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Contact: Stephanie Allmon Merry, 817-390-7852, sallmon@star-telegram.com

ATHENS AND THE GREEK ISLES

“Give me a word, any word, and

I show you how the root of

that word is Greek.” That line

from My Big Fat Greek Wed-

ding kept coming to mind when I read that

Greece has more iconic sites than anywhere in

Europe — 18 have been designated as UNESCO

World Heritage sites. I could almost hear Gus

Portokalos, the proud father of Toula in the

DEBBRA DUNNING BROUILLETTE Special to the Star-Telegram

Santorini, with its blue-domed churches and whitewashed buildings, is the most recognizable of all the Greek islands.

BY DEBBRA DUNNING BROUILLETTE

Special to the Star-Telegram

Eternal appealEUROPE

Greece’s financial woes aren’t keeping away tourists who yearn to see its iconic sites and beautiful islands

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before beginning a week-long cruise of the Greekisles and settled into ourpre-cruise hotel, the St.George Lycabettus, locat-ed on the slopes of MountLycabettus, near the city’shighest point. Our room’sstunning view of the cityand its focal point theAcropolis — the first ofseveral UNESCO sites wewould visit — provided theimpetus we needed tobegin exploring before ourjet-lagged bodies gave into a nap.

Upon the recommenda-tion of the hotel con-cierge, our first stop wasthe Acropolis Museum, acontemporary multi-levelbuilding opened in 2009,which houses most of theartifacts found on the10-acre rock and sur-rounding slopes that datefrom the fifth century B.C.to the fifth century. Ad-mission is only 5 eurosand well worth spending acouple of hours. We hadlunch in its rooftop restau-rant and worked it off witha walk to the Acropolis ashort distance away.

Admission is 20 eurosper person during theheight of the tourist sea-son, April through Octo-ber, then discounted half-price from Novemberthrough March. The ticket

towns of historical signif-icance, Nafplio and Mo-nemvasia; and two portswe were eager to visit dueto their biblical history —Patmos, where the ApostleJohn, writer of the Book ofRevelation, was exiled,and Kusadasi, Turkey,home of the ancient Greek

noon, we boarded Wind-star Cruise Line’s StarPride, a 212-passengerpower yacht added to thecruise line’s fleet in 2014,along with two other simi-lar-sized ships formerlyowned by Seabourn. Ouritinerary included two ofthe most popular Greekislands, Mykonos andSantorini; two coastal

goddess Athena, can be abit challenging, slipperywhen wet, and unbearablyhot in the summer, so beprepared with good walk-ing shoes and a bottle ofwater before you make theclimb.

CRUISING THE GREEKISLES

The following after-

price was increased thisyear from 12 euros as ameasure to help boostgovernment revenues; amulti-site ticket is 30euros.

Navigating the unevenmarble steps that lead tothe top of the Acropolis,site of the Parthenon andother fifth-century sanctu-aries dedicated to the

movie, chiming in, “Eventhe word ‘icon’ is from theGreek eikōn!” Now, if Ijust had a bottle of Win-dex and could bestow itwith the magical proper-ties Gus thought it had, I’dcure Greece’s economicstruggles.

Despite Greece’s moneywoes and the tide of Syr-ian refugees that flowedfor a time into popularislands like Kos and Les-bos, tourism reached anall-time high in 2015,thanks in large part tovisits from U.S. and Britishvacationers, and 2016figures are on track to beeven higher.

The number of refugeeshas declined to a trickle —arrivals in the Greek is-lands are down 97 per-cent. The affected islandsdo not appear on cruiseitineraries, and Greekswill welcome you withopen arms, so don’t hes-itate to plan a trip. Sincetourism contributes nearlya quarter of its gross do-mestic product and em-ploys 1 out of 5 citizens,everyone you encounterwill be happy to see youand motivated to makeyour visit a pleasant one.

ICONIC ATHENSMy husband and I ar-

rived in Athens a day SEE GREECE, 9D

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SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11 2016 STAR-TELEGRAM .....................................................................................S 1 9D

Is ALASKA on your Bucket List??(Part 4 of a series)

Spectacular GLACIER BAY!Did you know President Calvin Coolidge named Glacier Bay

a National Monument in 1925?

Did you know few roads lead into the park?

Did you know Glaciers are known for their “calving”?

The National Park Service only allows 2 cruise ships per day in the Park?

Glacier Bay should be on everyone’s Bucket List!

