Part 1: June 1 -13 & Part 2: June 13-19, 2024
Women's Sacred Roots Itinerary Details
Included
-
Accommodations
-
Ground transportation
-
Daily breakfast
-
Farmers picnic
-
Wine Tasting
-
Workshops/events/tours
-
Museum entrances
(single occupancy rooms are limited)
Not Included
-
Lunches/Dinners
-
Airfare
-
Travel Insurance
-
Snorkel equipment
-
Alcohol (except wine tasting)
Part 1: Sacred Roots June 1-13th
$4,200 (s) $4,050 (d)
Dinner with Meet & Greet in Athens-June 1st
June Part 1 Detailed Itinerary
This evening will be our first gathering as a group. We will introduce ourselves to one another and review the itinerary together.
​
Afterwards, we will take an evening stroll to dine in the area of the Parthenon which is majestic at night. For those that wish, we will have an opportunity to continue on for an evening walk in the area and visit nearby shops.
June 2/stop 1
Goddess Demeter & Persephone
The Eleusinian Mysteries:
"The best kept secret of the ancient world".
After Athens our journey will begin with a search into the traces of ancient Greek mysteries, which were initiations in the truths of Mother Earth and afterlife.
​
Anyone who would reveal what happened during the Eleusinian Mysteries ceremonies was sentenced to death. Therefore, the Eleusinian Mysteries are the ancient’s world best kept secret. They had two goals. One was to show respect to Mother Earth and dedicate agricultural goods to please her in order to provide the fertility of the fields. The second was to make peace with death and afterlife. These two goals were interconnected and seen as a unity, because we belong to the Earth and our planet’s natural life circle.
June 2/stop 2
Goddess Aphrodite
Ancient Corinth
​
“I belong to Aphrodite”. Corinth, where the goddess of love Aphrodite was born, was also known for sexuality.
​
Corinth is a port city that is located between Athens and Sparta, and it offers trade through land and sea, making it more wealthy than other cities.
​
Corinth's temples are known as the one that are the most socially accepting to prostitution. It was the home town of the lures of Eros and sex. Ancient Greek geographer Strabo said that the temple of Aphrodite once had acquired more than a thousand prostitutes, donated by both men and women to the service of the goddess.
Here we will visit Corinth Museum, where artifacts of everyday life are exhibited, in order to observe and visualize how women in the ancient world lived, how were their beds constructed, what did they eat, how did they cook and entertain themselves and others and how they dressed.
June 2/stop 3
Tribute to Eva Palmer
Xylocastro Town:
​
After Athens we will stay 3 nights in this beach town with a 2 km pine tree seafront forest stretch.
​
One of the first American openly lesbian women, Eva Palmer, chose to live and build her villa here.
Born in 1874 in NYC, at a time when the lesbian identity was slowly articulated, she was an active part of Sappho-inspired communities formulated through creative salons and social/literary networks. (The earliest lover of Natalie Clifford Barnes).
An emblematic figure for the Greek culture as well, she was the first to revive the ancient Greek theater and festivities in 1927.
June 3/stop 1
Catharsis
Hera's Sanctuary
We will also visit one of the few Hera’ sanctuaries in Greece, located at a small cove next to Vouliagmeni lake, by which we will lunch at a fisherman’s tavern. Hera was the Mother of the Gods, Queen of the mortals, symbol of loyalty, dignity and feminine power.
June 3/stop 2
Rest & Relax
Loutraki Thermal Spa
The ultra-modern Loutraki Thermal Spa has contemporary facilities to offer relaxing, revitalizing treatments with the life-giving power of Loutraki's thermal water.
The city of Loutraki is the same place as the ancient commune of Thermae, that 3,000 years ago, the ancient Greeks, then the Romans, and the Byzantines, had already discovered the ancient alternative approach to healing and prevention, psychosomatic relaxation and rejuvenation.
​
June 4/stop 1
Mountain Kyllene
The mythical mountain of the Nymphs
The next day we will hike on the mountain Nymphs waterfalls. On Mountain Kyllene the God Hermes, mediator between the gods and the mortals, as well as the music, the first lyre, were born.
On the way we will stop at Trikala village, a beloved winter resort in Greece, where we will have a traditional lunch after our hiking. Though the hiking lasts less than an hour, the village offers nice cafes, for those who would prefer to stroll around there.
