{"id":894,"date":"2024-10-29T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T12:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/?p=894"},"modified":"2025-01-25T13:30:37","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T18:30:37","slug":"greece_trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/2024\/10\/29\/greece_trip\/","title":{"rendered":"A Grand Trip to Greece"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Table of contents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/10\/29\/new_corinf\/\">New Corinth<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/10\/30\/micenae\/\">Antiquities Day: Acrocorinth, Ancient Corinth, Mycenae\u2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/17\/nafplia\/\">Three days in Nafplio<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/28\/way_to_olympia\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/28\/way_to_olympia\/\">To Delphi via Olympia.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/10\/delphi\/\">Delphi<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/15\/meteora\/\">Monasteries and rocks of Meteora<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/metsovo-ioania\/\">Metsovo-Ioanniya<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/micro-papingo\/\">Mikro Papingo. Vikos Gorge.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/olymp\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/olymp\/\">Mount Olympus and its surroundings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/portaria\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/portaria\/\">Portaria<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/11\/dream_island\/\">The island of my dreams<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/matala\/\">Matala - Faistos<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/rertimno\/\">Rethymno<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/chania1\/\">Arrival in Chania<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/efalonissi\/\">Elafonissi Beach - Topolia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/11\/chania_2_days\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/11\/11\/chania_2_days\/\">Two days in Chania<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/athens\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/athens\/\">Athens<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Preface<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Greece smells of sun-warmed pine. Of course, there are many other scents there too: juniper, oregano, jasmine... Athens often smells of exhaust fumes\u2014narrow streets, lots of not-so-new cars. In Nafplio, in places, there&#039;s a smell of sewage\u2014a common problem in many truly old cities. One street in the mountain village of Mikro Papingo smelled intoxicatingly of ripe grapes\u2014they entwined the beams overhead, creating a cozy canopy. For some reason, it smelled specifically there, although grapes were plentiful elsewhere. But now, sitting on the plane taking me from Athens to Copenhagen, I remember Greece exactly like this: blue skies, dry, rocky soil where pine and olive trees grow freely, and the joyful scent of pine pervades everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a090586419c3&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a090586419c3\" class=\"wp-block-image wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdQsj0Ph0XFcHuphmoW-8oZPbesAVeSHH7MvGgcmXfmeO2Eh8UXeiklwlChlOTFrxaZOK2M_Q3U5xTinnrIlirIvhUeGDl57gxhNeuUGnuxapmrJAlBSIMkNrwVOhJ8-Ujk5yjdW4vQwcroT9sSO22dkso?key=tZ8sEHtRFFWCON1zjrlT-A\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Long Road to Crete<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I started planning a trip to Greece five years ago. Our 25th wedding anniversary was approaching, and I wanted to celebrate it with a memorable trip. Especially since we hadn&#039;t traveled anywhere since our wedding: what kind of money did a graduate student have in 1993, even though I was working two jobs? I knew Natasha&#039;s childhood dream was to go to Crete, so I started looking into options for a trip to the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That time, going to Crete didn&#039;t work out: I couldn&#039;t find a suitable flight from Detroit. All flights required at least two stops and took an absurdly long time, over 20 hours. So we flew to Lisbon and took a wonderful road trip through Portugal and Spain. We also started a tradition of annual fall travel: we luckily got married in October, when most of Europe enjoys beautiful weather and there are fewer tourists. We missed the COVID-19 year of 2020, but every other year we&#039;ve traveled to a new region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, our 30th wedding anniversary was approaching, and I started thinking about Crete again. A flight search revealed that there still wasn&#039;t a convenient flight to Crete from Detroit, but now that I had more experience, I remembered our trip two years ago: we flew into Vienna and then took an overnight train to Venice. I really liked the idea: you board the train in the evening and get off in Venice the next morning, refreshed and well-rested. A double compartment (I didn&#039;t consider cheap seats\u2014we&#039;re not students anymore, after all) from Vienna to Venice and back from Rome to Vienna was significantly more expensive than airfare, but considering we were saving two nights at a hotel, the cost was comparable. And most importantly, it saved time: any flight, even a short one, is at least half a day wasted\u2026 So I started looking for an overnight ferry from Athens to Crete. And it turned out there was!