No cruise to Alaska would be

complete without a cruise through

magnificent Glacier Bay. Glacier

Bay National Park and Preserve was

named a World Heritage Site in the

United States — and is a 3.3 million

acre treasure of natural wonders

and wildlife near Juneau, Alaska.

Magnificent glaciers...towering

snow-capped mountains...abundant

birds and wildlife...and mile after

mile of pristine coastline await you.

There are 15 tidewater glaciers in

the park – descending from high

snow-capped mountains into the

bay to create spectacular displays

of ice and iceberg formations.

The park also includes 9 tidewater

glaciers. A tidewater glacier

is defined as a glacier which

generates sufficient snow to flow out

from the mountains to the sea.

Most visitors see the Margerie

Glacier which is over 1 mile wide

and 350’ in height (100’ below

water level and then rises 250’

above the water). This height is

larger than the 307’ high Statue of

Liberty. The glacier has impressive

configurations (as if carved with

hand tools), in a “jagged and

twisted form”, set in ice which is

seen in blue color as a result of

absorption of rays of shorter red and

green wavelengths. It is a much cleaner glacier as compared to

other glaciers in the Glacier Bay. It is also one of the most active

glaciers for “Calving” (a word meaning breaking and dropping of

ice walls into the sea). Visitors are entertained as the glacier calves,

“a rifle-like crack and a booming roar is heard before dropping

chunks of ice into the sea!

While in Glacier Bay, watch for wildlife on the shore and in the

water. This is a great area for whale watching.

For more information about Glacier Bay or Alaska – call your

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RETAIL FOREIGN CURRENCY RATESCountry Sell Buy

Australia 0.863 0.677

Canada 0.854 0.705

England 1.460 1.244

Euro 1.217 1.047

Japan 0.011 0.009

Mexico 0.063 0.047

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Switzerland 1.161 0.915

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city of Ephesus. Multiple sailings of the

same itinerary will beoffered beginning in May2017 on the 148-passengerWind Star, one of threemotorized ships with com-puter-operated sails thatcomplete Windstar’s fleet.

Windstar’s small luxuryships with port-intensiveitineraries appeal, by andlarge, to active adults40-plus. The majority ofour fellow passengerswere in their 50s, 60s,and 70s and hailed fromthe U.S., including twocouples from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with asmattering of guests fromCanada, England andother European countries.Several families with adultchildren were aboard. Fewwere under 18, and thereare no special kids pro-grams.

Guests are invited togather in the lounge be-fore dinner to learn high-lights of the followingday’s destination. Ourpreference was to leavethe ship after a heartybreakfast to make themost of the hours we werein port. Those who returnearly can watch a cookingdemonstration, take adance lesson, or fit in aspa treatment.

I pre-booked shore ex-cursions that featuredUNESCO sites and oppor-tunities to experiencelocal foods and culture,returning in time to lingerover multi-course eveningmeals as we shared theday’s adventures with newfriends in either the maindining room or the smallerreservation-only steak andseafood restaurant.

All Windstar ships fea-ture open seating and acasual dress code, but noshorts or flip-flops. After-dinner options might in-clude listening to a mu-sical duo, a game of black-jack in the small casino, ortaking part in a trivia con-test. Elaborate Vegas-styleshows are not part ofWindstar’s style and itspassengers don’t seem tomiss them.

PORTS ARE THE STARATTRACTION

NafplioA drive through the

countryside outsideNafplio, our first port stop,transported us to Epidau-rus, the site of the best-preserved ancient Greektheater. Built in the fourthcentury B.C. with a capac-ity of 12,000, thisUNESCO World Heritagesite is known for its superbacoustics — so good, infact, that someone sittingat the very top can hear acoin dropping in the mid-dle of the stage. Theatreproductions of Greekdramas are still held hereduring the summermonths.

MykonosAs we approached

Mykonos, I watched forviews of its roundthatched-roof windmills,

dating to the 16th century.The island is known for itslively nightlife, but therewas no evidence of thatduring our morning strollalong cobblestone streets.The most memorable partof our time on Mykonoswas spent at Vioma, anorganic wine farm, wherewe tasted wines in anopen-air latticed buildingnear the vines. We pur-chased a bottle of thewhite wine for 7 euros andshared it with friends onthe last evening of ourcruise.

Kusadasi/EphesusThe only port on our

itinerary not a part ofpresent-day Greece wasKusadasi, Turkey, locationof the ancient Greek cityof Ephesus, anotherUNESCO World HeritageSite. It was the site of aspecial private event — anEvening in Ephesus — justfor passengers of our ship,which included a five-course dinner served bycandlelight in front of theremaining facade of theCelsus Library, the third-largest of the ancientworld. Earlier in the day,biblical history was ourfocus, as we visited thehouse believed to havebeen the last residence ofthe Virgin Mary, a sacredsite to both Christians andMuslims.

PatmosPatmos’ UNESCO

World Heritage desig-nation includes the histor-ic town center, the hilltopmonastery dedicated to St.John, and the Cave of theApocalypse, where heheard the voice of Godwhile in exile and dictatedhis revelations to a scribethat later became the HolyBible’s Book of Revela-tion. It is now a chapeland place of pilgrimage.The small island appearson fewer cruise itinerariesthan many of the others,so it’s rare that more thanone ship will be in portwhen you visit.

SantoriniIn stark contrast,

Santorini was Greece’sbusiest port in 2015 and isincluded on most cruiseroutes. Nearly 800,000arrived by cruise ship,leading to a decision byGreek officials to limitcruise ship visitors to8,000 per day in 2017.Santorini’s blue-domedchurches and white-washed buildings clingingto steep cliffs overlookinga volcanic caldera make itthe most recognizable ofall the Greek islands. Itroutinely appears on listsof the world’s best islandsand most romantic desti-nations.

Visitors ascend the cliffsto reach the main town ofFira in one of three ways— on the back of a don-key, by climbing 600steps, or via a three-min-ute cable car ride, themost-used mode of trans-portation. Instead of book-ing a shore excursion fromthe ship, we opted for aprivate tour here withfriends staying on theisland, and also arrangeda photo shoot in Oia, nearits most-photographed

blue-domed church. MonemvasiaThe ruins of a Masada-

like medieval city builtentirely upon a rock cameinto view as we ap-proached Monemvasia,the last stop on our Ae-gean journey. Connectedto the mainland by acauseway, Monemvasia ispopular with tourists tour-ing by car, but isn’t oftenincluded on cruise itiner-aries so it’s relatively un-crowded. Before touringthe fortress, we visited theLiotrivi olive oil factory,where we learned thetraditional method ofproducing extra-virginolive oil before samplingappetizers and local Mal-vasia wines in the shade ofthe olive trees.

Back in AthensWe chose the Central

Hotel Athens, located inthe heart of the Plaka, theoldest part of the city, forour last night in Athens.We booked a standardroom but were upgradedto an Acropolis view. Afterlunch at a taverna popularwith locals, we shoppedfor last-minute gifts onstreets lined with touristshops in the center of thePlaka.

Later in the day, wewatched the ceremonialchanging of the Presi-dential Guard outside theParliament Building be-fore crossing SyntagmaSquare to the Hotel GrandBretagne. We splurgedwith dinner in its rooftopgarden restaurant, one ofAthens’ finest, both forthe food and the views.Just as our first coursearrived, we looked downto observe a brief, peace-ful demonstration, theonly indication we’d seensince our arrival of anydiscontent, although roll-ing Metro strikes andother disruptions, mostlyaffecting Greek citizens,continue. Moments later,in the corner of the ter-race, guests took turnsposing for photos with theAcropolis in the distance.

Defined as “raised Cita-del” or rock, this classicstructure is an appropriatesymbol for Greece at thispoint in its history. Resil-ient, proud, and strong, inspite of economic upheav-al and uncertainty, itspeople have survived tur-moil for thousands ofyears. After spending timehere and on several of itsislands, I believe Greeceand its many iconic siteswill endure and continueto inspire us, as it has forthe ages. If I could askGus Portokalos, I knowhe’d agree.

FROM PAGE 8D

GREECE

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If you go

Treasures of the GreekIsles, Athens to Athens,seven-day cruises beginMay 6, 2017, and continuethrough Oct. 7 on the WindStar. Book early: $2,199 perperson, www.windstarcruises.com

Athens hotels

A St. George Lycabettus,www.sglycabettus.gr,from 112 euros

A Hotel Grand Bretagne,www.grandebretagne.gr,from 230 euros

A Central Hotel Athens,www.centralhotel.gr,from 130 euros

On Santorini

A www.privatesantorinitours.com

A www.studiokristo.com

On the shopping list

Olive-oil soaps andproducts, Mati (evil eye)items, ceramics andpottery, Greek key symboljewelry, Athenian owls,religious icons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DEBBRA DUNNING BROUILLETTE Special to the Star-Telegram

Epidaurus is the site of the best-preserved ancient Greektheater, built in the fourth century B.C.