OneSixtyToOne

Bags out in hall at 7:45, bag check by 8:45, bus left at 9:00 AM

Day 6 - You can checkout anytime but you can never leave Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head… After breakfast we placed our bags outside of our room, checked out, went to the lobby to identify our luggage, and are currently waiting for the bus to take us to the Acropolis. Big day ahead and we are anticipating boarding the ship. We have an anniversary dinner scheduled tonight at Manfredi’s.

We have booked a tour during the extension with Barcelona Day Tours. Will try and book something else with Viking on the port day. As these tours fill up quickly, I’ll have to see what’s available.

I am currently on the classic Greece pre-cruise extension and am enjoying it immensely. You can read my live posting of the trip here. The difference on the post-cruise extension is you do the Acropolis excursion after you leave the ship and before you check into the hotel. We will be checking out of the hotel, doing the excursion, then going to the ship.

Just returned from dinner. Delicious food at a reasonable price. Ample portions at 10€ for a dinner plate. I had a pork gyros platter and DW had a chicken souvlaki platter. An interesting side note, this family restaurant proudly displays a letter from the White House thanking them for feeding the White House staff during a state visit by President Obama.

Day 5 - Plaka and Potentates After another enjoyable breakfast we checked in with out Viking rep for some personalized recommendations for how to spend our free day. She provided a map and drew a recommended route. To avoid the closed streets around the Cathedral caused by the ex-king’s funeral at noon, she suggested doing the route in reverse. We took her advice and by the time we made it there the funeral had ended and we saw some VIPs leaving along with the press gaggle and the paparazzi. Reports of 1000 extra police in the area appeared true. We saw them inspecting delivery vans. We could not enter the Cathedral (off limits until 4:00 PM) but did get some photos of the floral arrangements sent by Royals and relatives. Before this we walked extensively through the Plaka district and viewed some adjacent ruins in the ancient Agora (marketplace). We came across an “Artisan Gelato” shop next to the Hard Rock Cafe. Strawberry - White Chocolate - Crisped Rice FTW. While finishing our gelato, DW was asked by a street vendor to watch her table of merchandise while she took a restroom break. About a minute later a customer approached and DW started to make recommendations, to which the customer responded “No English.” As you can see DW was disappointed with the No Sale. We ended our day at Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknowns to watch the Changing of the Guard. IMG_9594.MOV We are back at the Hotel resting before dinner. We’re going to try “Vasilissis” which has been previously been recommended by others on CC. It’s right around the block. The hotel is busy today. They are hosting an IT conference. Since I’m in IT myself I recognized the geek stereotype so I’ve coined this particular conference “greeky.” Tomorrow morning is checkout, our excursion to the Acropolis, and then off to board the Viking Sky.

Here is a quick answer. I’ll do the post for the day later when we return to the hotel. Tour director of the company Viking has contracted with (they are not a Viking employees) said she is 99.999% sure the program will be the same as the one we are currently one, meaning the free day comes AFTER going to Delphi. Believe me, after taking a hour to get from the airport, it’s no wonder they want to do the majority of the driving on the weekend. Also, we had the same bus and driver on a two day contract so this all makes sense logistically to me, do all the long distance driving on consecutive weekend days. She also said since it is low season, your tour company will probably let you reschedule since everyone needs the business. Take all of this with a grain of salt, but I would trust the locals instead of corporate. Good luck.

We took the included Falmouth tour and it was the worst of the dozens of the tours we’ve ever been on. It was a bus ride to nowhere. At one time the guide on the bus actually said “There is a beautiful beach and coastline down the road to our left but you can’t see it from here.” This has been our running joke every time we are confronted with mediocrity. On an independent visit to London we took the London Walks day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. It was definitely a site to see.

We have been to the mill for lunch as well as to Monet’s garden twice, both with Viking. The mill is very picturesque and the garden is incredible. When on the Normandy river cruise we took the “in the steps of the impressionist” excursion which not only visited the garden but also the town where Van Gough lived the final days of his life. We visited his grave where his brother Theo is buried along side of him.

