How it all started...

In Delphi, in the Autumn of 1992

“I need to go back to Delphi”, I said to a friend in July, a day or so before the start of the Cathar Country group tour that my husband and business partner Peter and I had organized for her group. Immediately, she could feel goosebumps on her skin.
“Oh wow, you too?!” she said.
And this is how it started, because one friend/client after another reacted in the same way. Eventually, the big question was asked:

“Anneke, do you also take people to Greece?”

Business wise it was a huge jump, from being in my comfort zone here in Occitania, where I live and work - a region I have known so well since 1998 - doing tours to sites that are all reachable from my own home, to Greece. I needed to find a tour operator to work with; one that I can trust, and I found out very soon that to be able to organize a group tour properly I’d need to go there myself first, and explore. This business trip simply needed to happen, just to be able to find out how things work in Greece, what the distances are, how the hotels work, what they look like in reality, what the food is like (knowing I have to be able to deal with diets), how long the visits are, how long the walks are, etc. etc.

I checked the website of Aegean Airlines to see on which days they fly directly to Athens from Toulouse. The only opportunity for me to go to Greece was from 11th to 18th October, so I checked the availability on those dates. Two seats left. I felt the tension in my body, but decided to sleep on it. The next day I checked again. One seat left. My stomach turned, as if it wanted to tell me to go for it before I lose the seat.
So I grabbed my credit card and booked the seat.
From that moment onward, every nerve in my system relaxed and my stomach calmed down. For the first time in weeks, a smile returned to my face. Life has been especially hard over the last 6 years, but I have learned, especially when times are tough, to walk that extra mile and give it everything I have. So I went for it; not 100% but 200%.
From that moment on, doors sprang open. Everywhere.

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” - Demosthenes, Orator of the 4th century BCE

Within a week I had renewed our company website, adding Greece to our destinations, and thought out a plan for a private group tour in May, 2019. I had contacted an old colleague of ours in The Netherlands, a large tour operator who also creates group tours on demand, like we do. They recommended two travel agencies in Greece; one for the mainland and one for the islands. As I would only be able to go to the mainland with my budget, I created a trip on the mainland with a full list of hotels to check, places to discover, facts to check, restaurants to find and tour guides to speak to. A full program that would keep me very busy indeed.
Before I knew it, the morning of the 11th October had broken, and I found myself staring out of the airplane window looking down - through those gorgeous little cotton wool ball shaped fluffy clouds - at the coastline of southern France. When I saw the eastern Pyrenean mountains plunge into the intense, deep blue Mediterranean sea, I teared up; my heart and soul are still so very tender and raw from recent struggles. But I wasn’t nervous anymore, or afraid; it felt as if it was all meant to be. After 90 minutes or so, a grey-brown coastline appeared and soon after, I could see magnificent mountain ranges and valleys dotted with villages. It was so beautiful, and I wondered if Delphi was down there somewhere.

Athens Airport Voted Best in Southern Europe

About 15 minutes earlier than planned, we landed safely on Athens Airport. Eager to get to the baggage claim area I wheeled my little fuchsia pink carrier bag through the corridors, while my eyes searched for the ‘WC sign. Some turbulence had made it impossible for people to use the toilets during the flight, so not knowing when my next chance would be, I took advantage of the opportunity.

As soon as I had collected my trusty aquamarine suitcase I tried to find the exit and of course I first walked into the wrong direction, but once I had found the exit, it only took a moment for me to walk through the doors and find my new friend and colleague, Denise from the travel agency in Greece, who had kindly offered to pick me up from the airport to take me to my hotel. I didn’t unpack, because immediately after my arrival we were going to check out several hotels for our future tours.

I didn’t feel at like being abroad. It felt like home, like some kind of Greek version of Occitania, but I figured out what made me feel like that soon enough. Apparently, the Parnassos mountain range was created by the same tectonic movement that had created the Pyrenean mountain range on the border of Spain and France, so the mountains look similar, although the climate in Greece is more arid. Also, for almost a thousand years, Occitania and Greece had been trade-buddies. Already 3000 years ago, these tradesmen from Greece would exchange knowledge, culture, music, architecture and myths (e.g. The Voyages of Jason and the Argonauts and Hercules & Pyrene) with the Celtic people who lived on the western shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Interestingly, this is exactly the topic of my new historical novel, part of which is going to be about the ancient Mediterranean Celts. This is no accident. I now realize that my sudden trip to Greece was not just about our future tours in Greece. I feel that there is a story there that needs to be told.
I wonder where it will lead me.

“One thing I know, that I know nothing. This is the source of my wisdom. “ - Socrates, Philosopher of the 5th century BCE

My first day ended in a wonderful restaurant in the Plaka, the old quarter of Athens, discussing plans with my new friend & colleague, Denise. I discovered Greek food, fell in love with mastic ice cream* and after a lovely evening I finally hit the bed at 11.00 pm, totally exhausted, but very much looking forward to the next day, because exactly 12 hours away, I’d be meeting someone I haven’t seen for 26 years.

*Mastic from the Greek island of Chios (resin from the evergreen mastic trees), once as expensive as tulips in the Dutch VOC period, has been harvested for at least 2,500 years since Greek Antiquity. The famous mastic ‘tears’ were first mentioned by Hippocrates.

In my next blog I will tell you all about my first day in Athens, my experience with the Metro, the mysterious meeting and, of course, the photos I took of the Acropolis and the ancient Agora. See you next week on Friday! :) ♥ xox

Join me on my very special group tour in May 2019! :) Watch the trailer below and click the following link for more info: https://greeceexperiencetours.blogspot.com


© Anneke Koremans 2018-2019