Kluska's Greek Odyssey

You’re never more than a few steps away from the past in Athens. Accompany your Tour Director to the Plaka, the historic district that borders the Acropolis. In its twisting narrow streets you’ll catch glimpses of an older city, from wrought-iron balconies bursting with geraniums to traditional Greek dancing in basement tavernas. Continue on to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, begun in the 6th century B.C. and finished in A.D. 132 by the emperor Hadrian. Its enormous columns provide a sense of the scale of the original temple. Nearby, the elaborate Hadrian’s Arch separated the ancient and imperial sections of the city.

View Hadrian's Arch, an enormous triumphal arch built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, which is still a symbolic entrance to Athens.

Not just another crowded dusty city, Athens has developed from the birthplace of democracy to a bustling modern metropolis. With a local licensed guide, start your time travel at the ancient hot spots of the first Olympic site and the sprawling Acropolis, classical Athens’ religious and civic center. The awe-inspiring Parthenon -- a temple dedicated to Athens’ patron saint Athena -- is the obvious centerpiece, but take time to examine the building next door, where sculpted women hold up the roof with their heads, and the amazing view of modern Athens below. Jump back to the present in Syntagma Square, the center of the modern city, to see the Parliament building and the British-style changing of the guards ceremony. (There’s a rather un-British flair to it, however -- the Greek guards wear white skirts, head scarves, and shoes and knee bands adorned with pom-poms.) Continue to Omonia Square, Athens' other main meeting point, to relax by the splashing central fountain ringed with olive trees.

Visit the Acropolis, which has overlooked Athens for over 2,000 years; habitation traces indicate that it was occupied as early as the Neolithic Age. View the Temple of Athena Nike, and its successor, The Parthenon. The Parthenon is the crowning achievement of the Doric order, built to demonstrate the wealth of Athens in tribute to its patron goddess, Athena.

Syntagma Square, located directly in front of the Old Royal Palace, is the central square of Athens.

The Acropolis Museum contains a superb collection of sculptures from the area. The monuments of the Acropolis have withstood the ravages of past centuries, both of ancient times and those of the Middle Ages. Until the 17th century, foreign travelers visiting the monuments depicted the classical buildings as being intact.

Enjoy Greek cuisine, culture--and a show!

Prophet from the past. Explore the impressive ruins at Delphi, which the Greeks considered the center of the world. Within the depths of the Temple of Apollo, a priestess would inhale intoxicating vapors that used to rise from the earth and, thus inspired, deliver the prophecies of Apollo. Modern visitors might find more inspiration in the view from Mount Parnassus, over 8000 feet high.

Tour the remains of the Ancient Olympia Complex, including the Palaestra, Pheidia’s Workshop, and the Temple of Zeus, which once contained a 12m statue to Zeus that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.Visit the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, one of the most important museums in Greece.The museum’s permanent exhibition contains finds from excavations of the sacred precinct of the Altis. This precinct dates from prehistoric times to the early Christian period.

Contemplate the sea god Poseidon from his temple perched high atop the hill of Cape Sounion, the southern-most tip of Central Greece. Stand among the tall, marble pillars rising up from the slippery slabs of rock and look out over the calm blue Aegean Sea. The Temple of Poseidon, built around the same time as the Parthenon (between 450-440 BC), is a refreshing point of calm after the chaos of modern Athens.

Named after the Greek god of wind, the Aeolian Islands still have a pleasantly breezy, laid-back attitude. Cruise among the volcanic islands where traditional fishing villages and summer resorts peacefully co-exist. On this tour you will have the opportunity to visit several islands and have time to explore the local shops and eateries.

An earthly paradise. From the ancient Greek theater on a Taormina hilltop, your eye wanders over the violet outline of Mount Etna dominating the skyline, through the almond and lemon groves releasing the fragrance of blossoms and marzipan and lemonade, across bright fishing boats bobbing on the ocean's blue waves to the distant misty view of the Italian mainland hovering above the water. With a licensed local guide, explore the views and history that have enchanted so many, from the ancient Greeks to the Romans to the Moors to the Normans to the Spanish to Francis Ford Coppola, who filmed scenes for "The Godfather" nearby.