I traveled to Greece in the off-season. Most of the small islands were not easily accessible and much of their tourist infrastructure was closed. As a result my travels partners and I spent all of our time on Crete and the mainland. I'm glad this was how things went down because Crete became one of my favorite places and we had a ton of time to explore the island. Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip.
The Acropolis of Athens: The birthplace of democracy
In (roughly) the center of Athens is the Acropolis. It is the #1 tourist attraction in Athens and a must see. The Acropolis museum is great as well.
Approaching Crete at dawn:
Take the overnight ferry from Athens to Crete and save yourself tons of time
The northern coast of Crete and a lunch break:
Various art:
The Phaistos Disc, a mysterious relic:
Hiking on Crete:
Crete is covered in gorges. The largest one was closed but we hiked the 2nd largest gorge. A truly amazing and challenging hike.
Ancient Minoan ruins:
Meteora:
Rarely am I as awestruck as I was when I gazed upon this region. Monks escaping persecution fled to this region and built their monasteries atop the giant protruding rock masses that dot the landscape. Do not skip Meteora when you visit Greece...the train ride alone from Athens will be enough to take your breath away as your train zips along steep cliff ledges.
Thanks for looking. Don't skip Crete on your trip to Greece!
My Iceland pics: https://steemit.com/photography/@big-lou/travel-photography-iceland
My Turkey pics: https://steemit.com/travel/@big-lou/travel-photography-turkey
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