Day 4 - Delphi (continued) What a fantastic day at Delphi! After viewing the changing of the guard (see previous post) we headed off to Delphi. Even though we encountered light rain (and lighter traffic) on the way, our tour guide guaranteed that the weather would be perfect when we arrived. She was 100% correct. There seems to be a microclimate in the area and we arrived to plenty of sunshine and a temperature of 60 degrees. On the road to Delphi We passed through the tiny but social media savvy hillside town of #ARACHOVA Once at Delphi, our guide gave an in-depth tour of the site, background history, and vivid descriptions of what we were seeing and how it looked in ancient time. Delphi was considered a sacred site and was neutral in all wars* (with the exception of 2 that were called sacred wars). Because of this neutrality it became almost like Switzerland, a place where treasures were brought and each city-state build a treasure house. Athenian Treasure House The path to the Temple of Apollo at the top of the site was once lined with statues donated by patrons, each trying to outdo one another. Only remnants of the pedestals remain. At the temple of Apollo you could seek the answer to your question from the Oracle. The sunken area near the back of the temple in the inner sanctum is where the Oracle was seated, inhaling vapors, and consuming sacrifices of burnt laurel leaves, while divining your fate. After some time exploring on our own, the tour continued at the museum which contains artifacts found at the site. Tomorrow is our “free day” to explore Athens on our own. Slight problem. The Ex-King of Greece died this week and his funeral is Monday at the cathedral. Most of the Royals in Europe will be here for the private funeral, including Prince William and Kate, as well as the Royal Families of Monaco, Denmark, and Norway. Roads will be blocked off and 1000 police officers will be deployed. Sounds like a traffic nightmare in a city that is already congested.

The Alhambra is probably the highlight of this voyage. It is a must see. There are a very limited number of tickets allowed per day to ALL cruise lines so it will be the first tour to sell out. The requirement to enter is a ticket with your name on it so even if there are onboard cancellations during the cruise, the spaces cannot be resold. The CARTAGENA FOUNDATIONS WALKING TOUR was one of the best tours we’ve been on. The city contains the most extensive Carthaginian ruins on earth. The Roman amphitheater and subterranean houses are a great experience. Avoid the Paris tour from Le Havre. It’s too long a bus trip. You won’t see much. Instead take the Honfleur excursion. It’s a fantastic medieval town right across from Le Havre with a lots to offer. The picturesque harbor full of sailboats and lined with shops and restaurants is a pleasure to wander around. The tour is fascinating. The town has the largest wooden church still standing in France. The inside is shaped like a ship’s hull as is the salt hall. The whole town looks like a fairy tale. In Portsmouth take the early include tour and asked to be dropped at the naval yard. There you can buy a ticket to visit Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory. The Mary Rose museum is incredible and I highly recommend it. It contains the remains of the wreck of Henry VIII’s flagship and this special building was constructed to display it. Three or four stories high, it’s one of the most impressive displays I’ve ever seen. The wreck has been placed upright and you look at the cross section while intermittently video is projected on the decks showing what life was like on the ship.

Day 4 - Delphi After breakfast we are heading to Delphi. Since it’s Sunday morning the streets of Athens are empty and we just happen to pass the Tomb of the Unknown as the changing of the guard was occurring. The bus driver was able to pull over on the empty street to allow us a photo op from the bus. More to follow after our 3 hour ride to Delphi.

Day 3 - Continued… More pictures from the fortress. We left the ruins for lunch at a local banquet hall called Agamemnon‘s Palace. Surprisingly the food was excellent. Sometimes the included lunch can be hit or miss but this was a home run. The desert was a sponge cake soaked with an orange sauce made from the local produce. Everyone raved about it. After lunch we were off to Epidaurus to visit the finest Greek theatre still in use today. We were amazed by how well preserved it is. The tour guide demonstrated the 3 foci where sound is projected into the audience. During a play the actors will move to one of these spots to deliver their lines. Cheering from the premium seats. On top of the world After visiting the amphitheater, it was back to the hotel via the coast road and some great views. All in all it was a fabulous way to start our Classic Greece experience. As you can tell from the photos, the weather was beautiful. Temperatures were in the 50s and there were no crowds. Perfect for sightseeing. I highly recommend Greece in the off-season. Tomorrow’s weather is identical. We will be heading to Delphi which is a 3 hour ride into the mountains. I’ll be sure to wear additional layers. Also worth mentioning, because this happened to be a weekend, there was very little traffic. The tour guides were amazed how quickly we were able to leave Athens. This might be the reason Delphi was moved up a day (from Monday to Sunday). If planning to book this excursion, you might want to consider a date that lands on the weekend.

Day 3 - Continued… Had an excellent breakfast this morning at the hotel. Large selection of items and great cup of regular coffee. They have a coffee bar in the back for those looking for something more exotic. We met up in the lobby at 7:50 AM to start our tour. At first I thought the Blue Man Group was in town. We boarded the bus and we were off to the Peloponnese peninsula and Corinth to view the canal that connects the Aegean Sea with Ionian Sea. It’s a 19th century engineering marvel that was built by the same company that constructed the Suez Canal. A canal was envisioned from ancient times where at this site ships were actually carted overland to save time and the avoid the danger of shipwrecks. Pictures don’t do it justice. It’s a spectacular view. Next stop was the Mycenaean stronghold containing the site of Agamemnon’s palace. On the way we passed a fortress built by the Corinthians and is the largest castle in Eastern Europe. On the way we passed along the plains of Argos and it became clear why this area has been fought over for millennia. It‘s flat, fertile bottom land, unlike so much of Greece. The fields are filled with olive and orange trees. The oranges are all ripe making a brilliant splash of color on this green fertile valley. From the Mycenaean fortress the ruler controlled the valley below all the way to the sea and beyond. When we arrived at the ruins the first stop was to explore a beehive tomb with the foreboding entrance and classic Mycenaean arch. The walls are blackened from fires built by shepherd taking refuge with their flocks We then proceeded to climb the path to the fortress and entered through the massive Lions Gate, some of the oldest statues in the classical world. Inside is the area where a gold burial mask was discovered and mistakenly attributed to Agamemnon. There is a copy in the adjacent museum but the original is in Athens.

