Back from Greece!
 

My husband and I came back from our 2-week trip to Greece (Crete, Santorini and Athens) yesterday. We had a very wonderful time and we want to thank all of you who gave us all the useful information, suggestions and tips, all of which we considered, though not all taken.

In general, we think that Greece is a wonderful country. We are really impressed with the friendliness of the people, which is something we will always remember.

We will leave some specific remarks about our trip later.

Thanks again!

I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your report. We will be doing the exact same thing starting Weds. So, I am hoping you can find the time and energy to do it soon!!

Please don't wait too long to report in. I leave on June 12th. I can't wait to hear the specifics. We will be in Athens and Santorini.

Is the National Museum in Athens open yet?

I hope you had a great time! How is Athens? Is it a nightmare like i've been told? Should I worry about getting to the airport at the end of my trip by myself? im an 18 yo solo female traveller. thanks! xo

Hi kattyfever,

I'm not Selina but I could answer your question a little. Getting between the airport and Athens city itself was a breeze using the E95 airport bus. It connects the airport right to Syntagma Square and vice versa (from the very same bus stop as it is a loop service). The busses adhere to the timing perfectly while I was there 2 weeks ago and it costs a mere 2.90 Euros which allowed us to travel on local transportation for 24 hours prior or after your airport bus trip.

The bus is just a regular bus though, so there's limited space for luggage. Do go and queue (or look out for the bus early) so you could jump in, park your luggage at the space in the middle of the bus and find a place to sit. Otherwise hanging on to your luggage while standing the 40mins or so to the airport could be quite a pain...

Selinalei, how was Santorini? Were the ruins of Akrotiri open? I had read somewhere that most were closed for renovation, to be re-opened to the public soon.

:-) That sounds funny, ruins closed for renovation!! (I know you didn't mean it that way, it just struck my funny bone) :-)

Well, It does sound strange. My bad. I should have wrote "closed for repair".

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture - Akrotiri web site states that Akrotiri had been closed to the public due to "labor and improvements of the buildings and cover", to be re-opened in Feb 2004. In a recent thread I read from a traveler that much of the site was still closed to the public. As I am traveling to Santorini in a few days, I am curious re status.

see http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21121a/e211ua08.html

Here comes the first part:

GENERAL INFORMATION

We spent two full weeks in Greece: Crete (6 nights), Santorini (5 nights) and Athens (3 nights).

In Crete, we spilt our stay between Hania (3 nights) and Agia Pelagia (3 nights).


HANIA

We arrived in Hania, our first destination, early afternoon with a connecting flight from Athens by Aegean Airline. Took a cab to the Palazzo di Pietro (http://www.palazzodipietro.com), which we booked direct and were guaranteed the best room of that price range. It turned out to be a very friendly family-run traditional lodging located in a small street that is a few minutes? walk to the harbour. The location is convenient (with tavernas, bar, laundry and internet cafés in the same street) but there is no harbour view! At that point, we were not worried with the view because we knew that we would have sea view and caldera view later in our holiday. Our room was beautifully decorated in traditional style, spacious and clean. There were a big basket of fruits and a bottle of raki produced by the owner?s family to welcome us.

We spent some time going around the harbour area for the rest of the day. Had a nice dinner at Taverna ElA, a nicely decorated open-air restaurant, with nice food and good atmosphere, although we were a bit too tired to enjoy anything on that day.

We started the following day with a nice breakfast in a café by the harbour. It?s the first time we tried the local yogurt with honey. It?s delicious! And that?s when we started feeling that we?re really on holiday. We spent the rest of the day going around the town. We also bought tickets for the hike to the famous Samaria Gorge for the next day. Had a nice seafood lunch at ESTIATOPIO by the harbour again. It was actually recommended by a guy in another restaurant who, on that day, didn?t have any seafood for us.

So, the big day came. We set out to the train station early in the morning to take the 7:30 am bus. We?re excited then. We walked slowly right from the beginning as we were warned by a lady the day before that it?s going to be difficult. We saw people walking very quickly but we also saw people looking very tired at the very early stage. We started feeling a bit uneasy a bit after halfway. There were some points that we just wished we could finish it soon but it seemed that the Gorge never ends! After quite some struggle, we finally got out of the Gorge at around 3 pm. Only then did we realize that we still had to walk another 3 km to the ferry! We caught the 4:45 pm ferry, which came late because the sea was very rough. Everyone waiting for the ferry was looking at the very blue sea with the waves coming onshore. It?s beautiful! But the waves were so big that the ferry could not come to the pier and everyone had to walk to another one at the end of the beach where the sea is calm. The ride was OK and we got off with almost everyone to take the bus back to Hania. By the time we got to the station, we could hardly walk down the stairs of the bus and it was 10 pm when we arrived at the Palazzo. Had a quick dinner in a restaurant nearby. Hardly felt much about that dinner.

