We woke early for breakfast on the 7th floor restaurant. Most tables had stunning views of the Acropolis, though we settled for a spot with limited views so that we wouldn't have to wait.
This morning, we headed out to the temple of Brauron, dedicated to Artemis as the protector of childbirth and Ifigenia, guardian of the underworld for mothers or babies that didn't make it through. The nearby museum displayed hundreds of items that had been offered as sacrifice at the temple including statues and vases. The most common sacrifice, the clothes of the mother in labor, had, of course, not survived. Most interesting were the statues of children. Before the 4th century BC, sculptors did not know how to represent the form of a child so they simply created mini adults (they look like giants and dwarfs in the same piece of art as the children are proportioned just the same). In the 4th century, sculptors began to learn how to display kids and we could see the process of improvement as both the faces and bodies became more childlike in later pieces.
Next we headed to Cape Sounion. The sky was cloudless and it was a picture perfect Greek seen. The temple of Poseidon, protector of sailors, perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. We had moussaka and Greek salad on site and spent some time admiring the views.
From there, we headed to Piraeus to board the Corinthian II. The staff is amazing onboard, all very welcoming and ready to help. We checked into our Penthouse suite, a recent upgrade, and started unpacking. The room is lovely with a private balcony and enough space to feel like a comfortable hotel room. Though I had originally been overwhelmed to be upgraded to the fancy Penthouse, I actually felt very comfortable and appreciative of the space we had.
I went downstairs for afternoon tea, followed by a lecture on the Partnenon as a Greek national symbol. Dinner, like all of the meals we have had so far, was fantastic. It's a shame that I can't take advantage of the complimentary wines as they are paired specifically to each night's options and region.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week