranopolis Hotel Theoxenia dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Ouranopolis – Mt. Athos
Hotel Theoxenia breakfast - Transfer with small boat from the town of Ouranopolis to the port of Jovanica, transfer by minibus to Monastery Chilandari. Agia Oros is the oldest monastic republic still in existence, a state-within-a state and a living museum and spiritual center of Christian Orthodox World. Holy Mountain or Mount Athos is simply one of the most beautiful places on earth, more like a fantasy than what we know of as reality. Unfortunately women are not admitted into the the territory of Mt. Athos. Evening services, dinner and overnight at Dormitery of Monastery Chilandari.
Female part / Hotel Theoxenia breakfast - Port Ouranopolis, Excursion boat-cruise around the peninsula. The views of the rugged, pine-clad mountain promontory are superb, and you’ll be able to see a number of the monasteries, most of which were built between 9th and 19th centuries.Most look like little villages from the outside, perched on astonishingly high and sturdy stone foundations and surrounded by massive walls. There are presently 20 functioning monasteries on Mount Athos, many visible from the sea. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Mt. Athos – Ouranopolis
Monastery Chilandari - early morning liturgy, breakfast. The monastery of Chilandar is first mentioned in a Greek manuscript of 1015. It was certainly established a good hundred years earlier, a certain George Chelandarios (Boatman), was probably the founder of the monastery. Chilandar was renewed by the Grand Zhupan of Serbia Stefan Nemanja (the monk Simeon) and his son Rastko (St. Sava). Lunch , transfer to Port of Jovanica & ferry to Ouranopolis. Dinner and overnight.
Female part/ Hotel Theoxenia breakfast, Sightseeing Kassandra peninsula, most developed region at the Macedonia. Impressive traditional settlement and architectural styles Agios Dimitrios at Aphytos, The temple of Zeus in Kallitea, Nea Fokea charming fishing village & Agios Pavlos. Dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Ouranopolis-Vergina –Meteora
Hotel Theoxenia breakfast-Drive to Vergina King Philip’s ( Alexader’s father) tomb , one of the most outstanding finds in all Greece. Drive to Meteora Monastery, Roussanou Monastery from 15th century and the Holy Monastery of Saint Stephen (Agios Stefanos, in Greek), separated from the rest of the mountain by a ravine, straddled now by an 8 meter long bridge. Hotel Edelweiss dinner & overnight.
Day 6: Meteora-Delphi-Piraieus
Hotel Edeweiss, breakfast: Varlaam Monastery - an important collection of relics, intricately carved wooden crosses, icons, embroidered epitaphoi and many other ecliastical treasures. Megalo Meteoro or Metamorphisis, the first church of the Transfiguration is the best known of the Monasteries and is built upon the highest rock. The Serbian Emporor Symeon Uros gave the monastery all his wealth and became a monk it became the richest and most powerful of all the monasteries and contains some of the most beautiful wall paintings and post Byzantine Mural art. Drive to Delphi, the most popular archaeological site in Greece . Delphi in ancient times was considered the center of the known world, the place where heaven and earth met. This was the place on earth where man was closest to God. Embarcation & sail by speedy boat to Island Patmos.
Day 7: Island Patmos
The Monastery of St. John the Theologian, is the island's landmark and the Apocalypse Cave, where St. John the Evangelist wrote, according to tradition, the book of Revelation when in exile by emperor Domitianus. During his initial vision, where the Lord appeared to him in all His Glory amidst seven golden lanterns, the enormous solid rock that formed the roof of the cage was divided in three parts, and this huge crack symbolising the Holly Trinity. Transfer to ferryboat , overnight sail to Piraeus - Athens.
Day 8: Athens
Transfer early morning from Piraieus to Hotel Golden City – Sightseeing Athens. View the most important ancient and modern monuments of town during an orientating tour: the Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896, the House of Parliament and, beneath it, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by the colorful Evzones, Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and many more. The highlight of this tour is a guided visit of the Acropolis, with its famous Parthenon Temple, a masterpiece of ancient architecture. Late afternoon visit Plaka & Omonia area of this incredible city. Dinner & overnight at Hotel.
Day 9: Island Tinos
Hotel breakfast- transfer to port of Rafina – peaceful island of forty whitewashed villages and more than 700 churches and monasteries, Tinos is famous throughout the Greek Orthodox world for its miraculous healing icon of the Virgin Mary. In antiquity, Tinos was well known as a sacred place in the eastern Mediterranean, visited frequently for its temples of Poseidon and Dionysos. The icon, called Panagia Evangelistria, meaning Our Lady of Good Tidings, is a beautiful portrayal of Mary kneeling with her head bent in prayer. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Golden City - Athens.
Day 10: Island Agina
The Monastery Aghios Nektarios is the most recent Saint of the Orthodox Church,one of the impressive church and the largest in the Balkan.Back to Port of Piraieus, visit Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina – Filli – Athens. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.
Day 11: Athens to USA
Hotel breakfast - transfer to the airport for flight to USA.
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