Sailing into antiquity, a Mediterranean
CHRISTMAS ODYSSEY
Neil Geraghty discovers December is the perfect time of year to explore the great
classical cities of the ancient world on the Journey to Antiquities ocean voyage.
Christmas Day has rarely felt so relaxing. I'm
sitting outside enjoying an al fresco lunch in
the Viking Saturn's World Café and the
warm Mediterranean sunshine caressing my
face feels sublime. The sun sparkling on the
Ionian Sea mirrors the effervescent bubbles
in my champagne flute and as I peer into
the horizon, I can make out the rugged
mountains of Sicily coming into view. After
lunch, I retreat to the sun deck, kick off my
shoes and lie down on a sun lounger. As we
approach the Strait of Messina, the
mountains come into sharper focus and
behind them rises the brooding summit of
Mount Etna, its volcanic cone shining with a
dusting of snow. In a totally unexpected
turn of events, it's turned out to be a white
Christmas!
For lovers of ancient history, a December
sailing also makes good sense. Viking's
Clockwise from
top image: Ruins of
Temple of Apollo,
Corinth, Greece;
Chania, Crete.
eight-day Journey to Antiquities visits some
of the most iconic sights of the ancient
Graeco-Roman world many of which are
bursting at the seams with tour groups in
the summer. Added to that, archaeological
sights can be debilitating places to visit
during high summer. Temperatures in the
mid-30s are commonplace, there is little
shade from the sun and the heat intensifies
as it reflects off the white stone surfaces.
The dried up landscapes washed out by
fierce summer sunshine can also be
disappointing. After the autumn rains
however, the Mediterranean landscape is
transformed with fresh green grass and
wildflowers while the sun, low on the
34 | Viking Explorer Society News
WATCH
VIDEO
