It would be hard to find many family adventures better than Greece. You will be aboard a sailing yacht PANORAMA sailing yacht (Lindblad) to view the beautiful coastline and harbors. Everyone of any age will enjoy learning about Greek history, gods, knights, volcanoes and mythology. Throw in swimming, sailing, beautiful harbors and incredible food and you have a vacation worthy of a Greek God and the family! You will have expedition leaders on board who are just as passionate about exploring as you are.
Your itinerary is listed below:
Day 1: Your trip will begin by flying overnight from the US to Athens Greece. You can of course do this early so that you can enjoy more time in Athens.
Day 2: You will arrive in Athens. In the afternoon you will board the Panorama and sail to Cape Sounion. You will anchor there and enjoy a swim before dinner. You will enjoy a beautiful sunset here.
Day 3: The morning will be spent at sea under full sail. You will cruise and enjoy a morning swim before coming to the island of Sifnos. On the island of Sifnos you will be able to explore the harbor village and wonderful beaches. You have the choice of walking to explore or enjoying some comfortable lounging.
Day 4: You will sail to the island of Santorini which was formed long ago by a volcano. This entire island was once a volcano cone. You will sail through the center of the old volcano while viewing the beautiful cliffs. You will visit the Nornikos Foundation. You will enjoy lunch with beautiful views and a walk afterwords before setting sail and enjoying an afternoon swim.
Day 5: You will dock in the morning in the harbor of Kos near the Castle of the Knight of St
John. You can lounge or enjoy a morning bike ride to the Hellenic and Roman ruins. In the afternoon you will visit the Castle of the Knights. Later a sheltered swim spot will be checked out and enjoy an evening ashore.
Day 6: Explore the Dodecanese Islands in the morning and a beautiful swim location. After this you will explore the Patmos one of the most important Christian sites in the world. St John wrote his book of Revelation here. In the afternoon you will visit the Monastery of St John and the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse.
Day 7: Naxos is renowned as the island where Theseus abandoned Ariadne. You will anchor during lunch and then drive to the oldest village of Apeiranthos. This village has remained unchanged for a long period of time. with marble roads and stone houses. Visit a Venentian Castle and choose between dinner in town or dinner on board the ship.
DAY 8: In the morning you will enjoy Delos where Artemis and Apollo were born. You will explore the Street of the Lions and the Temple of Apollo. You will enjoy a swim before starting your final afternoon sail of this trip and heading for Cape Sounion.
Day 9: You will disembark the ship and go to the Athens airport for a return flight. Or, you can chose to enjoy the optional three day extension to Crete.
For a family that wants to take a vacation out of the ordinary this is a wonderful option. You have adventure, mythology, exploring and lots of ocean swims. If you have the chance to take this Lindblad trip drop me a line.
Brian is also the author of Free Cruise Book at http://www.freecruisebook.com Brian has traveled to Europe, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Alaska and the Caribbean. You can reach brian at brian@freecruisebook.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Shigley
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Exploring China
Well, the new computer is here so I will be up to date by the end of this week. Check back 2-3 times this week for new articles.
This is another great Lindblad exploration which anyone with an interest in China would love.
Day 1 - 2 - You will fly from Los Angeles to Beijing. You will cross the International Date Line on this flight so you will actually lose two days!
Day 3 - 5 - Beijing. Start by enjoying the Pan Jia Yuan art and antique market and then visit Tiananmen Square which is still considered the political center of China. Enjoy a welcome dinner after your first full day in China!
Enjoy a wonderful excursion to the Great Wall of China and enjoy the Simatai section which isn't seen by a large number of visitors. You will have the opportunity to enjoy a picnic lunch and take scenic hikes here and an optional excursion to the valley of the 13 Ming tombs.
Day 6 - Beijing/Xi'an Fly to Xi'an. Visit the tomb of the Han emperor Jing Di to view items from the 2nd center B.C. The statues here were made of wooden arms and silk garments. In the afternoon you can enjoy an optional bike ride to the massive Ming Dynasty City Wall. You will be staying at the Hyatt Regency.
Day 7 - Xi'an Enjoy the life sized terra cotta army that stands guard at the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. In the afternoon you can enjoy an insider's opinions of the Great Mosque, given by a caretaker.
