Greece Peloponnese Style – Harvest time – Oranges, Olives, Fish, and Islands

There are overnight flights to Greece, roundtrip to Athens (ATH).

There will be a brief introductory meeting late this afternoon followed by a welcome dinner close to your hotel. You are likely to gather at approximately 5 or 6PM, therefore you will want to land early enough to settle into hotel and prepare for your first gathering. You will be staying in the city center, if anyone would like to add additional evenings at the hotel, please contact Strabo tours. Overnight Athens (D=dinner)

Depart Athens this morning heading west to the Peloponnese Region, with a photo op at the Epidaurus amphitheater considered the best ancient Greek theatre with regard to acoustics and aesthetics. Continue on to enjoy the harvest season. The best oranges in Greece come from the area near the towns of Nafplio and Argos. In the afternoon you will be hosted at an organic farm and learn about oranges, trying different dishes and desserts.

Your accommodation for the next two nights will be in Nafplio, a charming town by the sea, the first capital of modern Greece in the early 19th century. You will be out in town during the blue hour. The next day explore the area from sunrise to sunset and hope to see many farmers picking oranges, transporting, and storing them. Lemons too! There are olive groves in the area, and you will photograph the vast farmland with interfering orange and olive groves, beautiful to see.  In the evening you will be back in Nafplio for a stroll by the sea as the sun sets behind the mountains. Overnight Nafplio (B=breakfast, L=Farm tasting lunch; B)

Since the olive harvest is a main reason for coming to Greece in late-fall, you will travel from orange-land to the heartland of olive groves, home to the famous Kalamata olives. Greeks will agree that some of the best olive oil comes from the region of Messenia (in Peloponnese), the area surrounding the town of Kalamata. You will find out that there are olives for eating and olives for making many different kinds of olive. Terroir, just like with wines, has a very important role in the quality and taste of the olive oil. See and photograph the locals harvesting it, making the “liquid gold” . Explore the endless olive groves from this area, see how locals harvest olives and how olive oil is produced. There will be a light early dinner with the olive oil tasting. Overnight Kalamata (B, Olive Oil tasting D)

A favorite activity for Greeks is to go to the local farmers market to buy fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat. Kalamata has one of the best farmer markets in Greece, mingle with locals and photograph the buzz of the market. Continue on, leaving the mainland Greece, taking a 1.5-hour ferry to the island of Zakynthos and head straight for some of those iconic seascapes with white cliffs and cyan and azure watercolors. Stop by the picturesque Cameo Island, just off the coast and connected through a walking wooden bridge.

For sunrise you will be in the main port of Zakynthos to capture the town in the warm morning colors as the island wakes up to life. Then take a boat trip around the island to see and photograph some of its most famous sights: the blue caves and the Navagio beach with the shipwreck. Navagio beach and its location are truly wonderful, and pictures hardly do justice to the beauty of this place. In the afternoon, as the sun finally shines on the beach. Travel above to see it from another angle, looking down at the beach. There are three observation points which offer different perspectives so you will spend some time here . Those feeling adventurous may see all three, however it isn’t necessary if you prefer to rest a bit. Overnight Zakthynos (B, D; B)

After taking the ferry back to mainland, visit the ancient site of Olympia, the place where the Olympic games took place over 2 millennia ago. In the afternoon arrive in Gytheio, a beautiful town by the water with many fishermen, this was the port of Sparta (which is inland). Here they have the tradition of drying octopus in the sun before grilling it. So we hope to see that during the time spent here. Photograph the imposing lighthouse and stroll on the promenade between the fishing boats, tavernas and the colorful traditional houses up on the hill.

The next day wait for fisherman to return to the port and see what they caught (if weather is favorable). They will be busy untangling the fish from the nets, sorting the catch, and cleaning it right on the boat. They use small traditional motorboats and catch 10 to 50 pounds of fish each, it is fascinating to see and photograph. In the afternoon explore the south tip of Mani peninsula, one of the best-preserved regions in Greece. Stop by an almost abandoned town with stone towers, a 5th generation potter, and a cave with access by boat.

Your last morning everyone will have to rise early to enjoy sunrise in a magnificent village about an hour from our accommodations. Monemvasia is the only town on a small island. Capture sunrise from the picturesque in the beautiful morning light. The town is lovely to photograph as it comes to life. This was a fortified town, and it is well preserved, the houses are built of brown stones and its pedestrian streets are like a labyrinth.

Since this will be a Sunday, you will pass by a local church to witness how locals practice their Greek Orthodox religion. As people come out of church, it will be a good moment to capture some portraits.

Before returning to Gytheio continue your journey with a stop at a shipwreck stranded on a sandy beach for 40 years now. The story goes that the ship was used to smuggle cigarettes and it was abandoned by its owner. It is ideal to photograph, and we can try black and white and long exposure. Overnight Gytheio (B, D; B; B)

If you didn’t see enough fishermen coming with fish the days before, try your luck again on this morning. You will then make your way back to Athens. On our way you will visit a beautiful wine region. Try some of the best wines in Greece and then photograph the landscape with vineyards, olive groves, rolling hills and cypress trees.

Finish the day admiring and photographing the Acropolis of Athens from a hill during the colorful blue hour. The group will then be taken to the Sofitel Athens Airport hotel and check in for your evening on your own. Majority of flights depart early in the morning, making this an easy walk to the airport for your check in tomorrow. Overnight Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel (B, Winery L)

Everyone is on their own today, checking in with your airline for your journey home. (B)