We departed Hania the following day with our aching muscles. The Palazzo arranged a car for us for the rest of our stay in Crete (110 Euros for 3 days). The guy delivered the car to us and allowed us to drop it at the hotel we stayed in Agia Pelagia. Oh, we were given another bottle of raki by the Palazzo to take away as a souvenir. They are really nice people.

Luv2Travel, I am sorry I am a bit late. I am afraid I will not be able to finish it before you go.

WanderingTexan, as the other post already mentioned, the Museum is not open. We actually didn't check it out because we were happy just to hang around.

Kattyfever, JannaG already gave you the details about the bus. Now, for us, we decided to take a cab. It cost around 30 Euros including luggage. There was not even a single problem for us while we're in Athens. Everything was smooth, including the traffic and the cab drivers!

greecube, the Akrotiri is open to public but many parts are covered. No enterance fee is charged, though. We didn't exactly enjoy it.

Part II:

On the way to Agia Pelagia, where we were going to stay 3 nights, we stopped at the traditional village of Vryses for a lunch. It turned out to be one of the best meals we had. A local in the village pointed us to a restaurant called Dirogro. There were only locals in the restaurant. They looked like someone working in some offices and having their lunch break. We immediately thought that the food must be good. And we were right. An added surprise was the price. We paid 18 Euros for 2 persons for a Greek salad and two main dishes (broad beans and rabbit) with wine, soft drink and coffee. We were very satisfied with our choice and were ready for the rest of the drive.

Got to the Nymphes Luxury Apartments (http://www.nymphes-apts.gr) in Agia Pelagia in the afternoon, after having a short stop at Rethymno. We used it as a base to explore Heraklion and the Palace of Knossos. We were there also because we had to take a hydrofoil to Santorini from Heraklion later. The Apartments are up on a hill and therefore have a great view over the village of Agia Pelagia and the sea. Our apartment was spotless and very comfortable. Here, we had a wonderful view from our terrace, where we sat a lot to recover from our adventure to the Samaria Gorge.

Early next morning, my husband woke me up and asked me to go to the terrace. I didn?t understand why until I saw that beautiful sunrise. After breakfast, we went to the village of Agia Pelagia to have a look and to buy a few things. We were not especially impressed with the beach or the shops there, although the beach and the bay look much better from the Apartments. Then we drove to Heraklion. We walked around the shops and had a nice lunch by the seaside in Taverna Kastella, which serves good fish. We felt good in this city and would not have any regret if we had chosen to stay here as our base but we were also happy in Nymphes. We wanted to buy a few souvenirs after lunch but realized that the shops were closing and would not open until the following day. Only then, we found out that we overlooked their business hours, which is actually mentioned in our guidebook. OK then, we did a bit of window-shopping and went back to our apartment and had some drinks with the sea view! Luckily the Apartments served us dinner with local dishes, which were good and saved us the trouble of the need of going out every evening.

The following morning, we?re off to Knossos. We hired a guide at the entrance at 10 Euros per head. And luckily we did it because it helped us to make more sense of the place. It was a very sunny day but in Knossos it was very windy and every now and then the wind brought up all the sand. We actually enjoyed our visit there. When we finished, it?s lunch time, so, we went back to Taverna Kastella for our fish by the seaside. Today, we managed to do a bit of shopping too.

We had asked the Apartments to arrange a taxi to pick us up the next morning to catch the 9:15 am hydrofoil to Santorini. I was not sure why the taxi had to pick us up at 8 am when all it took was 30 minutes until we got to the pier and saw a line of people. It took us a bit more than 2 hours to get to Santorini after a lot of struggle because the sea was rough and a lot of people on the hydrofoil were not well. We saw a guy feeling sick right from the beginning and did not get any better during the whole trip. We were not very well too and the view of Santorini really gave us some relief.

Thanks for posting, although I read with mixed feelings as I want to BE THERE!

Vera

Sorry, it was at the bus station that we picked up the 7:30 am bus to the Gorge (not train station).

Hi,
I hope this does not show up twice. I hit some button and something happened and I had to start again. anyway, I love your report. Keep it coming. I am planning a trip to crete and snatoini for may of 2005. I have already decided not to walk the samaria gorge. I have heard it is a long day and not for me. Give us more info. Thanks

Akrotiri was closed a month ago, apparantly the heavy rains that they had at the end of winter caused all sorts of damage to the site and the roof covering it. A bit disappointing at the time, we made up for it by having a picnic on the red beach . A bit of a hike but sheltered and very pretty.

Selinalei, clarification please. Was Akrotiri "covered" as in roof over the ruins, or were important structures covered with tarp or something like that.

BTW, I like your reports. We leave for Crete and Santorini really soon, and hope to have as half as much fun as it appears that you did.

Thanks for all the encouragement. I will have the other parts soon.

greecube, I am afraid that the Akrotiri was covered in roof as well as in tarp in some areas (at least when we were there).

Sorry for the delay. My computer had a crash.

SANTORINI

Day 1

When we got off from the hydrofoil, a guy was already waiting for us with my husband's name to take us to Astra Apartments with two other couples. We were trying to remember the way for some orientation. One couple dropped off somewhere after Fira and was pointed to a small road. Obviously, nobody from the hotel they booked came to help them and my husband was getting a bit worried with our luggage and the we-did-not-know-how-many stairs.

The other couple dropped off with us in a square. Luckily, we were greeted by some staff of Astra, who helpfully carried all our luggage. It was a relief for my husband.

After checking in, we were shown to our superior apartment (No. 9). We found it very spacious, cute and very colorful. We were happy with it.

After settling ourselves and getting some information from the reception, we started walking from Astra to Fira by the caldera. It was a very scenic route and we could not help stopping here and there to take pictures and look back at the way we came from. We stopped on the way to have lunch at Taverna Skaros, which is in our guidebook and recommended by a lot of people, including Astra. Nice fish soup and octopus, especially after a difficult boat ride in the morning. And Santorini prices. Well, it was time to get used to it. We went on with our walk to Fira and it was funny to see all those hotels that we had researched on the Internet for months on the way. After all, they are not so far away from each other and they all look great from the outside. Got to Fira, with shops and restaurants all over but not too many people and tourists yet. We spent some time strolling around Fira, looking at a few shops, taking some pictures and enjoying the atmosphere.

We took a cab to get back to Astra (4 Euros) in the evening and had a light dinner in our apartment.

Day 2

We decided the day before that we would go to Oia today. So, after a good breakfast at Astra, we headed to the bus stop (around 10 minutes' walk from Astra) to take a bus to Oia (0.90 Euros per way). It was our first time to take a bus in Greece. We did not even have a seat and we were actually standing on the stairs at the entrance because the bus was already full. But it was very scenic and interesting.

We spent our day in Oia, just walking around the small streets, looking at the little cave houses and the blue sea. All the time, I could not stop asking my husband: ?Isn?t it beautiful??

There are some quality shops, selling designer items and beautiful art pieces. We just wished we could buy a piece or two but they are pricey and difficult to carry. Eventually we could buy them and ship them home but we did not.

We had a nice coffee just before we walked down to Ammoudi Port to have some fresh fish at Taverna Katina. Actually there are quite a few tavernas there but Katina was the one recommended and it was the only one with some customers. We got a table on the second row and ordered some salad, calamari and fish. The salad and calamari were nice. One of the fishes was good but the other was only OK. We enjoyed sitting there, looking at the bay and taking our time.

My husband could not bear the idea of walking up 300 steps to Oia after lunch, so we asked the Taverna to get us a cab to take us up to the bus stop to continue our day in Oia. That was the first time we had to share a cab with someone else (although we heard about it before) but we did not mind. While we were waiting for the other customer, which turned out to be a local lady, the cab driver confirmed us that Taverna Katina is the place to eat in Ammoudi.

Back to Oia, we passed by the famous 1800 and were not specially impressed with the location and wondered why it is so famous. Bought a beautiful handmade silver necklace from a German lady who owns a shop in Oia and had a nice talk with her.

We took the 4:20 bus to get back to Astra to see the sunset from our balcony. It was beautiful.

We went to Taverna Imerovigli, which is opposite to Taverna Skaros, to have a dinner. When we got there, it was almost full but we managed to get a small table. My husband enjoyed very much the lamb there while I had some pasta because I was already a bit tired of lamb and squid and octopus.

