BUENOS AIRES – The Greek Cultural Organization ‘Nostos’ in Argentina is preparing to undertake another major journey to Greece on July 31 – a 19-day expedition that will cross almost the entirety of Greece and lead travelers to places where the history, mythology, philosophy, and art of Western civilization were born.
“This is the sixteenth organized trip by Nostos, although during the organization’s twenty years of existence, many more have taken place, since most participants, after this first complete introduction to Greece, wish to return again through thematic trips and new cultural routes,” said the organization’s president, Christina Tsardikou, speaking to The National Herald.
To date, more than 700 people have come to know Greece through these journeys, which Nostos organizes exclusively once a year.
“The organization and collaborations are carried out directly in Greece, with the aim of offering travelers the highest possible level of service and hospitality, so that the experience is truly complete, authentic, and unforgettable,” Tsardikou explained.
The itinerary includes Athens, Thessaloniki, Vergina, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Meteora, and more, as well as the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, and Patmos. In the Ionian Sea, the trip continues to Lefkada, Kefalonia, and Ithaca, reaching as far as Skorpios.
Commemorative photo from previous Nostos trips to Greece. (Photo: Courtesy of Christina Tsardikou)
Participants will visit the country’s most important archaeological sites and museums, experiencing up close a civilization that continues to move and inspire the entire world.
“However, for Nostos, the journey to Greece is not simply a tourist experience. It is a deeply experiential and cultural pilgrimage. One of the most moving moments every year unfolds in the picturesque village of Paleopyrgos, where residents welcome the delegation from Argentina with traditional costumes, dances, music, and local delicacies prepared by the women of the village. There, travelers feel that they become true ambassadors of friendship and culture between Greece and Argentina,” Tsardikou described.
Over all these years, the experiences lived by the Nostos group – Greek expatriates and others alike – have been “truly overwhelming,” she said.
“We have seen people arrive at Athens airport and kneel down to kiss the Greek soil. And many times these are not even people of Greek descent, but Argentinians who grew up loving Greece through Homer, mythology, history, philosophy, and art.”
“The Nostos Greek Cultural Organization in Buenos Aires is preparing to embark on another major journey to Greece on July 31, a 19-day pilgrimage across nearly the entire Greek world” an official flyer notes. (Photo: Courtesy of Christina Tsardikou)
Most participants are academics, professionals, educators, and intellectuals who for years have studied and taught Greek civilization. For many of them, traveling to Greece is a lifelong dream.
“Greece exists within humanity’s collective memory. From childhood we hear about the Parthenon, Socrates, Homer, the tragedies, and the gods of Olympus. The moment one sees these places in person is an experience difficult to describe in words,” Tsardikou emphasized.
She explained that beyond the special significance of returning to ancestral lands for Greek expatriates from Argentina, such a journey becomes equally precious for every participant without Greek ancestry.
“Our very name refers to the Homeric ‘nostos’ – the return, the search for one’s homeland, but also for one’s inner self. That is why the journey includes Ithaca, the eternal symbol of return and personal quest,” said the president of the cultural organization.
And she added: “Every trip is a new journey of return to nostos – not only toward Greece, but also toward a deeper acquaintance with ourselves. Greece has the unique power to transform a person and leave within them an indelible imprint.”
The journeys organized by the Greek Cultural Organization Nostos attract participants each year not only from Argentina but also from many other countries across the Americas.