​
June 5/STOP 1
Women's Empowerment
Ancient Sparta &
Female Emancipation
​
We will visit the relics of the only city in the ancient world, where women were relatively emancipated.
Education was free and for both girls and boys, from the age to 7 to the age of 18. Women were polygamous and homosexuality among both men and women along with heterosexuality flourished.
We will sense empowerment next to the relics of the Bronze Athena temple, overlooking the biggest theater of ancient Greece and the cosmic Taygetos mountain top.
​
June 5/STOP 2
Olive Oil Museum
Olive Tree, the sacred plant of Athena
​
By visiting the Olive Tree and Greek Oil Museum, we will understand the wisdom of the nature and why this plant was dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
It will transport you to the culture, history and technology of the olive and olive oil production in the Greek realm, from prehistoric times to the early 20th century.
The Museum's objective is to highlight the ineffable relation of the olive with the identity of our country and, more generally, the Mediterranean basin. The olive and olive oil are presented here from different optical angles: the economy, nutrition and the olive's uses, religious worship, art and technology
​
June 5/stop 3
Arrival at Sparta Gaia
Guesthouse and
mythical garden
This rural mansion (18th c) bears witness to Greece's architectural heritage, also preserving the traditional garden design and the hand-crafted furniture, while embodying modern amenities (A/C, wifi) and artistic details: 4 stone apartments embraced by two acres of garden (almond trees/herbs). Energizing spot for serenity and inspiration. 4min walk to village taverns. Dimitra, an awarded archaeologist who inherited it from her family, has preserved the house complex as intact and authentic as possible, keeping the original architectural style and the old furniture.
Respecting the house that inspired in her the love for archaeology and the values of the Greek earth, Dimitra’s main concern was to give the guests a comfortable and unforgettable stay while preserving the old mansion’s authenticity. The traditional -bioclimatic- architecture of the building complex is intact.
​
June 6/stop 1
Goddess Artemis
Artemis Valley at Mariorema
A unique experience is to sense the deity in the original Artemis valley at Marius, where Pausanias, the ancient Greek traveler mentions that there she was worshipped.
We will drive to Artemis stream and fairies valley, Mariorema where Artemis and her Nymphs bathed in the fresh water springs.
Next to old stone “laundries” we will weave together songs and myths and we will be baptized into the wild free women spirit that Artemis represents. Drinking the spring water, we will enjoy a traditional farmer’s picnic with pies cooked by old village ladies.
​
​
June 7/STOP 1
Diros Stalagmite Cave
Journey through the Magic of Nature
​
Yes! We will be on a boat tour through Vlychada Cave in Diros. It is one of the most beautiful caves in the world and is located on the west coast of the Laconian Peninsula, in Diros Bay.
Under the sparse Mani landscape, nature has patiently and artistically sculpted a miracle beyond imagination – white stalactites and stalagmites, impressive waterfalls and glittering crystals adorn every corner, creating an incomparable spectacle that takes your breath away!
​
June 7/STOP 2
Limeni Village
Sea Turtle Haven
​
Located in the south of Mani, a tiny spot in the Peloponnese, Limeni Fisherman's village is known for its natural beauty and history.
Fortified tower houses hosted the gun fighting families of the area in the recent past. The most striking thing about this small village? The bright blue of the sea – you won’t believe your eyes.
We will have lunch at a fishermen tavern in Limeni.
June 8/stop 1
Agios Demetrios Village
Zarakas Life and Gastronomy Museum
​
Agios Demetrios Zarakos village now, Demeter’s sanctuary then.
We will spend the day together in this authentic famers and shepherds village.
Each morning we will enjoy a rich “Greek breakfast” of homemade products together with coffee and local herbal teas,
​
Due to its very characteristic gastronomy, the “Zarakas Life and Gastronomy Museum” has been established here by Dimitra.
We will have hands-on experiences of Greece’s culinary traditions since antiquity.
​
On this day we will have a wine tasting workshop, together with local olives, traditional cheeses and Greek herbs and trees honey. We will share ancient Greek flavors next to Sparta Gaia’s old wood oven fire followed by a Greek love and ecstatic dances class and party.
