A trip into the neonatal ward of Western civilization
Oct 23rd, 2014, 06:24 AM
#42
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Patience on the photos, please. I am headed west today, where my available DSL line is so bad it's hard to look at the photos online let alone load more of them. I'm working on them though.
Oct 26th, 2014, 05:29 AM
#46
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<b>Eating on Santorini</b>
<b>Kira Katina, Ammoudi</b>
<i>Everyone</i>—Oia Suites, Hanim Lounge in Chania, bobthenavigator—recommended that we eat here: one of the restaurants in Ammoudi, below Oia. How could we argue? We made reservations for 6:30 to coincide with the sunset and set off toward the tip of Oia and the steps down to Ammoudi. We knew that viewing the sunset was a popular activity. What we didn’t know was that half the people visiting Santorini would head to the end of Oia to do so. It was a slow-moving, tightly packed mass of people in a very narrow space—literally. Not unlike the crowd trying to get into and out of stage areas at Riotfest. Not our best memory of Santorini.
Once we finally reached the end, things got better. We descended the steps down to Ammoudi and were shown to a table at the water’s edge. It was a cool and fairly breezy evening. After the sun set they asked if we’d liked to move inside. No, that just wouldn’t have seemed right. We did go in to pick out our fish and, in the process, met Katina. When introduced, we explained (through a translator) that mr_go’s father had been there years earlier and had asked us to visit. Next thing we know, out comes a complimentary appetizer of fried tomatoes. And our grilled calamari appetizer was unquestionably the largest serving of calamari we’d ever seen (and good, too). The meal was enjoyable, and the setting was lovely—watching the colors of the sunset fade to black, the catamarans come in and out of the small adjacent port and the cruise ships sail out on their way to the next destination.
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...9983#h2db39983
Once done, we hiked right back up all those steps to Oia and back to our hotel—with iPhone flashlights out to light the way in the dark (and avoid piles of mule poop on the steps, of course).
<b>Aktaion, Firostefani</b>
We picked this from random research on Chowhound, etc. It is a tiny place, in business for decades on the walking path at Firostefani—and very popular. Others showing up at 7 pm opening time without reservations were turned away. The menu features old family recipes, and the food was good—but the highlight of the meal was sharing it with DebitNM and her husband, who had just arrived earlier in the day and were beginning their three-month trip (can you say “jealous”). Our notes indicate that we had an octopus starter, fava with smoked mackerel, homemade mousakas, beef in tomato sauce, and lamb.
http://www.aktaionsantorini.com/index_en.html
<b>Taverna Santorini Mou, Finikia</b>
This place is located directly across the street from Oia Suites. The hotel recommended it. Reviews were pretty good. We wanted something low key. And it looked to have a nice outdoor dining area. Sold!
In researching it, we noticed on the restaurant’s web site that the proprietor has some sort of “connection” with the American rock band Green Day, so when we were seated, we said something about that to our server. The next thing we knew, she brought four huge photo albums to our table, filled with photos of Mihalis Hionas and the band members and their entourages in various settings. Apparently, he has spent winters in San Francisco.
We started into our meal. Then, Mihalis and another man began to perform, alternating songs with some shots of raki and a little conversation and banter with the customers—an eclectic group from China, Australia, Germany, the UK and us.
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...d5d2#h29e20111
Things got a little more spirited as the night went on. One of the German women at the next table was celebrating a birthday, and that resulted in raki shots all around and a birthday cake. Mihalis called us up and wanted to recognize us as “honeymooners” with a mini bottle of champagne. And the whole evening just kept going something like this. We’d stopped taking notes by this point, and I don’t recall what we ate, but it was pretty good. The baklava was definitely memorable. And the aftermath on our table looked a little something like this:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...d5d2#h313cd5d2
We left with a Santorini Mou CD, an “autographed” photo of Green Day addressed to our daughter, and some memories that will last for a good while.
http://santorinimou.com/oia/
Sneak preview: The next night’s dinner in Athens was just as interesting.
By the way, mr_go described our hotel, Oia Suites, above. Here is the balcony:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...547f#h36be547f
And here is the view from the end of that balcony:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...547f#h2eefdee3
This was just as good (or better) a place to watch the sunset than in the crowd at the end of Oia.
<b>Kira Katina, Ammoudi</b>
<i>Everyone</i>—Oia Suites, Hanim Lounge in Chania, bobthenavigator—recommended that we eat here: one of the restaurants in Ammoudi, below Oia. How could we argue? We made reservations for 6:30 to coincide with the sunset and set off toward the tip of Oia and the steps down to Ammoudi. We knew that viewing the sunset was a popular activity. What we didn’t know was that half the people visiting Santorini would head to the end of Oia to do so. It was a slow-moving, tightly packed mass of people in a very narrow space—literally. Not unlike the crowd trying to get into and out of stage areas at Riotfest. Not our best memory of Santorini.
Once we finally reached the end, things got better. We descended the steps down to Ammoudi and were shown to a table at the water’s edge. It was a cool and fairly breezy evening. After the sun set they asked if we’d liked to move inside. No, that just wouldn’t have seemed right. We did go in to pick out our fish and, in the process, met Katina. When introduced, we explained (through a translator) that mr_go’s father had been there years earlier and had asked us to visit. Next thing we know, out comes a complimentary appetizer of fried tomatoes. And our grilled calamari appetizer was unquestionably the largest serving of calamari we’d ever seen (and good, too). The meal was enjoyable, and the setting was lovely—watching the colors of the sunset fade to black, the catamarans come in and out of the small adjacent port and the cruise ships sail out on their way to the next destination.
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...9983#h2db39983
Once done, we hiked right back up all those steps to Oia and back to our hotel—with iPhone flashlights out to light the way in the dark (and avoid piles of mule poop on the steps, of course).
<b>Aktaion, Firostefani</b>
We picked this from random research on Chowhound, etc. It is a tiny place, in business for decades on the walking path at Firostefani—and very popular. Others showing up at 7 pm opening time without reservations were turned away. The menu features old family recipes, and the food was good—but the highlight of the meal was sharing it with DebitNM and her husband, who had just arrived earlier in the day and were beginning their three-month trip (can you say “jealous”). Our notes indicate that we had an octopus starter, fava with smoked mackerel, homemade mousakas, beef in tomato sauce, and lamb.
http://www.aktaionsantorini.com/index_en.html
<b>Taverna Santorini Mou, Finikia</b>
This place is located directly across the street from Oia Suites. The hotel recommended it. Reviews were pretty good. We wanted something low key. And it looked to have a nice outdoor dining area. Sold!
In researching it, we noticed on the restaurant’s web site that the proprietor has some sort of “connection” with the American rock band Green Day, so when we were seated, we said something about that to our server. The next thing we knew, she brought four huge photo albums to our table, filled with photos of Mihalis Hionas and the band members and their entourages in various settings. Apparently, he has spent winters in San Francisco.
We started into our meal. Then, Mihalis and another man began to perform, alternating songs with some shots of raki and a little conversation and banter with the customers—an eclectic group from China, Australia, Germany, the UK and us.
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...d5d2#h29e20111
Things got a little more spirited as the night went on. One of the German women at the next table was celebrating a birthday, and that resulted in raki shots all around and a birthday cake. Mihalis called us up and wanted to recognize us as “honeymooners” with a mini bottle of champagne. And the whole evening just kept going something like this. We’d stopped taking notes by this point, and I don’t recall what we ate, but it was pretty good. The baklava was definitely memorable. And the aftermath on our table looked a little something like this:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...d5d2#h313cd5d2
We left with a Santorini Mou CD, an “autographed” photo of Green Day addressed to our daughter, and some memories that will last for a good while.
http://santorinimou.com/oia/
Sneak preview: The next night’s dinner in Athens was just as interesting.
By the way, mr_go described our hotel, Oia Suites, above. Here is the balcony:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...547f#h36be547f
And here is the view from the end of that balcony:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/s...547f#h2eefdee3
This was just as good (or better) a place to watch the sunset than in the crowd at the end of Oia.
Oct 26th, 2014, 02:13 PM
#47
Katina's in Amoudi Bay was our favorite experience in Santorini. It was recommended by Greek friends who live on Crete.I clearly remember the delicious grilled octopus and local fishermen bringing their catch to the chef from their boats.
Oct 27th, 2014, 05:38 AM
#48
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Katina's also comped us with the largest and tastiest piece of baklava I've ever encountered. Not exactly what we needed after a large meal and before a trek back up the hundreds of stair steps...but who could possibly say no?
