A Modern Greek Odyssey

Discover how history and faith shaped Greece and its islands.

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Turkey, is a dramatic port of call during a Greek cruise. Photo courtesy of Georgeanne Brennan

Like so many of us, I was nurtured on the stories of the gods and heroes of Greek mythology, so when an opportunity arose to travel with Viking on its 11-day cruise of Greece and its islands, I couldn’t resist. My ship kept me cocooned so that I could let my imagination soar as I set out on my personal Greek odyssey. What better way to visit Greece and its islands?

The Ancient City of Corinth

My trip began in Athens, but since I had been there just the year before, I chose Viking’s excursion to the Corinth Canal and the ancient city of Corinth, an hour and a half from the ship’s dock, instead of a tour of Athens. I had no idea what the Canal of Corinth might be and was amazed by the narrow channel with sheer walls 300 feet high on either side of an 80-foot-wide channel dug through the Isthmus of Corinth.

For centuries, even in the time of the ancients, our guide told the group, it had been a dream to connect the two seas to create a shortcut for goods and commerce instead of sailing around the Peloponnese peninsula. For various reasons, it was thwarted, one being that it would bring down the wrath of the gods for disturbing the land. If Zeus had wanted the seas connected, he would have done it.

Another argument was that such meddling would anger Poseidon, whose massive temple stands high above the Aegean Sea about 87 miles away. Finally, thousands of years later, in 1893, the canal was built. However, as ships became larger, it wasn’t useful. Today, it is mostly recreational craft that use it. Still, it is stunning to stand on the bridge that crosses it, looking down on the bright blue thread connecting the Aegean and the Ionian seas.

Unlike the ruins of Athens, which are part of the modern city, the ruins of once-mighty Corinth, rivaling Athens itself in wealth and power, stand alone, abandoned when the modern city was rebuilt miles away after the earthquake of 1858.

I found it quite moving to be among the handful of visitors wandering on the green grass among the scattered ruins, including the remaining columns of the Temple of Apollo, the city’s patron, trying to imagine the bustling city before it was destroyed by the Romans. Rebuilt by Julius Caesar, most of what remains today are ruins from the Roman era, including a few stones of the synagogue where the apostle Paul once preached. The original lintel, our guide said, carved with the name of the synagogue, is in the site’s museum. I visited the museum, which was small but fascinating, and that helped to make the city come alive.

In Alexander’s Footsteps

Thessaloniki is the capital of Macedonia, the Greek province that was home to both Jason of the Golden Fleece and Alexander the Great. The city was founded by one of Alexander’s generals, who named it for his wife, Alexander’s half-sister. In his honor, the city has erected a huge bronze statue of Alexander, sword aloft and astride a massive horse in the lush park that runs along the waterside esplanade. As I stood next to the statue, it was possible to feel the force of the young man who built an empire stretching from Greece to Egypt and deep into Asia Minor.

This statue of Alexander the Great in Thessaloniki, Greece, recalls the empire he once commanded. Georgeanne Brennan

Reluctant to leave the waterfront, I nevertheless climbed onto the bus that would take us to the massive fortifications and walls that were built to protect the city when it was founded and then were further enlarged and strengthened during the Byzantine era, when the city rivaled Constantinople in prestige and power. Narrow streets lined with cafes, shops, and homes circle the fortifications. From almost any vantage point, the view of the city below and sea beyond was dramatic, and I could understand why people flocked here on long summer nights for music and festivities.

On the Roman Road to Turkey

One of the highlights of my Greek odyssey was actually in Turkey, walking down the Marble Road of Ephesus, the main throughway of this once Greek and then Roman city. The road, made of marble slabs laid by Romans, is bordered on both sides by remnants of marble columns, statues, mosaic floors, and bits of walls and buildings.

The Marble Road of Ephesus is the main thoroughfare of this once Greek, then Roman city in Turkey. Georgeanne Brennan

With the Aegean in the far distance, framed by the massive facade of the Celsus Library, the experience of the city was surreal. As we walked, our guide pointed out various highlights, including a bathhouse for men only, an agora, and the remains of the tomb of Arsinoe IV, the half-sister of Queen Cleopatra. He finished by saying that archaeologists have just recently discovered that it was not her tomb after all.

With these stories and others, told amid the ruins, the ancient city became increasingly alive for me. The site is so extensive and so well-preserved that it was easy to imagine the daily life of Ephesus and the ships that sailed from here when the city was a major Mediterranean port of early empires.

The islands of Rhodes, Santorini, and Crete were all part of my Viking Greek odyssey, and sailing among them, between calls at mainland ports, grounded the journey in history. Just as ships had plied the Aegean for thousands of years, so did the Viking Star as it sailed the same sea and the same channels as legendary Jason and his Argonauts, as Odysseus and Theseus.

When You Go

The Viking Star was fitted out with modern luxuries, from a plush stateroom to pools, spas, bars, and fine meals at which we could opt to dine on the foods of Greece: VikingCruises.com.

Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected].