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Destination: Greece

Daily dose of europe: venus de milo.

The Venus de Milo — the goddess of love, sculpted in about 100 BC — sums up all that ancient Greece stood for.

As America continues to suffer crisis upon crisis, it has never been more important to broaden our perspectives and learn about the people and places that shape our world. And for me, one of the great joys of travel is seeing art masterpieces in person. Learning the stories behind great art can shed new light on our lives today. Here’s one of my favorites.

The Venus de Milo created a sensation when it was discovered in 1820, on the Greek island of Milos. Europe was already in the grip of a classical fad, and this statue was a hit. The ancient Greeks pictured their gods in human form — which meant that humans are godlike. Venus’ well-proportioned body embodied the balance and orderliness of the Greek universe.

Split Venus down the middle from nose to toes and see how the two halves balance each other. Venus rests on her right foot (that contrapposto pose so popular with classical sculptors). She then lifts her left leg, setting her whole body in motion. It’s all perfectly realistic: As the left leg rises, her right shoulder droops down. And as her knee points one way, her head turns the other. Despite all this motion, the impression is one of stillness, as Venus orbits slowly around a vertical axis. The twisting pose gives a balanced S-curve to her body. The balance between fleeting motion and timeless stability made beauty.

Other opposites balance as well, like the smooth skin of the upper half of her body that sets off the rough-cut texture of her dress. She’s actually made from two different pieces of stone plugged together at the hips (you can see the seam). The face, while realistic and anatomically accurate, is also idealized — like a goddess, she’s too generic and too perfect. This isn’t any particular woman, but Everywoman — all the idealized features that appealed to the Greeks.

The statue became famous for a number of reasons. Venus’ classic beauty was seen as the ideal of female grace. The statue is a rare Greek original, not a Roman copy. Its sudden discovery (by a humble Greek farmer) made great news copy.

Most of all, Venus brought with her an air of mystery. Who was this beautiful woman? She’s probably Venus, but no one knows for sure. What is she thinking? Her expression is alluring yet aloof. Her dress dangles suggestively; she’s both modestly covering her privates but hinting at more. And what were her arms (which were never found) doing? No one knows. Some say her right arm held her dress, while her left arm was raised. Others think she was hugging a statue of a man or leaning on a column. I say she was picking her navel.

Regardless, though Venus’ arms have been lost over the centuries, her eternal beauty remains intact.

This art moment — a sampling of how we share our love of art in our tours — is an excerpt from the new, full-color coffee-table book, “Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces,” by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw. Please support local businesses in your community by picking up a copy from your favorite bookstore, or you can find it at our online Travel Store . To enhance your art experience, you can find a clip related to this artwork at Rick Steves Classroom Europe ; just search for Louvre.

Daily Dose of Europe: The Parthenon

Rising up from the teeming heart of modern Athens, this gleaming temple shines from the top of the Acropolis hill like a beacon…a beacon of civilization.

The temple — dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron of Athens — was the crowning glory of the city’s enormous urban-renewal program during its Golden Age in the fifth century BC. After the Persian War, Athenians set about rebuilding the Acropolis, creating a vast and harmonious ensemble of temples and monuments with the Parthenon as the centerpiece.

Climbing the fabled hill, you reach the summit and, of everything there, bam: The Parthenon is the showstopper — the finest temple in the ancient world, standing on the highest point, 500 feet above sea level. Constructed about 440 BC, it’s massive, the largest Doric temple in Greece — about 230 feet long and 100 feet wide. It’s surrounded by 46 white-marble columns, each 34 feet high, 6 feet in diameter, and capped with a 12-ton capital.

But even more impressive than its sheer size is the building’s sheer beauty. The columns are in the classically simple Doric style — lightly fluted, with no base, and topped with plate beneath a square slab. In its heyday, the pure white structure was adorned with colorful statues and reliefs painted in vivid colors. Inside was a legendary 40-foot-tall statue of Athena (though now lost to history). All in all, the temple was a model of balance, simplicity, and harmonious elegance. It epitomized the goddess of wisdom, Athena, as well as the enlightenment of the Athenian people.

The architects achieved that harmonious effect with some clever optical illusions. For example, the Parthenon’s steps subtly arch up in the middle — to compensate for the sagging effect a flat line makes to the human eye. Similarly, the columns lean slightly inward to appear parallel, and they bulge imperceptibly in the middle to give a pleasing sturdiness as they support the stone roof.