Oct 27th, 2014, 09:36 AM
#51
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Thanks, flpab. ms_go took at least half of those shots with her trusty Canon DSLR. I was happy to finally have a chance to give a full field-test to my new point-and-shoot camera (a Canon PowerShot SX600), and I'm genuinely impressed with its overall performance.
Case in point: this shot was taken from clear across Chania harbor, utilizing the full 16x optical zoom...
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/c...a5dd#h2b97a5dd
Not bad, for point/zoom/shoot convenience.
Case in point: this shot was taken from clear across Chania harbor, utilizing the full 16x optical zoom...
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/c...a5dd#h2b97a5dd
Not bad, for point/zoom/shoot convenience.
Oct 29th, 2014, 09:43 AM
#52
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<b>Akrotiri</b>
One of our primary interests on Santorini was visiting the famed archeological site at Akrotiri, the Minoan Bronze Age settlement buried by a volcanic eruption in about 1600 BC. From Oia, it’s one bus ride to Fira and then a second to Akrotiri—a little under an hour in total.
The entire excavation site is under a vast roof structure — having a hard time finding the exact dimensions, but it must be at least 100 meters long and 60 meters wide. Yet this area is estimated to be just a very small percent of the original settlement (most of the rest is presumably under the sea). The other notable thing is the presence of some pretty sophisticated artifacts, including furniture, storage vessels, multi-story structures, indoor toilets, etc.—but no people. What happened to them is, of course, one of the great mysteries.
There’s a small museum in Fira that houses many of the artifacts and frescoes recovered from the excavation at Akrotiri as well as other sites, including the only gold figure found at Akrotiri. We visited that after our trip to the ruins.
Not sure if our late-season timing contributed, but it was not all that crowded at Akrotiri while we were there, even though there were three cruise ships in port that day.
<b>Santorini</b>
Aside from visiting Akrotiri and the museum and walking the path from Fira to Oia, we spent the rest of our time wandering in/around Oia, Fira and Imerovigli and relaxing and enjoying our deck/Jacuzzi and the hotel’s pool. We were, after all, on vacation.
We are happy to have had the chance to visit. It is photogenic beyond belief. And unique. With more time, we would probably have rented a car and tried to get a little further off the beaten path; for example to Pyrgos. Or a winery tour. Or out on a boat. That said, we were kind of ready to move on after three days, whereas Crete had left us wanting more.
Santorini photos (which are almost certainly more interesting than our descriptions):
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/santorini
<b>Athens</b>
We’ve been to Athens before, and we only had one afternoon and evening here, so our plans were modest. After dropping our luggage at the Sofitel, we took the metro to Syntagma Square, with the intent of finding and wandering the tiny lanes above the Plaka and just below the Acropolis, and then heading towards Monastiraki for dinner. And we did just that, with a trip past the Roman Agora (we’d been there previously, too) just for good measure. Mostly, it was great to be in Athens on a good-weather day (first trip was beastly hot; last trip was cold and raining).
The nice folks at Hanim Lounge had given us a glowing dinner recommendation for a place called Diporto Agoras—even printing a map and giving detailed descriptions of the entrance, as it has no sign…and also no menu. Alas, we failed to mention that we’d be there on Sunday, when it’s not open. That was a disappointment, but only a short-lived one. After a bit of research, we chose Café Avissinia—provided we could find it in the maze of the Monastiraki flea market. We did, and it occupied several hours of our afternoon/early evening (it closes at 7 pm on Sundays).
We happened upon it just as a prime outdoor table (directly across from an antique and junk-laden stall) opened up. The homemade taramosalata and eggplant mezedes were among the best things we tasted on this trip. The soutzoukakia was serviceable. And the baklava, while different than that we’d had previously, was excellent. The highlight, though, was the accordionist/vocalist combo who entertained patrons (largely locals) for the better part of two hours. We eventually moved indoors to join them. There was a fair amount of raki involved, some of it purchased, and some of it compliments of the restaurant. This was a fun and entertaining evening—memorable in the context of our travels, and a perfect way to end the trip.
http://www.avissinia.gr
From here, we made our way back through the bustling evening scene around Monastiraki Square and down to Syntagma Square, with a quick stop for a drink at an outdoor café we visited on our last trip to Athens (just for old times’ sake). Then, it was back to the Sofitel to prepare for a 6:30 am flight home.
