Athens & Adriatic Allure: Mykonos

En lo alto de la moderna Atenas pulsante, la serena Acrópolis reina como lo ha hecho durante 25 siglos. Contemple la majestuosidad atemporal del Partenón de mármol. En la ciudad, tome una foto de los coloridos guardias de Evzone en La Esquina de la Constitución; compre recuerdos, joyas de plata y alfombras de flotaki brillantes.

Difuminando la línea entre el este y el oeste, Estambul se encuentra en la encrucijada de dos continentes. La arquitectura de la ciudad es sólo comparable a su espectacular entorno natural sobre el Estrecho del Bósforo. Vea la Mezquita Azul, el Palacio Topkapi y la Iglesia Bizantina de Santa Sofía. Tómese el tiempo para pasear por el Gran Bazar o el mercado de las especias y pruebe el baklava y shish kebab.

Difuminando la línea entre el este y el oeste, Estambul se encuentra en la encrucijada de dos continentes. La arquitectura de la ciudad es sólo comparable a su espectacular entorno natural sobre el Estrecho del Bósforo. Vea la Mezquita Azul, el Palacio Topkapi y la Iglesia Bizantina de Santa Sofía. Tómese el tiempo para pasear por el Gran Bazar o el mercado de las especias y pruebe el baklava y shish kebab.

Kusadasi in Turkey is the gateway to one of the most legendary cities of the ancient world: Ephesus. St. Paul preached in its Great Theater, while the facade of the Celsus Library survives as a testament to the city’s role as a center of learning and culture.

Not far from Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis (also known as the Temple of Diana), one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, once stood, drawing pilgrims from around the Mediterranean. While it no longer stands, it is possible to walk amongst its foundations and the remains of its towering columns.

Other historic sites can also be found nearby: The House of Mary is believed to be the home of Jesus’s mother at the end of her life, and the Basilica of St. John, constructed in the 6th century, marks the location of his tomb. (Like Mary, he spent his final years in Ephesus.) Nearby, the Selcuk fortress reflects the period of Byzantine and Ottoman control of the region.

From ancient wonders to holy sites, there are few ports in the Mediterranean as magical as Kusadasi, and a day here is a day spent in the company of some of antiquity’s greatest figures.

Familiarícese con las normas de esta isla soleada donde los buscadores de placer de todo el mundo vienen a jugar. Pasee por calles estrechas, casas blancas e iglesias de cúpula azul del pasado, con paredes cubiertas de buganvillas y senderos cargados con pasos que conducen a todas partes.

The port of Souda on the Aegean Sea is home to a Greek and NATO naval base and is located six kilometers (three miles) from Chania—the second-largest city on Crete, which itself is the largest of the Greek Islands. Once you’re in Chania, set your compass for the historic waterfront with its famous Venetian Harbor dating to the 14th century. Walk along the breakwater to the restored 500-year-old lighthouse for views that are particularly photogenic from late afternoon until sunset. The atmospheric tangle of streets that is Old Town is easily explored on foot, and you can stop at one of the many outdoor cafés for a bouyatsa (custard pastry) or a glass of Cretan red wine.Soúda can also be a jumping-off point for a visit to Rethymnon, located about 54 kilometers (33 miles) to the east. Shaped by centuries of invasion, namely by the Venetians and Turks, its Fortezza was built by the Venetians in the late 16th century and captured by the Ottomans in 1646. The Old Town has the same kind of architectural character as Chania, but on a smaller scale.

En la tranquilidad del estadio Olímpico original, donde la antorcha fue encendida por primera vez y los ganadores eran coronados con una corona de laurel, deje correr la imaginación. Entre en los archivos en ruinas de mitología griega en el Templo de Zeus, uno de los pocos que quedan de las Maravillas del Mundo Antiguo.

While travelers have been visiting the Albanian Riviera since antiquity, the region is, with reason, often described as up-and-coming. Long overlooked because of Albania’s political isolation from the rest of Europe, this 80-kilometer (50-mile) stretch of the northern Ionian Sea has seaside towns and stunning blue waters that visitors are now rediscovering. Strange concrete pillboxes are still visible, but other vestiges of the Communist era are thankfully fading away. The southern anchor of this coast is Sarandë, whose ancient inhabitants were said to be the descendants of the ancient Greek hero Achilles.

Today, the city has become a proverbial boomtown, with the population tripling in summer. Less than 10 miles from the popular Greek tourist island of Corfu, Sarandë now sees plenty of day-trippers coming over on the short ferry ride. With a smooth horseshoe curve to its waterfront, and with fine palm-lined promenades upon which young honeymooners stroll, one wonders: What took so long?

Like a mini San Francisco, the city is built around a series of stairs that lead from the top of the hill, dominated by a castle, down to the seafront. Its easy access to the sea helps explain the city’s reputation for serving excellent, fresh seafood. Sarandë is also a convenient base from which to visit a plethora of ancient ruins and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Los enormes muros de la encantadora ciudad de Dubrovnik encierran un lugar reconocido como Patrimonio Mundial de la Humanidad, grandes casas medievales y plazas pavimentadas de mármol, meticulosamente reparadas desde el bombardeo 1991.

Triste es la capital de la región de Friuli Venezia Giulia, en el noroeste de Italia. Es una ciuad portuaria que ocupa una delgada franja de tierra entre de la costa adriática y la frontera eslovena, en la meseta de Karst, dominada por la piedra caliza. Las influencias italianas, austrohúngaras y eslovenas son evidentes en su trazado, que abarca un casco antiguo medieval y un barrio austríaco neoclásico.