June 9/stop 1
Snorkle in Pavolopetri
The oldest submerged town in the world
​
Yes, we will float above this world renowned archeological site! Bring along your snorkel equipment or buy some there...
June 9/STOP 2
Elafonisos Island
The Little Piece of Heaven
​
Simos Beach on Elafonisos Island is considered one of the best beaches in the country and is known as the "Caribbean of Greece”.
​
It offers an unforgettable experience because of the unsurpassed natural beauty this small island has to offer.
Located between the Peloponnese and Kythira, Elafonisos is a small island that is only approximately nineteen square kilometers, or seven square miles, in area.
It has been the favorite vacations island for King Charles of Great Britain and Princess Diana.
​
June 10/STOP 1
Goddess Hestia
Standing Loom Weaving School
​
We will continue our itinerary to Geraki, a village and castle town of byzantine architecture, which preserves the “Penelope’s Loom” tradition. The “Standing Loom Weaving School” is included in the List of Intangible World Heritage by UNESCO) and is a one of kind tradition in Greece.
​
The art of weaving on the vertical loom was developed in Geraki both as a domestic art to meet the family’s needs and as a commercial activity. It is vital to the local women’s cultural identities, which have been awarded in 1880 in an International Contest in Vienna.
The knowledge of weaving on a vertical loom is passed down from grandmothers and mothers to daughters. In fact, efforts have been made to promote the Geraki weavers with awards at international exhibitions.
​
June 11/stop 1
Monemvasia
The Mythical Rock
​
The most attractive historical city of Greece today was called in ancient times Minoa, a female name originating from Crete. Built on a rock and being an important trading harbor along history, it preserves the traces of its occupants, Greeks, Ottomans, Venetians, Arab pirates. The largest part of the town has been restored under the auspices of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities keeping its character intact. Enlivening its historical life we will stroll through the cobble stoned streets that host today cafes, stores, hotels and taverns for the visitors. Hosting erotic pleasures for the sailors in the past Monemvasia is present day a romantic destination for many.
​
June 12/stop 1
Nafplio Old Town
​
Get Lost in the Magic
​
It's easy to just get lost in Nafplio’s old town, which is built on a hilly peninsula and topped by a castle.
We can wander through the cobblestone streets, narrow pathways and pedestrianized areas filled with bougainvillea. Around every corner there are cafes, tavernas, and high-end shops to beckon you.
​
Architecture-wise, there are two Turkish mosques, as well as other historical buildings and
monuments worth seeing, including one that housed the first Greek parliament,. Nafplio was the first capital of Greece after its liberation from the Ottoman occupancy.
We travel back to Athens on this day and stay our last night at Athenais Hotel.
​
June 13
Journey to Lesvos or Home
​Today is the day we depart back to the airport to either continue on to Lesvos for the Rest, Relax & Integrate Add-on or return home.
​
Jody will be leading the remaining part of the journey for those that just aren't ready to leave this beautiful country and wish to have more time to spend together and integrate all your experiences and how to bring these changes back to your life.
​
​
​
​
​
​
Included
-
6 nights at Aolean Village Resort
-
Airport transportation
-
Daily breakfast
-
150 euro voucher for Hara Beach Bar Restaurant
-
Walking tour/orientation to Skala
Not Included
-
Airfare/ferry to Lesvos (100 euros approx.)
-
Transportation back to airport
-
Food/beverages beyond what is included
-
Additional tours, rentals, day trips, watersports etc.
Women's Sacred Roots will be deeply inspiring. This we know. Having some down time to just be, is a wonderful idea. This optional part of the trip is a free flowing, open itinerary designed to make it easy and comfortable for you to come along with me to my new summer home, Eressos, a quaint, seaside village.
Most everything you need is taken care of for you so all there is for you to do is relax, enjoy and meet the locals and the many lesbians who have chosen to make Eressos their home. You'll see why.
We will be staying right in town making it an easy stroll to all the tavernas and shops. Our home base in town will be at my new restaurant, Hara Beach Bar where you can share the beautiful view of the sea, wonderful meals, beverages and most importantly, the welcoming atmosphere and company of new friends.
I will be your host on the island and point you in all the right directions!
Please consult the FAQ's to look for answers to your questions before reaching out!
It is much appreciated...