Like
a modern-day Odysseus, we will soon be meandering through the islands of Greece
though we won’t be “lost” and hopefully the only mythical creatures we’ll
encounter will offer us drinks as we lounge on the deck of the M/V Panorama
while we sail beneath blue azure skies.
Going
over the Variety Cruises “Unexplored Greece” itinerary for our 8-day adventure
is fascinating and here is a quick look at what awaits us in June.
Athens
We’ll
spend two days in the city, staying at the Herodian Hotel, a short walk from
the Acropolis. We take a group tour of the Acropolis the next day and a walking
food tour on the second day, before heading to Piraeus where the ship is
docked.
Day
1
CAPE
SOUNION (TEMPLE OF POSEIDON)  |
| Temple of Poseidon |
To
the ancient Greeks Poseidon was the protector of all seafarers. His temple at
Cape Sounion had a clear view of all the sailing lanes to and from Piraeus and off the coast we linger for a welcome dinner with the Panorama crew
before sailing overnight to Ikaria.
Day
2
IKARIA
The
ship will sail overnight to reach Ikaria and our first swim stop at Seychelles
Beach. Mythology has it this is where Icarus fell to his death on Ikaria after
flying too close to the sun when the wings his father Daedalus fashioned to
escape King Minos on Crete melted. In real life Ikaria is considered a Blue
Zone where people here live as much as ten years longer than anywhere else in
Greece, the island’s unhurried pace a contributing factor.
After
our swim we’ll take an optional tour of the island’s thermal springs. We stay
overnight in the port before sailing to the next island in the morning.
 |
| Seychelles Beach, Ikaria |
Perhaps,
before we leave Ikaria we’ll have a chance to sample an Ikariotissa
microbrewery lager or porter, or, a wine from Afianes.
AFIANES WINES, IKARIA
IKARIA GUIDE
IKARIOTISAA BEER, IKARIA
Day 3
PATMOS
A visit to the Cave of the Apocalypse is included with our Variety Cruises package.
St. John, one of the 12 disciples was exiled to Patmos by the Romans and he wrote the Book of Revelations here. The cave and the Monastery of St. John the Divine are considered very sacred Christian sites and in 1999 UNESCO declared them World Heritage Sites. |
| Patmos |
Sadly, we won't have time to quell our fears over the ends of days while on Patmos because it's only a three hour stop before we sail for Lipsi.
LIPSI
There is a type of grape grown on Lipsi called Fokiana. The €42 pp charge for the excursion to visit the Nico Grylli Winery to sample their wines seems well worth the expense, especially because it included Meze, Greece's version of tapas.
One wine they produce is a sweet red wine called Aposperiti. We'll get to have more Aposperiti back on the Panorama.
We are overnight at Lipsi and if we like the wine enough we can stroll through the main town to sample more!
 |
| Lipsi |
LIPSI GUIDE
Day 4
KALYMNOS
Lipsi and Kalymnos are part of the Dodecanese, the eastern most Greek islands and we'll be closer to Turkey than mainland Greece.
After Kos and Rhodes, which is about 2 1/2 hours away by sea, Kalymnos is the third most populated island and is famous for the divers who harvest sea sponges.
On our optional excursion we will tour the town of Pothia and learn about the sponge industry, from harvesting to market and we will have plenty of time to explore the island, or simply relax over a coffee!
 |
| Kalymnos sponges at the market |
KALYMNOS
Day 5
LEVITHA
Just a single family lives on this island and they run a restaurant that caters to visiting yachts.
Variety recommends we have a lunch of freshly grilled fish there before sailing on to Amorgos.
AMORGOS
We get a tour of the port town of Katapola on Amorgos and we are then served a "Baked Raki" at a local coffee shop.
Raki is a Turkish spirit, similar to Ouzo, but the baked version is native to Amorgos as the raki is mixed with sugar and spices.
We are overnight on Amorgos and who's to say we won't drain their Baked Raki supply?
AMORGOS GUIDE
Day 6
KOUFONSIA
Before we sail away from Amorgos, there is an optional tour of the Holy Monastery of the Virgin Mary Chozoviotissa.
 |
| Moastery of the Virgin Mary, Amorgos |
The white-washed monastery is carved into a cliff. I don't we'll get any baked raki at the end of the tour, but we have already signed up for the excursion.
We have a swim stop at Koufonisia. The island is just south of the larger and more well-known island, Naxos. Koufonisia is popular for aquatic activities like swimming in tidepools and caves that are only accessible by boat. We'll have an opportunity to jump off the Panorama to swim, snorkel or paddleboard for a while before moving on to Iraklia.
 |
| Koufonisia |
IRAKLIA
Natura 2000 is a European Union body that has set up special areas of conversation areas and approximately 28% of Greek land and 20% of her marine areas is under its purview. Natura 2000 helps prevent the extinction of numerous plant and animal species and contributing to the overall ecological health of the region.  |
| the beach at Agios Georgios |
We will have the day to ourselves, whether we decide to just relax or go for a hike in the unspoiled natural beauty of Iraklia, so far we are undecided. Here's a hint of what we're going to do. There is a beach at Agios Georgios the port on Iraklia.
We are overnight there.
Day 7
SERIFOS
Our last island on the Variety Cruises potion of our trip is Serifos. The company is offering another optional excursion and our guide will take us to explore the island and visit whitewashed churches and walk the narrow alleys of the Chora the capital.
Now Serifos relies on tourism and some agriculture, but there was a time when mining the iron deposits drove the economy. The mines closed in the 1960s and we'll get to learn more of this history on the tour. But, the best part of this excursion will be the wine we are served at the end.
 |
| Serifos |
In the afternoon we sail back to Piraeus, where we are overnight before disembarking.
SERIFOS GUIDE
Day 8
WAIT! THERE'S MORE - HYDRA
After breakfast and good-byes on the Panorama, we need to grab a taxi to make the 10 a.m. Blue Star Ferry to Hydra. I mean, who wants to go home?
 |
| Donkey ubers |
On Hydra we are staying at the Phaedra Hotel for 5 nights. This idyllic island does not allow cars and donkeys or horses are the only means of transportation. We'll let you know how that works out.
BLUE STAR FERRIES GREECE
PHAEDRA HOTEL HYDRA
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj
No comments:
Post a Comment