October 2-3 - Flew to Zurich and then Thessaloniki. Checked into City Hotel Thessaloniki.

October 4 - We and three others who arrived a day early met our guide in the morning for an orientation. We visited the Jewish Museum, went for lunch, returned to our hotel for some rest

October 5 - Our group of 16 visited the statue of Alexander the Great, then the Byzantine Cultural Museum, and then Upper Town which was the sole place that was not destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917.

October 6 - We visited Mount Olympus and were given a tour of the information centre by a local guide and then a 1.6 mile hike along a local river.

October 7 - We went to Vergina, the home of the tomb of King Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. Then, a winery which has been in production for many generations. Then off to Meterora.

October 8 - We explored the rocks and monasteries of Meteora. Then hiked down to the valley below.

October 9 - We went to the village of Metsova and stopped at a Folk Art Centre. Exhibits there were hundreds of years old. We went to a restaurant where we baked pies and had them for lunch

October 10 - We arrived at our hotel in Aristi in the Zagoria region. We went on s 2.5 hour hike and then later went on a 2.5 hour rafting trip down a river.

October 11 - We drove to Lake Pamvotis in Ioaninnina. There, a silversmith demonstrated his trade. We visited the only Synagogue which lost 97% of its members in WWII. Then we left for Gjirokaster in Albania.

October 12 - In Gjirokaster, we visited the Ethnographic Museum. Then Gjirokaster Castle. And then a local farm for OAT's "Day in the Life" program.

October 13 - We drove to Butrint, an Archaeological exhibit which we explored for a few hours. Then we went to the seaside resort of Ksamil.

October 14 - We drove to Berat, the city of "1001 windows". There we visited the fort of Berut after a tough climb and had lunch. Then off to Tirana, the capital of Albania

October 15 - We did a walking tour of Tirana. First a Christian Orthodox church. Then the "House of Leaves" which was the centre of security during the Communist period.

October 16 - We traveled to Ohrig in North Macedonia. We did a city tour of some churches, a boat ride, a paper making demo, etc.

October 17 - We took a boat ride across Lake Ohrid to the Bay of Bones, an archeological complex including an authentic re construction of the pile dwelling settlement, dating back between 1200 and 700 BC

October 18 - We headed to Skopje the capital of Macedonia. On the way, we visited the Coloured Mosque. Next, Matka Canyon where we got on a boat that took us 4km to an underground cave.

October 19 - In Skopje, we went to Mother Teresa Museum. Then Skopje Square and its many monuments. Next, the Archaeological Museum, the Turkish Bazaar, the Jewish Museum.

October 20 - We drove from Skopje back to Thessaloniki in 3 hours and stayed overnight.

October 21 - We flew back to Montreal via Athens.

Our complete itinerary here