Day 8 - Fly to Chongqing in the morning. You will be able to watch pandas and learn about conservation efforts from a zoologist. Visit a World War II museum before boarding the river cruise ship VICTORIA KATARINA, one of the best river ships on the Yangtze. Your river cruise will start in the evening.
Day 9-10 - Cruising the Yangtze River. Explore Shibaozhai, a 17th-century Buddhist temple that is found on the cliffs near the river. On the second day of your cruise you will take smaller boats up a narrow tributary through beautiful scenery. You will cruise the new reservoir through the Three Gorges area.
Day 11 - Yichang/Shanghai An engineer will come on board and discuss the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric dam. Arrive in Yichang and then fly to Shanghai. Check into a historic hotel then enjoy a local expert on a walking tour from the French Concession the the new district of Xintiandi.
Day 12 - Shanghai Enjoy the fine art display at the Shanghai Museum. Visit the Urban Planning center to see the plan for Shanghai. Enjoy a walk through Yu Yuan a 16th century garden in the old center of Shanghai.
DAY 13 - Xitang Enjoy a memorable trip to the water village of Xitang which is linked by 100 bridges. View incredible building from the Ming Dynasty along the waterways. Return to stay in Shanghai in the evening.
Day 14 - Shanghai Visit the Longhua Temple. Enjoy an afternoon to explore Shanghai unsupervised. Enjoy a fairwell dinner in the city.
Day 15 - Leave Shanghai and arrive in LA the same day. There is an optional extension available.
If you are fortunate enough to make this trip please drop me a line.
This is another great Lindblad exploration which anyone with an interest in China would love.
Day 1 - 2 - You will fly from Los Angeles to Beijing. You will cross the International Date Line on this flight so you will actually lose two days!
Day 3 - 5 - Beijing. Start by enjoying the Pan Jia Yuan art and antique market and then visit Tiananmen Square which is still considered the political center of China. Enjoy a welcome dinner after your first full day in China!
Enjoy a wonderful excursion to the Great Wall of China and enjoy the Simatai section which isn't seen by a large number of visitors. You will have the opportunity to enjoy a picnic lunch and take scenic hikes here and an optional excursion to the valley of the 13 Ming tombs.
Day 6 - Beijing/Xi'an Fly to Xi'an. Visit the tomb of the Han emperor Jing Di to view items from the 2nd center B.C. The statues here were made of wooden arms and silk garments. In the afternoon you can enjoy an optional bike ride to the massive Ming Dynasty City Wall. You will be staying at the Hyatt Regency.
Day 7 - Xi'an Enjoy the life sized terra cotta army that stands guard at the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. In the afternoon you can enjoy an insider's opinions of the Great Mosque, given by a caretaker.
Day 8 - Fly to Chongqing in the morning. You will be able to watch pandas and learn about conservation efforts from a zoologist. Visit a World War II museum before boarding the river cruise ship VICTORIA KATARINA, one of the best river ships on the Yangtze. Your river cruise will start in the evening.
Day 9-10 - Cruising the Yangtze River. Explore Shibaozhai, a 17th-century Buddhist temple that is found on the cliffs near the river. On the second day of your cruise you will take smaller boats up a narrow tributary through beautiful scenery. You will cruise the new reservoir through the Three Gorges area.
Day 11 - Yichang/Shanghai An engineer will come on board and discuss the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric dam. Arrive in Yichang and then fly to Shanghai. Check into a historic hotel then enjoy a local expert on a walking tour from the French Concession the the new district of Xintiandi.
Day 12 - Shanghai Enjoy the fine art display at the Shanghai Museum. Visit the Urban Planning center to see the plan for Shanghai. Enjoy a walk through Yu Yuan a 16th century garden in the old center of Shanghai.
DAY 13 - Xitang Enjoy a memorable trip to the water village of Xitang which is linked by 100 bridges. View incredible building from the Ming Dynasty along the waterways. Return to stay in Shanghai in the evening.
Day 14 - Shanghai Visit the Longhua Temple. Enjoy an afternoon to explore Shanghai unsupervised. Enjoy a fairwell dinner in the city.
Day 15 - Leave Shanghai and arrive in LA the same day. There is an optional extension available.
If you are fortunate enough to make this trip please drop me a line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)