Athens photos:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/athens
The trip home went smoothly until we reached Newark, where we learned, while trying to recheck our bags outside customs, that our final flight to Chicago had just been cancelled. The weather wasn’t great in either Newark or Chicago. There was a bit of confusion about our rebooked itinerary—but in the end we made it onto a non-stop flight several hours later and considered ourselves lucky to have made it home that same day (thank you to the one agent who rebooked us with assigned seats on an oversold flight; not so many thanks to other lobby agents who appeared to have little interest in assisting us).
And that’s the end of our trip report. We want to thank everyone whose posts were instrumental in planning this trip (there are many), and we hope this is helpful to others who are visiting Crete and Santorini in the future.
Next stop: probably Indonesia or Myanmar, mid 2015.
One of our primary interests on Santorini was visiting the famed archeological site at Akrotiri, the Minoan Bronze Age settlement buried by a volcanic eruption in about 1600 BC. From Oia, it’s one bus ride to Fira and then a second to Akrotiri—a little under an hour in total.
The entire excavation site is under a vast roof structure — having a hard time finding the exact dimensions, but it must be at least 100 meters long and 60 meters wide. Yet this area is estimated to be just a very small percent of the original settlement (most of the rest is presumably under the sea). The other notable thing is the presence of some pretty sophisticated artifacts, including furniture, storage vessels, multi-story structures, indoor toilets, etc.—but no people. What happened to them is, of course, one of the great mysteries.
There’s a small museum in Fira that houses many of the artifacts and frescoes recovered from the excavation at Akrotiri as well as other sites, including the only gold figure found at Akrotiri. We visited that after our trip to the ruins.
Not sure if our late-season timing contributed, but it was not all that crowded at Akrotiri while we were there, even though there were three cruise ships in port that day.
<b>Santorini</b>
Aside from visiting Akrotiri and the museum and walking the path from Fira to Oia, we spent the rest of our time wandering in/around Oia, Fira and Imerovigli and relaxing and enjoying our deck/Jacuzzi and the hotel’s pool. We were, after all, on vacation.
We are happy to have had the chance to visit. It is photogenic beyond belief. And unique. With more time, we would probably have rented a car and tried to get a little further off the beaten path; for example to Pyrgos. Or a winery tour. Or out on a boat. That said, we were kind of ready to move on after three days, whereas Crete had left us wanting more.
Santorini photos (which are almost certainly more interesting than our descriptions):
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/santorini
<b>Athens</b>
We’ve been to Athens before, and we only had one afternoon and evening here, so our plans were modest. After dropping our luggage at the Sofitel, we took the metro to Syntagma Square, with the intent of finding and wandering the tiny lanes above the Plaka and just below the Acropolis, and then heading towards Monastiraki for dinner. And we did just that, with a trip past the Roman Agora (we’d been there previously, too) just for good measure. Mostly, it was great to be in Athens on a good-weather day (first trip was beastly hot; last trip was cold and raining).
The nice folks at Hanim Lounge had given us a glowing dinner recommendation for a place called Diporto Agoras—even printing a map and giving detailed descriptions of the entrance, as it has no sign…and also no menu. Alas, we failed to mention that we’d be there on Sunday, when it’s not open. That was a disappointment, but only a short-lived one. After a bit of research, we chose Café Avissinia—provided we could find it in the maze of the Monastiraki flea market. We did, and it occupied several hours of our afternoon/early evening (it closes at 7 pm on Sundays).
We happened upon it just as a prime outdoor table (directly across from an antique and junk-laden stall) opened up. The homemade taramosalata and eggplant mezedes were among the best things we tasted on this trip. The soutzoukakia was serviceable. And the baklava, while different than that we’d had previously, was excellent. The highlight, though, was the accordionist/vocalist combo who entertained patrons (largely locals) for the better part of two hours. We eventually moved indoors to join them. There was a fair amount of raki involved, some of it purchased, and some of it compliments of the restaurant. This was a fun and entertaining evening—memorable in the context of our travels, and a perfect way to end the trip.
http://www.avissinia.gr
From here, we made our way back through the bustling evening scene around Monastiraki Square and down to Syntagma Square, with a quick stop for a drink at an outdoor café we visited on our last trip to Athens (just for old times’ sake). Then, it was back to the Sofitel to prepare for a 6:30 am flight home.
