A month from now I shall be roaming about Greece so I have been preparing myself for the journey by consuming various tour videos. This particular video combines two installments of Rick Steves series of travels in Europe, "Greece: Athens and the Peloponnese" and "Greece: Greek Island." The first finds Steves coming to Greece from Italy via the sea, visiting the coastal city of Napolis, the ruins at Mycenae, and the great theater at Epidauros, before moving on to Athens. The Greek islands being visited are Paros, Santorini, and Samos.

Steves is apparently a backpacker, which means while he does go to visit the sites that tourists flock to when they visit Greece, he also enjoys getting off the beaten path and finding places where tourists rarely go. Now, I am going on a tour, where my transportation needs will be taken care of and I can be driven in air-conditioned comfort to all the things I want to see. Part of the purpose of this video is intended to show you some of the things you should see (the Hephaisteion at the Agora in Athens would be the prime example of something I added to my list of things to see because of this video), but what I appreciated the most was that Steves gives the traveler a sense of confidence about traveling to that corner of the world.

Many of the tips have more practicality for those who are going it alone and traveling more by whim than tour schedule, but even those travelers who are not planning to wander too far from their protective cocoon should feel better about their impending trip after watching these videos. I now know how the public phone system works in Greece and that I should brush up on my backgammon skills (i.e., remember the rules) since that is apparently the national game of Greece. Rick Steves provides a nice balance between useful information and beautiful sites, and with each video running short of a half-hour in length the lessons are easily digestible. Now I just need to find myself a nice CD that can teach me some basic Greek words and phrases so I can avoid being the Ugly American during my trip.

While watching Rick Steves' travel series you can't help but be impressed by his intellectual enjoyment of the areas he visits. Not only does he take you to places you might not see "even" on a tour, he fills in those tantalizing bits of information you might only find if you did some extensive research or had an appreciation for fine art and history.

If you are at all thinking of visiting Greece, you should see this video. There are many travel tips you might miss unless you read one of Rick's books. Who knew you could perhaps get a cheaper fare home if you waited until you got to Greece to purchase
a ticket. We assume that is more convenient for the backpack traveler than the occasional vacationer.

Learn about the 999 steps and the National Archeological Museum. View the black sand beaches and ancient pottery. Imagine walking in the footsteps of Socrates or taking a ferry ride across the Aegean sea. Not to mention seeing the delicious cuisine and sunsets.

Features:

Ruined Palace of Mycenae
Evolution of Greek art at the National Museum in Athens
Ferry ride to Santorini
Athenian cuisine and local restaurants

If you missed these on TV, you can enjoy them one by one and enjoy a visual journey around the world.

Rick Steves does an excellent job taking us through Greece. He gives great details about Greece and it's history...