The Parthenon’s builders used only the finest white Pentelic marble — 100,000 tons of it, brought in from a quarry 15 miles away. Unlike ancient structures constructed by the Egyptians and Romans, the Parthenon was not built by slaves, but by paid workers. The columns were made from huge marble drums, stacked like checkers, and fixed with metal pins in the center. Each piece of the Parthenon was unique — individually sized and cut to fit — then assembled on the spot like a giant 70,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

The Parthenon, then and now, stands as the symbol of Athens’ Golden Age — that 50-year era of prosperity and enlightenment when the city laid the foundations for what came to be known as Western civilization. It’s one of the most influential works ever created by humankind. For 2,500 years, it’s inspired architects, sculptors, painters, engineers…and visitors from across the globe.

This art moment — a sampling of how we share our love of art in our tours — is an excerpt from the full-color coffee-table book Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw. Please support local businesses in your community by picking up a copy from your favorite bookstore, or you can find it at my online Travel Store . To enhance your art experience, you can find a clip related to this artwork at Rick Steves Classroom Europe ; just search for Parthenon.

Daily Dose of Europe: Greece’s Underrated Peloponnese Peninsula 

The Greek Islands are famous and beautiful. But the next time I can make it back to Greece, I’m heading to its heartland, for less glitz, lower prices, and more substantial sightseeing.

Even if we’ve had to postpone trips to Europe, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can actually be good medicine. Here’s another one of my favorite travel memories — a reminder of what’s waiting for you in Europe at the other end of this crisis.

At a beachside restaurant, with my chair and table lodged in the sand, I hear a repetitive beat and feel a faint but refreshing spritzing. Looking around for the source, I see a tough young Greek man in a swimsuit the size of a rat’s hammock. He’s tenderizing an octopus by whipping it like a wet rag, over and over, on a big flat rock. That octopus will be featured soon for dinner…someone else’s dinner.

I order moussaka and — to be emphatically Greek — a glass of Greece’s infamous, resin-flavored retsina wine. It makes me want to sling a patch over one eye and say, “Argh!” It’s like drinking wood. A vintner once told me there’s no such thing as a $50 bottle of fine Greek wine. I asked him, “What should I buy if I want to spend $30?” He paused, shrugged, and said, “Three bottles.”

Taking another sip of retsina, I think that, like its wine, the Peloponnese is rough, but with a complex history. I’m pondering where to go next. Hordes of tourists flock to the Greek islands, unaware of the salty pleasures awaiting right here, on this peninsula — without requiring a ferry ride or flight. Stretching southwest from Athens and studded with antiquities, this ancient land offers plenty of fun in the eternal Greek sun, with pleasant fishing villages, sandy beaches, bathtub-warm water, and none of the tourist crowds.

I could go to the charming port town of Nafplio. It’s small, cozy, and strollable, with great pensions, appealing restaurants, a thriving evening scene, and inviting beaches nearby. As the first capital of an independent Greece, it’s historically important, and it’s a handy base for touring the ancient sites at Mycenae and Epidavros.

Nafplio’s harbor is guarded by a castle capping a tall cliff above the city. It’s an old Venetian outpost, built in the days when Venice was the economic ruler of this end of the Mediterranean. On my last visit, I looked down from its highest ramparts, spying distant islands and peering deep into the mountainous interior of the Peloponnese. Looking down at the town, I noticed that the locals weren’t climbing the castle steps; they were drinking tall iced coffees called frappés. Evidently, they had decided that the best-preserved castle of its kind in Greece is well-worth the thousand steps…once.

East of Nafplio, Epidavros has the most magnificent theater from the ancient world. It was built nearly 2,500 years ago to seat 15,000. Today, it’s kept busy with tourists by day and reviving the greatest plays of antiquity at night. The theater’s marvelous acoustics are best enjoyed in near solitude. On my last visit, I sat in the most distant seat as my partner stood on the stage. I could practically hear the retsina rumbling in her stomach.

Just north of Nafplio are the ruins of Mycenae. This was the capital of the Mycenaeans, who won the Trojan War and dominated Greece 1,000 years before its Golden Age. That means that for 3,000 years, people have stood before this stony citadel and gaped at its fabled Lion’s Gate. It was made with stones so huge that it was long believed that no man could have built it. It must have been the work of the Cyclopes — so it was called “Cyclopean architecture.” Nearby, the tholos tomb, built in 1500 BC, stands like a giant stone igloo, with a smooth subterranean dome nearly 50 feet tall and wide. Standing alone under that dome, I realized that the people who built it were as ancient and mysterious to Socrates and Plato as Socrates and Plato are to us.

Another possibility is ancient Olympia. Modern tourists just can’t resist lining up for photos on the original starting block from the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. The games were held as part of a religious festival, but also served a political purpose: to develop a Panhellenic (“cross-Greek”) identity. Every four years, wars between bickering Greeks were halted for a sacred one-month truce, when leading citizens from all corners would assemble to watch the athletes compete. It was a hard-fought competition with strict rules. Drinking animal blood — the Red Bull of the day — was forbidden. Official urine drinkers tested for this ancient equivalent of steroids.

Further on, the Peloponnese boasts impressive remnants of Byzantine rule. Monemvasia, a colossal Gibraltar-like rock jutting up from the sea, has a romantic walled town at its base and ruins sprawling across its summit. In its 14th-century heyday, Monemvasia was one of the great commercial centers of the Byzantine Empire. The walled town is so well-preserved that, until I actually visited, I was convinced an aerial view I saw featured on a postcard was a computer-produced fantasy.

Wiping the salty spray from my glasses, I realize I haven’t made much progress in deciding where to go next. I’m worried: The retsina is starting to taste good. I’m finishing my third glass, entering the danger zone. If I drink any more, I’ll reek of it tomorrow…and never get around to tasting the other charms of the Peloponnese.

(This story is excerpted from my upcoming book,  For the Love of Europe  — collecting 100 of my favorite memories from a lifetime of European travel. It’s coming out in July, and available for pre-order .)

Daily Dose of Europe: Cockcrow on Hydra

Greece has many famous islands. But my favorite is off the beaten path — the terrain of donkeys, roosters, and cats: the traffic-free isle of Hydra.

Europe is effectively off-limits to American travelers for the time being. But travel dreams are immune to any virus. And, while many of us are stuck at home, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can actually be good medicine. Here’s another one of my favorite travel memories — a reminder of what’s waiting for you in Europe at the other end of this crisis.

Hydra — just an hour by fast ferry from Athens — has one town, a quaint little harbor, isolated beaches, and some tavernas. There are no real roads, no cars, and not even any bikes. Other than zippy water taxis, donkeys are the only form of transportation. Slow and steady, these surefooted beasts of burden — laden with everything from sandbags and bathtubs to bottled water — climb the island’s stepped lanes. On Hydra, a traffic jam is three donkeys and a fisherman.

In addition to the tired burros, this is a land of tiny cats and roosters with big egos. While it’s generally quiet, dawn has taught me the exact meaning of “cockcrow.” The end of night is marked by much more than a distant cock-a-doodle-doo: It’s a dissonant chorus of cat fights, burro honks, and what sounds like roll call at an asylum for crazed roosters. After the animal population gets that out of its system, the island slumbers a little longer, as if hitting “snooze.”

This afternoon, I’ve decided to head uphill, with no intention of anything more than a lazy stroll. One inviting lane after another draws me up, up, up… At the top of the town, shabby homes enjoy grand views, burros amble along untethered, and island life trudges on, oblivious to tourism.

Over the crest, I follow a paved riverbed (primed for the flash floods that fill village cisterns each winter) down to the remote harbor hamlet of Kaminia — where 20 tough little fishing boats jostle, corralled within a breakwater. Children jump fearlessly from rock to rock to the end of the jetty, ignoring an old man rhythmically casting his line.

A rickety woven-straw chair and a tipsy little table at Kodylenia’s Taverna are positioned just right, overlooking the harbor. The sun, as if promising a worthwhile finale to another fine day, commands, “Sit.” I do, sipping ouzo and observing a sea busy with taxi boats, the “flying dolphin” hydrofoils that connect people here with Athens, freighters — like castles of rust — lumbering slowly along the horizon, and a cruise ship anchored as if threatening to attack.

This cloudy glass of ouzo, my anise-flavored drink of choice, and the plastic baggie of pistachios I purchased back in town are a perfect complement to the setting sun. An old man flips his worry beads, backlit by the golden glitter on the harbor. Blue and white fishing boats jive with the chop. I swear the cats — small, numerous, and oh so slinky — are watching the setting sun with me. My second glass of ouzo comes with a smudge of someone’s big fat Greek lipstick. I decide not to worry about it before taking a sip that seems to connect me with the scene even more.