It was a very nice day.

Yeah, we walked past 1800 which was getting a lick of paint at the time and was not open for business. The restaurant up the road on the corner (can't remember the name") had a really clever combination of foods on the menu.

Selinalei, keep up the good reporting! I'm enjoying this so much........ I want to definitely visit Greece someday (ever since seeing "Shirley Valentine")....... and I'm going to save this report of yours!

Thanks from me as well, selinalei. Crete is on my someday list, and you are making Santorini sound like more than a tourist trap, so it is beginning to tempt me.

Bonnie, you make me smile. When I'm remembering my youth, I watch "The MoonSpinners"; when I am peaceful in my skin, I watch "Shirley Valentine". Any other suggestsions? J.

jmw44, when I think "SUMMER" I think of Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue in the one, set on the water, with the beautiful song "Theme from a Summer Place".......... Was that the name of the movie, too? Dorothy Malone was her mother and it was so shocking for the time!;-)

Oh Bonnie (apologies to selina), we're digressing here, but what about Al Di La from Rome Adventure? But back to Greece, can you think of others? I watched Never On Sunday just two nights ago, but it's not dreamy enough for this sentimental, romantic old biddy. J.

JMW44-

Try renting "Summer Lovers" if you want to see Oia and other areas of Santorini in a 'nostalgic romp'.

Thank you! and thanks again, Selina, for giving us the opportunity to anticipate a visit as marvelous as yours. J.

Regarding the National Archaeological Museum, I recently e-mailed them through their web page link (http://www.culture.gr/2/21/214/21405m/e21405m1.html) and received a following response on May 18, 2004 from Dr. Nikolaos Kaltsas, the Director, who wrote that the Museum's opening "is scheduled for June 16th, 2004."

This is very fun to read. I have stayed at Astra Apartments myself and absolutely loved it.

I also just have to say that we ate at 1800 and although I didn't know that it was "famous" (never heard of it unitl hotel owner George recommended it, and not since!) the food was just amazing, and I also really loved the atmosphere. It was one of my most memorable dining experiences. I should also add that when my husband I travel, we don't usually eat at "pricier" places, but it was our honeymoon :)

Can't wait to hear the rest of your report!

I can't remember for sure, but doesn't the "1800" also have a rooftop dining area with a view out to the caldera?

Day 3

We woke up early this morning.

We took our time organizing a few things and when we wanted to get ready for the day, there was a sudden failure of electricity and water. So, we spent our time sitting in our balcony and enjoying the tranquility until the staff brought us our breakfast. Only then did we realize that it was not a problem of Astra but a problem of the whole island. He told us that this happened about once a month but usually lasted only a short time. He assured us that we would have electricity and water in half an hour. And it was true.

Because of the failure, everything was a bit delayed. We were supposed to pick up a rental car at 9:30, as arranged the day before by Astra (110 Euros for 3 days) but the rental car guy could only show up at 10:00. But that was not a problem for us and the guy is very nice and friendly.

Our first stop was Akrotiri. We thought we would spend some time there but it turned out that we did not. We did not exactly like it because we could not figure out most of the excavations, a lot of which were covered by some kinds of tarp. No entrance fee was required, though.

We then headed to the Red Beach and the Perissa Beach, which is really a very long one. We also stopped at the traditional village of Megalohori. We passed by the village square/center and then we came across the famous Vedema Hotel. The Hotel looks great from the outside and we are sure that it is also good inside and offers good services. It is just difficult to imagine giving up the caldera view with that price, at least it is difficult for us and for the first time to Santorini. On the way out of the village, we took a difficult way, without realizing it, but saw some cave churches which look interesting.

We drove back to Fira, hoping to get some lunch. Just by coincidence, we met the rental car guy. He told us that he just finished lunch and was going for a swim. What a good life! He recommended us to go to a restaurant called Sphinx. We got there and were the only customers in the restaurant, perhaps because it was already a bit late for lunch. The restaurant is very nice, decorated in pink, with a good view of the caldera. The food was also very good and very well-presented. So was the service. We were very happy with our lunch, although we found it a bit expensive.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Fira, just wandering around, having a coffee here and there and looking at shops. We went to have dinner in the famous Nicolas. We were lucky enough to get the last table available, although we saw people coming and going very quickly, meaning it would not take long to wait for a table. Very good atmosphere and good food.