Athens photos:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/athens
The trip home went smoothly until we reached Newark, where we learned, while trying to recheck our bags outside customs, that our final flight to Chicago had just been cancelled. The weather wasn’t great in either Newark or Chicago. There was a bit of confusion about our rebooked itinerary—but in the end we made it onto a non-stop flight several hours later and considered ourselves lucky to have made it home that same day (thank you to the one agent who rebooked us with assigned seats on an oversold flight; not so many thanks to other lobby agents who appeared to have little interest in assisting us).
And that’s the end of our trip report. We want to thank everyone whose posts were instrumental in planning this trip (there are many), and we hope this is helpful to others who are visiting Crete and Santorini in the future.
Next stop: probably Indonesia or Myanmar, mid 2015.
Oct 29th, 2014, 12:09 PM
#53
>That said, we were kind of ready to move on after three days, whereas Crete had left us wanting more.
I agree. Santorini was absolutely stunning visually. But I wouldn't go back. BTDT. Chania ditto. Comfortably quaint. Done. But the rest of Crete? We just sampled southern Crete & it is a place that I could explore more.
Thanks for taking the time to write your report.
Ian
I agree. Santorini was absolutely stunning visually. But I wouldn't go back. BTDT. Chania ditto. Comfortably quaint. Done. But the rest of Crete? We just sampled southern Crete & it is a place that I could explore more.
Thanks for taking the time to write your report.
Ian
Oct 29th, 2014, 03:17 PM
#54
ms_go, I continue to enjoy your wonderful trip report to places we also have visited. Last time we were in Santorini I said I wouldn't return. We had been in Greece for two weeks prior to arriving there, enjoying Greek warmth and hospitality which we didn't experience at all on Santorini. Yes, the view is spectacular but once we'd looked at it, we were done.
A few days before we arrived the roof had collapsed at Akrotiri killing tourists. It has reopened, so we recently returned; the only reason was to see Akrotiri. I agree that it was exceptional but still didn't enjoy Santorini. However, I could return to Chania over and over and will do just that.
I can't believe that you "happened" to visit Avissinia Café in Monasteraki on a Sunday during the antiques fair. That was a recommendation our Greek friends gave us for our first trip to Athens. I can still taste those mezes! Lucky you.
A few days before we arrived the roof had collapsed at Akrotiri killing tourists. It has reopened, so we recently returned; the only reason was to see Akrotiri. I agree that it was exceptional but still didn't enjoy Santorini. However, I could return to Chania over and over and will do just that.
I can't believe that you "happened" to visit Avissinia Café in Monasteraki on a Sunday during the antiques fair. That was a recommendation our Greek friends gave us for our first trip to Athens. I can still taste those mezes! Lucky you.
Oct 30th, 2014, 06:00 AM
#55
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HT: Thanks for your kind words. We really did enjoy the food and wine at Avissinia, and enjoyed the outdoor table on a sunny day too. But the 2 hours we spent after the meal, hanging with the locals and enjoying the musical entertainment just a few yards away, was a special memory we'll never forget. A great way to end a great trip!
Oct 30th, 2014, 07:29 AM
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Ian: <i>We just sampled southern Crete & it is a place that I could explore more.</i>
This bears repeating. Staying in Crete is not like being "on an island". It's a good-sized land mass with mountains, valleys, gorges, beaches, forests, plains...and one could easily spend a month there and not sample it all. We drove around for hours and hours and never even saw the eastern half of the island!
This bears repeating. Staying in Crete is not like being "on an island". It's a good-sized land mass with mountains, valleys, gorges, beaches, forests, plains...and one could easily spend a month there and not sample it all. We drove around for hours and hours and never even saw the eastern half of the island!
Nov 5th, 2014, 05:42 PM
#58
Love the Gos' pics and report, as always!!!! Santorini has been on our list for awhile. Interesting that it's a one and done kinda place for several here. Thanks again for the excellent report.
~your southern neighbor from St Louis.
~your southern neighbor from St Louis.
Nov 6th, 2014, 05:14 AM
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Terrific Report. Fantastic Pictures. We are headed to Greece in June and I am now looking in to Crete. I have taken copious notes and will be referring to them often, I am sure. Thank you for all the information!