As twilight falls, my waiter brings a candle for my table. He lingers to tell me he returned here to his family’s homeland after spending 20 years in New Jersey, where he “never took a nap.” The soft Greek lounge music tumbling out of the kitchen mixes everything like an audio swizzle stick. Downing the last of my ouzo, I glance over my shoulder to the coastal lane that leads back to my hotel…thankfully, it’s lamplit.

Walking back under a ridge lined with derelict windmills, I try to envision Hydra before electricity, when it was powered only by wind and burros. At the edge of town, I pass the Sunset Bar, filled with noisy cruise-ship tourists, which makes me thankful I took the uphill lane when I left my hotel. Resting on a ferry cleat the size of a stool, I scan the harbor. Big flat-screen TVs flicker on the bobbing yachts moored for the night.

Back in Hydra town, I observe the pleasant evening routine of strolling and socializing. Dice clatter on dozens of backgammon boards at tavernas, entrepreneurial dogs seek out scraps, ball-kicking children make a playground out of a back lane, and a tethered goat chews on something inedible. From the other end of town comes the happy music of a christening party. Dancing women fill the building, while their children mimic them in the street. Farther down, two elderly, black-clad women sit like tired dogs on the curb.

Succumbing to the lure of a pastry shop, I sit down for what has become my day-ending ritual: honey-soaked baklava. I tell the cook I’m American.

“Oh,” he says, shaking his head with sadness and pity. “You work too hard.”

I answer, “Right. But not today.”

(These daily stories are excerpted from my upcoming book,  For the Love of Europe — collecting  100  of my favorite memories from a lifetime of European travel, coming out in July.  It’s available for pre-order . And you can also watch a video clip related to this story: Just visit  Rick Steves Classroom Europe  and search for Hydra.)

Video: Easter Celebrations Across Europe

Happy Easter! All this week, I’ve been sharing daily clips from Rick Steves’ European Easter , my one-hour public television special that’s airing now nationwide (check your local listings) and streaming online . And the “He is risen” finale is today’s clip: It’s Easter Sunday, and families in Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Greece come together to celebrate, just as they have for generations. Enjoy…and thanks for sharing this beautiful holiday season with us.

Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter .

• Destinations

The Best Places To Visit In Europe Based On Your Interests, According To Rick Steves

Visiting other countries allows you to seek out incredible experiences you could not have had at home, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't target your itinerary towards your passions. On his website , Rick Steves recommends using your personal interests to craft your trip. If you intend to travel with a partner, friends, or family members, you can use the opportunity to share what lights you up (and invite them to do the same). Or, if you're planning a solo trip, you can design it entirely around your preferences.

You never know what unexpected detour will become the highlight of your journey. However, it still helps to know what you would most like to try. If you are a foodie, taking your love of cooking and eating into account can transform a good trip into a great one. Italy and France are well-known havens for food lovers, but Steves also recommends tapas in Spain, a food tour in Porto, Portugal, or a meal in Amsterdam for its seafood and Indonesian-inspired flavors. Following Rick Steves' tips on how to have authentic restaurant experiences while traveling can help you find delicious local spots without overpaying.

European destinations for art lovers

If you primarily want to see great art, you have no shortage of options to choose from. Rick Steves considers the Louvre in Paris the greatest European museum, and he suggests visiting Florence to experience the most incredible works of the Renaissance. England, where you can visit the British Museum and the Tate Modern, also makes a great choice. However, between tours of galleries filled with works by the great masters, consider checking out some lesser-known museums that still hold incredible masterpieces.

Carving out time for smaller museums, galleries, and cultural sites doesn't have to mean sacrificing seeing some of the most fascinating art Europe has to offer. On his  website , Steves suggests visiting London's Wallace collection to take in works by artists like Velázquez and Rembrandt, heading to Rome's Borghese Gallery, which has a collection that includes pieces by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, and Caravaggio, or seeking out Paris's Cluny Museum (pictured) to peruse Medieval tapestries. Whichever you choose, don't forget to follow Steves' tips for getting the most out of your museum visit , especially his advice about researching the artists whose work you'll encounter in advance. A little context can elevate your experience.

European destinations for history buffs

"As you travel, opportunities to enjoy history are everywhere. Work on cultivating a general grasp of the sweep of history, and you'll be able to inform your sightseeing with more meaning," Steves advises on his website .  Travelers have a lot they can learn from Rick Steves , but engaging with history and how it impacts the world today may be the most important for a challenging and fascinating travel experience rather than just looking for a relaxing vacation. History buffs, or anyone else ready to learn more about different parts of the planet, may want to prioritize education for their European itinerary.