Day 4

This morning, we drove to another traditional village: Pyrgos. It is an interesting village with a lot of small connecting cobblestone streets leading up to the top of the village, which offers a good view of the island. For sure, it is no secret that it is interesting as there were a lot of tourists there.

We also went back to the village of Megalohori because we wanted to take some pictures of those cave churches we saw yesterday. We were actually surprised at how many churches there are in such a small village. We stopped at the village center and had a lunch at a restaurant there. The lunch was nice and the people very friendly. And, today, we managed to get out of the village the ?correct? way.

Today, we spent most of our time, driving around the island. We went to the very tip of the island, near the lighthouse to have a different view of Santorini. But almost wherever we went, we just could not deny that the island is stunningly beautiful.

In late afternoon, we went to the other tip, Oia, and waited to see the famous sunset. While we were at the famous sunset spot in Oia, there was a TV team taking some kind of soap opera and it was funny to see them, although they somehow spoiled the romance of the sunset. But no matter what was going on, the sunset was very beautiful, with the background of the small white houses and the windmill. It was just spectacular! We had dinner at 1800, expecting a romantic time after the sunset (which was also meant to be romantic). Instead of romance, we had another funny encounter ? we were dining indoors quietly and calmly until a cat decidedly to walk in! Some customers started feeding it and it brought two more friends in. The three cats kept on coming in and out of our 25-square meter dining room. It was not what we had expected but it is something we will remember!

bonnieboard and jmw44, thanks. I am sure you will enjoy Greece as much as we did.

We were not trying to make Santorini more important than other places. When we started the report, we wanted to make it short (some kinds of note) but in the end, we found that we're missing out a lot of funny stuff (at least for us). So, when it came to the part of Santorini, we elaborated a bit.

We loved the diversity of Crete as well as the uniqueness of Santorini. They are just amazing. Although we were having some difficult time in Samaria Gorge, we still enjoy remembering it as something that we have accomplished and something that we will always remember.

brotherleelove, I am not sure if there is a roof top area in 1800 but we did not see it. We have to say that the food and the service were good when we were there (except for the cats).

We just had dinner at 1800 last Friday. The cats were the highlight of our dinner. The weather was just right, so the doors and windows were open to let in the soft sea breeze (and allowed for easy entrance). The maitre'D would shoo them out (the cats), and 2 minutes later they would sneak back in. She said that they were strays and the restaurant usually fed them a meal at closing time. I am afraid to say that we were one of the diners feeding the cats. We found that they like brie but not proscuitto. Finnicky cats...

You should see those cats by the end of September, all fat and sassy from so many the handouts!

This makes me feel somwhat better re: stray animals in Greece - see my other post "Help - stray animals". So thanks you for your unwitting reassurance about the cats.

Maybe now I can relax a bit and look forward to my trip...

I'm not going for a couple more months but will try to post a report upon return. As a newbie, though, I'm not sure mine will be up to the standard of the many excellent trip reports on this very helpful site.

Day 5

It was our last full day in Santorini. It was also our anniversary for which this holiday to Greece was planned. This morning, we were greeted by rain! Not too bad. At least we could see Santorini with rain once during our stay.

After breakfast, we set out to Ancient Thira. But my husband turned back the car without saying a word once he saw the zigzag road leading up to the hill! He was afraid it would be like Akrotiri. I did not insist. After all, we were there to enjoy ourselves and we could easily enjoy ourselves in different ways. We stopped at Kamari Beach. But we were not very impressed. Actually we could not imagine ourselves staying on a beach with rocks but it must be popular in summer; otherwise, there would not be so many restaurants and shops around.

We went to Fira again. Took the cable car (3.5 Euros per way) to the port. No one was queuing for the tickets. Good. In a few minutes, we were there. We spent some time there. Bought a t-shirt and two CDs with the music of the tavernas. Our original plan was to take a donkey up but we realized that it would take us an hour or so to get there under the sun. In the end, we went up with the cable car. When we got back to the station up in Oia, we saw more than 100 people queuing to buy tickets to go to the port! We were happy that we went a bit earlier because we would not have the patience to wait with 100 people. We went around Fira and saw a lot of tourists today. We guessed they were from the cruise ships that we saw in the morning. And we could easily imagine how life would be in a few weeks when all the streets, restaurants and shops are full of tourists. We also dropped by a shop where we bought a few hand-painted magnets with Santorini images last time when we were in Fira. When we were there last time, the one in the shop was a lovely lady who told us that her family is running the shop and that she was born in Santorini which she called ?my Santorini?. She is really proud of the place. This time, it was her brother in the shop who was equally friendly and gave us good prices.

