Greece was an exciting place to visit. The history and people are amazing. We had a great time and I am excited to share our experience with you.
Having done Italy in 2016, followed by Greece in 2017, I have to say that I think I enjoyed Italy a bit more than I did Greece. Maybe I have a soft spot in my heart for Italy, since that is where I served my LDS mission and the fact that I could partially speak the language.
Both countries have ancient ruins, though the Ruins in Greece out date the ruins in Italy, at least the ones we saw. The histories of both countries are extensive and pull you in with fables and truths. Both countries have had world domination for a period of time. I have to say that the food in both countries was good, but since I love food in general, this is not a surprise.
With that being said, I think the main difference was the Renaissance. The artwork from that time period found in Italy, just pulled me in and captured my imagination. The churches were massive with extensive painting, murals, and statues throughout. It seemed greener, with more vegetation. Granted, I saw more of the countryside in Italy, than Greece and so this comparison may not be valid. We thought the countryside in Greece looked a lot like Utah. In the end, both countries are beautiful and have a lot to offer.
We visited a number of Archaeological sites, some as old as 1,600 BC (Mycenae). The historical value of these sites and the artifacts found there are just amazing. Not only did we visit the actual ruins, we walked through all the museums with all the relics found there.
The people were very friendly and a good number of them spoke English, so communication wasn’t necessarily an issue. We didn’t leave the beaten path too much, but when we did, we still found someone who spoke some English.
And the water was so clear and beautiful. We did not go swimming, but we did go to a beach and stand in the water. You knew you were standing in the water, but hard pressed to see it.
There are a lot of mountains and they are very rocky and rugged. We did not hike any of them, but we did drive through them and there were a lot of switchbacks. This made driving more enjoyable for me (the grand prix thing), less enjoyable for Tonya.
We took hundreds of photos and I am now wading through them to decide which ones to post, which is taking a bit of time. We also have some fun videos that I will also post. Go to the Travel Photos/Greece to see it all. Remember, patience is the greatest of all virtues… All will be posted with time.
As Tonya and I have traveled, either foreign or here in the U. S., we have found a lot of beautiful places. We do have a beautiful world.