Day 14: Tour Ends
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Snapshot3 stops: Athens, Copenhagen, Newark
Distance traveled: 5,187 miles 2 flights 1 taxi (40 minutes, 20.5 miles / 33 kilometers) 5,410 steps 2.5 miles Greece in a Nutshell21 places: Athens, Arachova, Delphi, Vouraikos Gorge, Planitero, Lagkadia, Olympia, Kardamyli, Thalames, Vathia, Marmari, Gythio, Monemvasia, Mystras, Sparta, Nafplio, Mycenae, Epidavros, Metochi, Hydra, Piraeus
2 taxis 2 tour buses 2 shuttles 1 cog train 1 boat 1 Hydrofoil Distance traveled: 871.1 miles / 1,483.8 kilometers 196,346 steps (Average: 13,090 steps per day) 87.8 miles (Average: 5.85 miles per day) |
Last Day.
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Day 14, the final day of the tour, was mainly a travel day for me. I started off the day in a cab (that I shared with Diane & Eric) headed back to the airport for my flight home to New Jersey. Sadly, I ended up with food poisoning from lunch on Day 13, so I was not in great shape for my 2 flights home, but I made it in once piece. (My advice: Avoid the pork burgers - cap off a trip to Greece with a nice Greek salad, instead!) A well-deserved and major shout-out to our Dr. Diane for having OTC medication on hand for me that made my flights a bit less harrowing - I was lucky to have you! Hilariously, I did not know the medication caused drowsiness, and I not only fell asleep sitting up in an uncomfortable airport seat at the gate for several hours (only to be woken by a kind woman who didn't want me to miss my flight), but I almost boarded a plane bound for Paris (I was supposed to be flying to Copenhagen). Whoops! Thankfully, I got that all sorted out before my next nap, safely in my seat on a plane going to the right place!
It's all Greek to me!
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Αντιο, Ελλάδα! (Goodbye, Greece!)
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Final Thoughts.
Athens and the Heart of Greece was my second Rick Steves Europe tour and I am as hooked as ever! (Spoiler alert: I took my third tour in 2022 as well - Best of Tuscany. If you're interested in seeing some highlights from that trip, click the button at the bottom of this page for Extras!)
For her first tour leading as the head guide, Dafni was an incredible guide and storyteller who was always happy to help and offer suggestions for activities & excursions. Even though Dafni was relatively new, her knowledge of her home country and all the sites and history were fantastic and she kept us all laughing and engaged for a memorable 13 days.
Etelka was a great support guide for our tour, even though Greece is not "her" territory. Not only was she fun to have around telling jokes and keeping us laughing, but she offered Dafni much support as an experienced Rick Steves guide. And personally, I am grateful for such a wonderful kayaking partner!
Our intrepid bus driver, Christos, was also lots of fun and knew all the great viewpoints to stop for some pictures. His dance moves were second to none, as well! I still can't believe he's been driving tour buses for 17 years, but you can definitely tell from his expert handling of our massive bus on windy, narrow Greek roadways.
All of our local guides were great as well and their knowledge of the sites and museums brought them to life for us.