We got back to Astra for a rest before we headed to Selene for our last and special dinner in Santorini. We went there with some expectation, of course, because a lot of people have enjoyed the restaurant and highly recommended it. But we did not! At least not in the way we had expected it to be! When we were there, services were not good. Staff were new and inexperienced, mixing up orders of different tables. The food was OK but not outstanding. The view was obstructed (we are not sure if it would be better to be on the upper level but it was not open). Nevertheless, we took it the humorous way and had a lot of laughs throughout the dinner. We think that Sphinx is a much better restaurant with that price range. But it was fun and it is an experience to remember.


Day 6

Our last breakfast at our balcony in Santorini finally came, still with the fresh orange juice that we loved every morning. The whole morning, I just could not stop going to the balcony to look at the blue sea and blue sky with the white houses hanging on the cliff. We had enjoyed every minute of our stay on Santorini. Perhaps it was exactly because we had enjoyed ourselves so much that we should not have any regret leaving it. We were ready for Athens then.

greecube, you already came back? How long did you stay in Greece?

taggie, I read your post just a minute ago. During our stay in Greece, we came across a lot of cats but did not exactly see any poor ones.

Of course, I made a mistake: it was the cable car station in Fira (not Oia).

Salinalei, I, my wife, and our 19 year old daughter and 9 year old son just returned from our family vacation from Greece (although some of the Cretins we met would probably prefer that I say "from Greece and Crete"). We arrived in Crete the evening of Saturday, May 29th, ventured to Santorini on Wednesday, June 2nd, and returned Sunday, June 6th. If we ever get around to it, we will probably write a trip report as rich in detail as yours.

Our base in Crete was the Palazzo Vecchio in Rethymno, in the "old town" across the street from the Fortezza Venezia and about 4 blocks south of the harbor, shopping district and crowds. It was peaceful and quiet. The P.V. is a renovated Venetian palazzo. I would describe it as a B&B with about 10 apartments, small courtyard and swimming pool inlaid with Venetian glass tile. It also has a small bar. The rooms were well appointed and very clean, but my son was disappointed that the pool was undergoing repairs during our stay. Hotel service was excellent and the staff kind and generous. Highlights of Crete include the Palace of Knossos, the Archeological Museum in Heraklion, and driving through the interior south of Rethymno to the southern shore in Plakias, visiting the villages along the way. (My wife would add shopping to this list; it was difficult for her to pass up the exquisite gold and silver jewelry crafted by the Cretin artisans). We did not have time to visit Chania, though, or the east coast. If in Rethymno for dinner, I highly recommend Restaurant Avli. Its list of traditional Cretin food and wine is extensive, and everything we ordered was tasty indeed.

In Santorini, we stayed at Dana Villas in Firastephani. I did post a review of Dana Villas elsewhere on the board. In short, a well-run and splendid establishment. Lots of stairs to navigate, but well worth it for the caldera view. If in Firastephani for dinner I'd recommend Vanillas Restaurant. We also ate at Selenes in Fira, and 1800 and Oia Café in Oia. I'd put 1800 at the bottom of this list, perhaps because it did not live up to my high expectations. I really enjoyed Vanillas and Selenes. Highlights of Santorini would include hanging out in Fira and Oia, and the half-day boat trip to the volcano island and "hot springs" with the kids (although the sea water temperature was so cool, that it was more like swimming in the "tepid springs"). (Once again, at least two in my family would add shopping to the highlight list; my son would added swimming off the beach in Perissa). My wife being an archeology enthusiast, we took the bus one afternoon to ancient Akrotiri despite my warning that I heard that much was closed to the public. True to your previous report, it took only five minutes to tour the site, since much (in my opinion, 95% was inaccessible) was barricaded due to construction of a new roof barrier, and nearly every structure covered in tarp and/or scaffolding. My wife was in awe anyway. My guess is that in about 30 years, the place will look as spiffy as Pompeii. Anyhoo, waiting for the return bus was not so bad, since there was a nice outdoor taverna down the road next to the beach where one could sit and sip retsina while waiting for the bus...

I look forward to the rest of your report about Athens.

greecube, thanks for sharing. I will work on the parts of Athens.