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I had the opportunity to travel to Greece in September for a nine-day trip (seven days plus two for travel) and I am so glad that I accepted. The trip was made possible through a group called Citslinc, an organization bringing Chamber groups from the United States and Canada on this once in a lifetime trip. I traveled with six other Chamber directors from across the United States.
Check out photos {HERE}
After a quick flight from Boston to JFK, I had a direct flight from JFK to Athens. When we landed in Athens, we were greeted at the airport by the Citslinc CEO. We met our tour guide, Jack, when we arrived at the hotel. That first day, we had some free time to explore the area on our own. My roommate and I walked down the street, relaxed with a beverage at an outdoor café, and ventured back to our hotel to have dinner on the rooftop.
Our days in Athens included lots of walking as we visited the Parthenon, Panathenaic Stadium, the Acropolis Museum, the Zappeion, Syntagma Square, and Ancient Agora of Athens. Syntagma Square is where you can view the Changing of the Guards which happens every hour, on the hour. Rain, shine or snow, the Guards (also known as Evzones) will be there. The Evzones are selected among Greek men who are serving in the military. In order to become an Evzonas, a soldier has to go through extremely challenging training, lasting for four weeks. It’s worth noting that each Evzonas normally has 4-6 hours of service per day!
While we did plenty of sightseeing in Athens, a two-day trip to the island of Santorini provided lots of down time and shopping. In Santorini we explored the towns of Fira and Oia. Oia is the most visited village in Santorini and the second largest after Fira, the capital town of the Island. While in Santorini, we visited both a black sand beach and a red sand beach. The best part of the visit was probably watching the sun set above the Aegean Sea. Amazing.
Our final day of sightseeing included a drive along the coast of Athens to Peloponnese. Our first stop was at the Canal of Corinth, an artificial canal in Greece, that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Adrenaline seekers can bungee jump off the Canal if there is enough time! Back in the bus for our drive along the coast and we arrived at the archaeological site of Mycenae with the famous Gate of Lions and Atreus King Tomb.
I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to travel to Greece, this was an amazing experience and I treasure the memories and new friends I have made. The Chamber will be sponsoring a trip for anyone interested in traveling to Greece in the Fall of 2023. The trip will be an inclusive trip (roundtrip international airfair, breakfast & lunch, tour guide, entrance to the tourist attractions and 4-star hotel accommodations). For more information contact us at the Chamber and we will tell you how you can make this a reality: 978-425-5761 or sign up for our Information Session scheduled for Wednesday November 16, 2022 (details at www.nvcoc.com).
Melissa Fetterhoff, IOM
President & CEO
Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce
978-425-5761
melissa@nvcoc.com
www.nvcoc.com
