Aegean Jewels

An opportunity has arisen for a Greek Island cruise at an advantageous tariff – surely an experience on many people’s list of future projects and an unmissable opportunity. In contrast to the larger and more impersonal cruise vessels this cruise creates a more intimate atmosphere and allows for easy access to shore expeditions. Furthermore the accent away from organised on-board entertainment is seen by many as a positive advantage! The capability of this exceptional vessel allows for a one-week itinerary that includes not just the Cyclades but also Crete and the Peloponnese. The name, Cyclades, derives from the word ‘kyklos’ meaning circle because the islands surround the sacred island of Delos. They count amongst Greece’s most wellknown and beautiful islands. Delos, tiny and uninhabited, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, contrasting with Mykonos with its sand beaches and nightlife. Widely believed to be a candidate for the lost kingdom of Atlantis the stunning, crescent-shaped island of Santorini reveals white painted villages clinging to volcanic cliffs above black sand beaches. Crete, the most southerly (and largest) of the Greek islands, is almost a separate country. The Greco-Roman town of Rethymnon flourished under Venetian rule in the 16th century and the Old Quarter is rich in elegant and well-preserved Venetian and Ottoman architecture. The Minoan ruins at Knossos mark the site of the palace c1700BC - vast, absorbing and puzzling, its ruins are deeply associated with mythology - the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur and of the birth of Zeus in a Cretan cave come to mind.

The walled medieval town of Monemvasia was an important Byzantine port whose Venetian and Ottoman heritage is revealed in the restored houses of the old town. Nafplion, Greece’s fi rst formal capital with Venetian and 19th-century architecture is one of the country’s prettiest towns and the nearby citadel of Mycenae recalls Agamemnon and ancient Greek tragedy. Spetses is a gentle, wooded island with a well-preserved old town (no cars!), aristocratic town houses, restaurants and cafes around the quayside.