12-Day Journey in the Footsteps of Odysseus and Penelope

Monday, April 18th

You will be met at Athens International Airport and transferred to your hotel in the heart of Athens. Depending on your arrival time, you may have an opportunity to explore this ancient city on your own. Athens, the capital and largest city in Greece, dominates the Attica periphery. One of the world’s oldest cities, it is full of myths, mysteries and legends. Steeped with a rich history that spans around 3,400 years, the city is home to many sacred ancient sites, monuments and landmarks. A fusion of old and new, Athens is also a cosmopolitan metropolis buzzing with lively activity and vibrancy. If you arrive early enough, they recommend a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, founded at the end of the 19th century to house and protect antiquities from all over Greece, thus displaying their historical, cultural and artistic value. The museum features many artifacts associated with the Homeric epics, such as the golden Mask of Agamemnon, the bust of the Minotaur and the Aphrodite of Cnidus.

In the evening, you will gather at the hotel for a welcome drink before walking as a group to the Plaka district for the Welcome Dinner. It will be held at the Palia taverna Kritikou with its splendid view of the Acropolis and Lycabettus. You will get to know your tour leader and fellow travelers as you savor traditional Greek cuisine and admire the stunning views of ancient Athens.

(Overnight in Athens at the Hotel Hermes or similar.)

Wednesday, April 20th

After breakfast at the hotel, you will gather for a morning discussion based on Phil’s book, Who Stole the Arms of the Venus de Milo? The famous statue was inspired by the story of the torrid love affair between Paris, the prince of Troy and Helen of Sparta. It's a tale that has inspired more art than any other one from classical times. The conversation will prepare you for your visit today to the ruins of the palace she shared with King Menelaus. For it was here that the Trojan prince Paris, enchanted by the goddess of love, Aphrodite, came to seek out Helen, regarded as the most beautiful woman in the world, who was likewise under Aphrodite’s love spell. To catch a glimpse of the importance of these mythic figures, you will visit one of the most unusual sites in Greece, the strange pyramid-shaped Sanctuary of Menelaus and Helen, where they were worshipped as gods for centuries, and according to Pausanius, were buried there. 

You will enjoy a traditional lunch either in Sparta or Gytheion, depending on timing. After your intriguing morning, you will visit Gytheion, the ancient seaport for the war-hardened Spartans—a beautifully preserved town—then, you'll visit the Kranai islet. According to legend, this was the port from which Helen and Paris sailed for Troy, their tryst igniting the most famous war in history.

Breakfast and lunch are included today.

(Overnight in Sparta at the Menelaion Hotel or similar.)

Friday, April 22nd

Following your hotel breakfast, there will be a discussion about the symbolic power of Ithaka in mythology, psychology, poetry and the arts. After the talk, you will take the coach to the port of Patras, where you will catch a four-hour ferry to Pisaetos Harbor, Ithaka, then on to the nearby beautiful harbor town of Vathi. Tonight you will enjoy a fabulous meal and traditional Greek music together.

Breakfast and dinner are included today.

(Overnight in Ithaka at the Mentor Hotel or similar.)

Sunday, April 24th

Today, you'll enjoy a morning of storytelling and discussion about the Iliad and the Odyssey, including recent mythopoetic renderings of Homer’s myths, including Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, and Madeline Miller’s Circe, and today’s theme of “Ithaka After Odysseus.”

After the “Long Conversation”, there will be an attempt to visit the Archaeological Museum of Vathi to see its beautiful collection of rare vases from the so-called “Dark Ages,” as well as vases from the Geometric Period and striking Ithacan bronze coins from Classical times. Some coins have the very face of King Odysseus. As it is Easter Sunday, they are not sure if the museum can be opened for the group, but they will try using their local contacts.

Next, you are in for a real treat! Enjoy a traditional Easter lunch in a picturesque setting with lamb on the spit, Greek music and dancing!

Breakfast and lunch are included today.

(Overnight in Ithaka at the Mentor Hotel or similar.)

Tuesday, April 26th

After breakfast, the group will drive to Necromanteio of Acheron, a candidate for both the strangest ancient site in Greece and the least visited of the Homeric sites. For millennia, this temple marked the entrance to Hades, where a religious cult developed to celebrate the mysteries of Hades and Persephone. Pilgrims gathered here from all over the ancient world to honor the recently dead and also to be led by the resident Oracle of the Dead down into subterranean chambers, where it's believed they experienced a ritual death and rebirth. In Book Eleven of The Odyssey, Homer portrays the sorceress Circe as the inspiration for Odysseus to descend from here down to the Halls of Hades. On his nekyia, or underworld journey, the hero asked the soothsayer Tiresias for advice on how he could reach home again and be reunited with Penelope after twenty years.

Next, you'll continue along the beautiful western coast of Greece to Igoumenitsa to catch the ferry for Corfu. Upon arrival in the main port, you'll check into their luxurious hotel in Corfu town. Designed by the famous architect Sakelarios, the Corfu Palace is considered a classic, and is a much-loved hotel by locals and visitors alike.

Corfu town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, famed for its cobbled streets, Venetian architecture and eclectic galleries and restaurants. This picturesque town also has stunning views over the Ionian Sea.

Breakfast and dinner are included today.

(Overnight in Corfu at the Corfu Palace Hotel or similar.)

Thursday, April 28th

After your traditional sumptuous Greek breakfast, you will engage in your final “Long Conversation” at their hotel, which will be based on the shape-shifting nature of the tale of Odysseus and Penelope, one of the most durable and charismatic stories in human history. The discussion will range from the early Greek plays of Sophokles and Euripides to Ovid’s renderings, Monteverdi’s opera, Joyce’s Ulysses, the Coen brother’s O, Brother, Where art Thou?, to the recent feminist versions of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad and Madeline Miller’s Circe, and even the influence on video games such as “Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses.”

You will then board the coach for a drive to the nearby village of Gastouri, where you will seize the opportunity to visit the Achilleion Palace, which was constructed for the Empress, Elizabeth of Austria, as an expression of her passionate admiration for Greek culture. The villa offers a magnificent panoramic vista of the Ionian Sea and reveals a modern vision of King Alcinoos and Queen Arete’s mythical Phaecian palace.

Your final afternoon will be free for wandering the cobbled streets of Corfu town, shopping or journaling. In the early evening, the group will meet for a Farewell Banquet at a seaside taverna in Corfu town.

Breakfast and dinner are included today.

(Overnight in Corfu at the Corfu Palace Hotel or similar.)