Day 3 - Still on California Time It’s 5:00 AM in Athens and we’ve been up since 2:00. Looking forward to a hardy breakfast and our first excursion. Today we head to the Peloponnese peninsula. For anyone planning or thinking about doing the Classic Greece Extension his is the pre-cruise itinerary. As I noted in a previous post, some events have switched days from what is published on the website.

I just read about a supermarket in the Netherlands that has opened a slow checkout lane for people who want to chitchat.

Day 2 - Arrival, Sleep, or Lack Thereof The sleep deprivation continued on our final flight, this time with a crying baby. Note to Torstein, consider starting a adult only airline. Arrival at Athens was a breeze. We arrived a few minutes early at 5:50 PM. After claiming our baggage we found our Viking rep and driver waiting outside of baggage claim. Viking contracted with a private taxi to drive us to the hotel, large comfortable Mercedes Benz. We hit rush hour and it took almost an hour to get to the Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel. If you are not using Viking Air, I suggest purchasing their transportation option. This would have been an expensive cab ride if we did it on our own. The hotel is a very nice upscale business hotel. Lots of marble. The Viking rep greeted us as we arrived. She was in the middle of doing an overview of the extension with 4 other guests. We were brought up to speed and provided some basic information with more details to come after we rest up. The extension is booked up so there will be 30 of us. Some of the events have changed days. Our free day was suppose to be Sunday but we will now be going to Delphi and the free day will be Monday. So anyone taking this extension, days are subject to change. If you plan to book an independent tour on the free day, plan accordingly. As far as accommodations are concerned, we have a fairly large room that has a view of the Acropolis from the edge of the window. (see pictures) I did have to crop out the car dealership across the street. Right now, we’re too tired to do anything except turn in. Looking forward to breakfast which runs until 11:00 AM but we will be off at 8:00 for our first full day of sightseeing. More on that in a later post.

After the overnight from LAX we are in Munich awaiting our connecting flight to Athens. We were on the “screaming toddler from hell” flight so we got absolutely no sleep. Munich is a great airport. No crowds and we cleared passport control in less than 3 minutes. Much easier than connecting thru Frankfort. Looking forward to getting to our hotel in Athens so we can sleep.

Just boarded. Lufthansa is using face recognition for boarding. No more scanning boarding passes. Just stand in front of the camera and wait for the green light.

Our boring Airbus A350 has arrived!

We’re are currently at LAX waiting for our flight to arrive. We arrive way too early as DW demands. In the meantime a 747 bound for Frankfort has arrived at our gate (see picture). It’s one of the last in the Lufthansa fleet. We’ll be on that particular plane later this year for our next cruise. That might be our last chance to fly on one. As far as Athens weather, I’ve been tracking it for a while and is similar to the climate we have in San Diego, which is also Mediterranean. Daily highs are in the 50s-60s, lows in the 40s. Periods of rain. Best to have a good raincoat/outerwear and dress in layers. I brought sweaters, long sleeve shirts, and a few polo shirts. I’ll tell you how I fare after we arrive.

Day 1 - Departure: We are doing our final prep before heading to the airport in a few hours but I wanted to start this thread while I still had access to a real keyboard. We have a loooong day/night ahead of us flying from Southern California to Athens for the 4 day pre-cruise Classic Greece extension. It will be our first time in Greece and we are really excited to get the journey under way. The weather is cooperating here today. The rainfall stopped yesterday and is not expected to resume until this weekend. For those unaware, a series of major storms caused by an atmospheric river has hit the West Coast and massive flooding has resulted. We live in the southern portion of the state and have been spared the worst of it. We also lucked out and missed the ground halt that happened to all US air traffic yesterday. Hopefully our trip to Athens will be uneventful. I will update this thread periodically when the opportunities arise.

FYI Named after Charles Darwin's ship HMS Beagle on which he circumnavigated the world.

Agree. Also I don’t think the website is designed to allow you to pick multiple ships/staterooms across multiple legs. In looking at other multi ship cruises (River/Ocean) they also require a call.

We are booked on the Mediterranean Odyssey this spring from Venice to Barcelona. You might want to research that itinerary As far as I know it's not part of a longer cruise. At 13 days it hit our sweet spot. It doesn't go to Athens but does make one stop in Greece (Corfu). We are also adding pre and post extensions so that puts us at 17 days.