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the idea for the trip was solidified. All that was left was to put it together with plane tickets, an itinerary, and booked accommodations... I&#039;ve gotten pretty good at this sort of thing, and every year there are fewer hitches. First, I had to decide on the length of the trip: I was only given two weeks&#039; vacation, but I work remotely, and for that kind of work, all I need is a laptop and internet connection. So I planned four weeks: two weeks of vacation and two weeks of remote work. I&#039;ve done this before and have learned to combine work and leisure. A week and a half before the trip, I learned that I couldn&#039;t work remotely anymore: I&#039;d been laid off. Business activity had slowed, and I couldn&#039;t be assigned to a project. I thought I was safe since I was working on a fairly important internal project, but as it turned out, I was wrong. I shrugged and decided that this way I&#039;d be able to see more of Greece. Although I still had to work a bit, because I also have a small business, and clients don&#039;t care whether I&#039;m on vacation or not. Moreover, shortly before the layoffs, I very fortunately found a program that searched for jobs and sent out resumes using artificial intelligence queries. So, I quickly figured it out and customized it, and while we were walking through various historical sites, the program worked tirelessly. As a result, I completed one interview while on the trip, then another \u2013 a much longer one \u2013 and, a few days after returning, received a job offer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#039;ve divided my four weeks like this: two weeks of travel around mainland Greece. Then we&#039;ll return the car and spend the rest of the day wandering around Athens (or rather, the Pireos port area). In the evening, we&#039;ll board a ferry and spend a week in Crete. On the way back, we&#039;ll spend another day in Athens and three days in Copenhagen. While searching for flights, I discovered that separate Detroit-Copenhagen and Copenhagen-Athens tickets are much cheaper than the Detroit-Athens route, and the flight is easier because you can rest after the long flight across the ocean. Copenhagen will be an added bonus: we&#039;ve already transited through there, but only spent half a day there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a09058642002&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a09058642002\" class=\"wp-block-image wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdEoWIJzvPYIRpMdzZDEUKMC2cFgrscKOj0kZe4Jb8v-qjXZS6jYfE_Aakb2uaapstS-8DCwhjCMbGHKnW6b084GdFrXfpKrEXaXCW6bXGUgA-0E2_8uGLDtHpiW3bhgujYMCTBLpfVnqU_mXUJGGspG2VI?key=tZ8sEHtRFFWCON1zjrlT-A\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Route through mainland Greece<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a09058642d56&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a09058642d56\" class=\"wp-block-image wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcpz-wW-Wd_JF0OPZRlyI5MdG-erGqeiIMerGn-Z_w4N_Knxn_VHvCZjdZvitikg3jKhmgtQk_3uzJhvLEl1utzl9SXf2AJJ5BV6A2wlhGRU2o5K22fvbfeIs-LEWMJE8B7pU8ByWbhVFpjSwLPPxXL21v8?key=tZ8sEHtRFFWCON1zjrlT-A\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Route around Crete<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u041e\u0433\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u041f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0435 \u0413\u0440\u0435\u0446\u0438\u044f \u043f\u0430\u0445\u043d\u0435\u0442 \u043d\u0430\u0433\u0440\u0435\u0442\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u0430 \u0441\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435 \u0441\u043e\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0439. \u041a\u043e\u043d\u0435\u0447\u043d\u043e, \u0442\u0430\u043c \u043c\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0438 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u0438\u0445 \u0437\u0430\u043f\u0430\u0445\u043e\u0432: \u043c\u043e\u0436\u0436\u0435\u0432\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a, \u043e\u0440\u0435\u0433\u0430\u043d\u043e, \u0436\u0430\u0441\u043c\u0438\u043d\u2026\u0412 \u0410\u0444\u0438\u043d\u0430\u0445 \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043e \u043f\u0430\u0445\u043d\u0435\u0442 \u0432\u044b\u0445\u043b\u043e\u043f\u043d\u044b\u043c\u0438 \u0433\u0430\u0437\u0430\u043c\u0438 &#8212; \u0443\u0437\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0443\u043b\u043e\u0447\u043a\u0438, \u043c\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u0441\u043b\u0438\u0448\u043a\u043e\u043c \u043d\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0445 \u043c\u0430\u0448\u0438\u043d. \u0412 \u041d\u0430\u0444\u043f\u043b\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0435 \u043c\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u043f\u0430\u0445\u043d\u0435\u0442 \u043a\u0430\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0437\u0430\u0446\u0438\u0435\u0439 &#8212; \u043e\u0431\u0449\u0430\u044f \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0431\u043b\u0435\u043c\u0430 \u043c\u043d\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0445 \u0434\u0435\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u044b\u0445 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043e\u0432.&nbsp; \u041e\u0434\u043d\u0430 \u0443\u043b\u043e\u0447\u043a\u0430 \u0432 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0432\u043d\u0435 \u041c\u0438\u043a\u0440\u043e \u041f\u0430\u043f\u0438\u043d\u0433\u043e \u043e\u0434\u0443\u0440\u044f\u044e\u0449\u0435 \u043f\u0430\u0445\u043b\u0430 \u0441\u043f\u0435\u043b\u044b\u043c \u0432\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0433\u0440\u0430\u0434\u043e\u043c &#8212; \u043e\u043d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[40,15],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel","tag-greece","tag-europe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=894"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1198,"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894\/revisions\/1198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wdp.g-integrator.com\/travel\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}