Day One

Our journey starts on the Island of Rhodes where the ancient Greeks choose the god Helios (Sun) to worship . We will board our boat and meet the captain and crew. Our tour starts in the old Town of Rhodes where we will travel the Street of the Knights, possibly one of the best preserved medieval lanes in the world. We will see where the Knights of the Order of St. John stayed when they visited and our walk will culminate with a visit to the Palace of the Knights. In the evening we'll gather for a special welcome dinner on our motor yacht .

Day Two

This morning we'll travel to the picturesque villiage of Lindos. We'll take our time and explore the byzantine streets as we make our way to the Acropolis of Lindos. We'll also stop at the Church of Panayia, where more than 200 icons cover the walls and ceiling. Lunch is on your own with plenty of recommendations from us. We'll return to our boat in the afternoon for our first cruise. We are off to the Island of Simi, but on the way we'll stop for a swim off the boat. Dinner on board where our chef will treat us to local specialties.

Day Three

This morning we will be exploring the Island of Simi and its neo-classical mansions and beautiful multi-colored villiages. We will pay a visit to the well-known nearby monastery of St. Michael, patron saint of seafaring Greeks. In the aftenoon we will leave for Kos and take swim and have lunch on board as we sail along. We will dock near the Old Town of Kos for a variety of places for dinner on your own.

Day Four

Hippocrates (Hippocratic Oath) founded the first medical school on the island of Kos in the late fifth century B.C. Today we will tour the ruins of this healing center, the start of western medicine. Then in the afternoon, we will set sail for the Port of Bodrum in Turkey. You will have a chance to explore this bustling port before we have dinner on board. Join us a little early in the dining room for a tasting of wines from the region.

Day Five

Bodrum (Ancient Halicarnassos) was the birthplace of Heredotus and the site of King Mausolus' Tomb. The Mausoleum was considered one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.  The medieval castle of St. Peter is a fine example of 15th century crusader architecture and we will take some time to explore it. We'll sample some fine Turkish delights as we dine together for lunch. In the afternoon, we leave for the Island of Patmos. We will have dinner on board and afterwards we'll lead a walk on the waterfront.

Day Six

The Island of Patmos is considered a major pilgrimage site for many in the Christian Orthodox world.  We are up early to tour the hallowed ground of the Monastery of St. John the Divine. It was near here that the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse). We will also enjoy the surrounding houses of Hora and their traditional island architecture. Lunch will be on your own and you will have plenty of time to explore further before we leave for Kudasi, Turkey in the afternoon.

Day Seven

We set our course inland for  Ephesus, the site of the ancient city in Anatolia.  It was here that the Temple of Artemis was completed in 550 BC, considered one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.  We will take a guided walk of the site and explore it in depth.   In the afternoon we leave for Samos, after having lunch on board.  On the way we'll stop for a swim off the boat.  As we dock, we will lead a walk to introduce you to this island.

Day Eight

On Samos we will first visit the largest Kouros (statue of a young man) ever found in Greece.  We will visit the museum and spend some time looking at the pivotal role Samos has had in the long history of Greece.  Samos is famous for its wine, so in the afternoon we will visit a winery and taste test their various selections.  Get ready in the afternoon for our captain's dinner.  Join us early so that we can share a toast and learn some Greek dance steps before dinner.

Day Nine

We will say goodbye to captain and crew as we leave our boat and board our ferry back to Athens.  For those of you who would like to join us, we will be heading to the Island of Santorini for our 3 day 2 night Santorini Addition.  Either way, we will bid you Kalo Taxidi (have a good trip in Greek)!

Tour Cost: $3,990

Deposit to hold this trip $1,000 payable to Hiram College by May 15, 2010.

Remainder of $2,990 due by July 15, 2010.

Who are your leaders?

Manolis is our true Greek on this trip. A native of Greece, he lived 12 years in Ohio before returning to his homeland and living on the Island of Evia.

Besides playing and writing music, he also also works as a tour leader for ExperiencePlus! Bicycling Tours out of Fort Collins.

He looks forward to showing you Greece from an insider's perspective.

Patricia is co-founder of The Olive Orchard. A resident of Greece, she lives on the Island of Evia with her husband and has had 12 years experience working as a tour leader.

She looks forward to showing you her favorite places and turning you on to the unique country that is Greece! (Hiram Alumni 1984)

A little bit about our boat

 Our boat is a 100 foot wooden motor yacht.  Each room is double occupancy with its own bathroom.  Our boat is much smaller than a cruise liner.  Therefore, room size can be smaller than regular cruise boat rooms. However, they are larger than rooms on sail boats.  There is a dining room and several decks to lounge around on.  Because of the size of the boat we are more susceptible to the changes of  the ocean, and will generally move more than a cruise ship.  You need to be able to navigate a 2 foot wide gangplank (comes with rope hand rails) in order to get on and off the boat.  On board we might have some moving when we are under way.  We only travel during the day for safety and sightseeing reasons.  There are steps leading down to the sea when we want to stop for a swim so that you can get down easily.  Otherwise it is possible to jump in!  In the case of weather, the captain has the last say (that is why he/she is called a captain!) as to whether we leave port or not.  Your tour leaders will always have a plan B ready in all cases.  Everyday we invoke the gods Poseidon (sea) and Aeolus (wind) to make sure our journey is smooth!

Copyright 2009-10 The Olive Odyssey. All rights reserved.
Photos by P. Igyarto. B Igyarto, P. Hajifotiou, S. Kluchar, D. Haskett, P. Haskett, R. Cushman, J. Cushman