You can visit France to marvel at our ancient ancestor's artistic ability via a replica of the Lascaux Caves near the original site or remember D-Day on the beaches of Normandy. You can visit Italy to admire the remains of architecture from the Roman Empire or the stained glass windows of the ornate Duomo di Milano. You can explore Ireland, taking in the 2,000-year-old stone-walled Dun Aengus (pictured) towering over the sea, or visit Belfast's Museum of the Troubles and Peace to learn more about the conflict in Northern Ireland, which took place during the lifetimes of most modern travelers.

Recommended

Travel Expert Rick Steves' Genius Tip For Planning A Successful Vacation

Travel guru Rick Steves has spent the better part of his career helping travelers worldwide travel smarter (and cheaper) through his bestselling guidebooks. He knows the value of thoroughly  researching a new destination , so an unprepared traveler is often inconvenienced in his eyes. Steves cannot overstate how crucial proper preparation is for a hassle-free vacation, especially if you want to sidestep common bothers like adhering to tight schedules and perhaps the number one enemy of travelers everywhere: long queues.

"I always like to say that there are two IQs of European travelers: those who wait in lines and those who don't wait in line," Steves told WABE . To save yourself the frustration of queueing, the "Rick Steves' Europe" host advises extensive research to discover which destinations require prior reservations and which do not. "What the smart traveler these days knows is, if you're going to any big city you should do your reading in advance and figure out which sites need to be booked," he shared with The Seattle Times . "If you're going to Florence, you really gotta book the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery in advance. You've gotta book the Duomo [di Milano] cathedral in advance."

However, Steves also insists that the goal of research extends beyond merely avoiding lines. He firmly believes it's also key to feeling more fulfilled in your adventures. "Remember that the more understanding and context you bring to a place, the more you'll enjoy it," he told The Seattle Times.

Read more: Unsettling Reasons You May Want To Avoid Taking A Cruise

Avoid Being Too Caught Up In Shrinking Your Budget

While  Rick Steves is a huge proponent of thrift, offering a wealth of tips for staying within budget , he's also the first to tell you not to worry too much about cost-cutting, as it will only take away the joy of travel. His advice? Keep in mind that time is money, too. For Steves, splurging a bit for convenience is always worth it.

"People sometimes focus on saving money while forgetting that their time is equally valuable, and limited," Steves advised  Business Insider . "If it will save you a half hour, hop in a taxi. Considering the value of your time, even if taking a taxi costs you and your travel partner $5 more than bus tickets, it's a good investment."

If you want the best bang for your buck, consider using a travel agent, too. Travel agents sometimes get a bad rap for unnecessary upselling, but if you find a reputable one, they can help you secure the best deals. "For international trips, I pay the extra fee to have a professional travel agent find me the best value (which isn't necessarily the cheapest) ticket," Steves told Forbes . He also noted on his  website that travel agents can assist you with securing "consolidator" or "discount" air tickets. While these tickets have certain limitations, like excluding frequent flyer miles accrual, they offer considerable savings.

Squeeze In 'A Vacation From Your Vacation'

Whenever you go to new places, Rick Steves advises against cramming as many sights and activities as possible into your visit. "You can't see it all, especially in one trip, and that's a blessing," he told Business Insider. "Enjoy seeing what you can and be thankful you have important experiences left over to enjoy on your next adventure." In other words, pacing is crucial because overloading your itinerary leads to unnecessary stress. You don't want to look back on your trip and only remember a blur of flights and train rides. And besides, it's not like you can't plan another trip in the future anyway.

Instead of forcing a tightly packed schedule, give yourself some leeway to rest easy and slow down mid-trip, especially during extended travels. Steves calls this a "vacation from your vacation," according to  Rick Steves' Europe , and with this strategy, you allow room for unplanned activities and spur-of-the-moment decisions. Sure, a successful vacation involves a ton of planning, but embracing spontaneity can enhance your overall experience.

"Consider building in a few slack days ... two days on the beach midway through the trip; that'll be very nice ... Travel is freedom. It's rich with choices and exciting decisions. That's part of the appeal," he said in one of his YouTube videos . "I like to keep some flexibility in my itinerary — perhaps I'll fall in love with Siena and stay an extra day."

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