ATHENS

Day 1

After only 30 minutes, we were in Athens. We had prepared for the worst, after hearing about the traffic, the taxis, the pollution and the scams. We got in a cab to Electra Palace Hotel in Plaka. The ride was smooth and the taxi driver charged us only a few euros more than what we were told by the Hotel. Perhaps that was because of the luggage. Anyway, we got to the Hotel and then to our room, the size of which we were not used to, especially after being pampered in Crete and in Santorini. It seemed that we were brought back to reality and had to accept the standard ?hotel? style, which, on the other hand, gave us all the modern facilities and amenities. One side of the hotel was still under renovation and the famous roof top swimming pool was nowhere to be seen. But we still found the hotel comfortable.

Our original plan was to go to Cape Sounion to see the famous sunset. But it was almost 5 pm and we were hungry and, on top of that, my husband was not very convinced that there would be a more beautiful sunset than the one we had seen in Santorini, so we were off to find something to eat. After eating, we were around the Plaka area and we found it totally a surprise! We were really impressed at what we saw which, with alfresco cafés and restaurants and shops (a lot of them selling Olympic souvenirs), could have been any of those European cities that we wanted to be in. We felt great there and found it much more pleasant than what we had expected. We finished our day by having a dinner at Taverna Vizantino. Food was OK but atmosphere was even better. On the way back to the hotel, we passed by a liquor store with a lot of colorful bottles. I could not help stopping and looking inside. We did not go in. But we read about it in the printouts from Matt Barrett?s website that night. The name is Brettos.

Day 2

The following morning, we were ready for the famous Acropolis and a few sights. It was not very easy to find the entrance of the Acropolis but we managed with other tourists after going around for some time. Only then were we told that there was a demonstration going on and the main entrance was blocked. We were suggested to go through the Temple of Dionysos, which we did and the walk was nice enough while the weather was not too hot. Got to the Acropolis and were happy that finally we were there. There they are - the Pantheon, which is really beautiful, and the Erechtheion, which we saw so much in postcards. And still, there is a great view of the city of Athens. After the Acropolis, we headed to the Roman Agora on the way for lunch. Passed by a lot of tavernas and cafés where local people, especially young people, gather for a drink. Had a nice but simple lunch at one of them. We also passed by other sights such as the Library of Hadrian. In the afternoon, we went to the Syntagma Square and the surrounding area for some shopping because the following day we would be occupied with our trip to Delphi. Bought a few souvenirs and enjoyed walking the Ermou which is very pleasant. We were surprised to see the number of shoe shops in this street and there were always at least 5 to 7 ladies standing in front of each of them, checking out the latest styles.

Before dinner, we went to Brettos for an ouzo, after what we read the night before. Mr Brettos is very nice and when we asked him where we could have some nice local food, he pointed us to Xinos It is a backyard restaurant, which is nothing attractive when compared with those in the main streets but it is local! We saw that most of the customers were locals who appeared to be regulars and they actually dressed up for their dinner. They went there with families or they arranged to meet friends there. Two guys play guitar and sing after 8 pm. Food was good and the atmosphere excellent and local. A good place to be for a bit of the local favour. We went back to Brettos for another drink after dinner and told Mr Brettos how much we had enjoyed it.

Day 3

This would be our last full day in Greece and we had booked George the Taxi Driver to take us for a day trip to Delphi (280 Euros). The ride was uneventful but George is friendly. After a long ride, we finally got to Delphi, which is beautiful. The setting itself is outstanding and it is not difficult why the ancient Greeks chose this place to worship their gods. George dropped us and waited for us at the entrance of the museum and we were totally on our own. The good thing was that we could see whatever we wanted at our own pace. And the bad thing was, unlike if we had joined a one-day tour, we did not have a guide that could explain to us the details and history of the place (Perhaps we should have done more homework?). We liked the place and when we finished we were taken to a restaurant in the town of Delphi for lunch. The town is pretty nice but we did not have much time to go around. It would be nice to stay for the rest of the day.

The program for our afternoon was the Osios Lucas Monastery. It is a beautiful and tranquil place that is worth a visit. We actually spent some time there walking inside and around. When we got back to the hotel, it was around 7:30 pm (not much traffic that day on the way to Athens) and we decided to drop by Brettos for a drink and then Xinos for our last dinner in Greece. Today, there were even more locals coming for dinner, perhaps because it was a Friday. We really hoped that there could be more places like Brettos and Xinos where we could enjoy a bit of the local life although we understand that we may be on the other hand ruining them.

After dinner today, we still managed to do a bit of shopping. There are some nice shops around selling hand made jewellery made by local artists. We visited a few of them and got a few nice souvenirs.

Day 4

We spent the last half a day in Athens going around some shops and doing some last minute shopping. We did not even have lunch in the city because we wanted to be sure that we would be in the airport in time and that we would not be nervous because of traffic or any unexpected events.

We had our last Greek salad in the airport before we got on the plane and leave Greece.

Warning: We have enjoyed our trip to Greece very much. We love the place. We love the people. There is not anything that we really regret doing and anywhere that we wish we did not go. There are only things that we feel we should have done but we didn't. BUT we find it addictive! We've been back for 3 weeks and somehow we still talked about Greece every day!

Did you try the "McGreek" at the airport McDonalds? (I believe it is a qrtr pounder, or maybe a Big & Tasty, wrapped in pita!) I wonder if McD will start serving these stateside.

We miss Greece too. I close my eyes and still see clearly the Caldera view in Santorini. I really miss the the cuisine. Where I live, there are no authentic Greek restaurants, outside of a couple of souvlaki/gyro joints.

Great Trip Report. I wish we had added Athens to our itinerary.

No. My husband is very much against going to McDonalds. We ate in the restaurant where you can order from the menu or you can go to the counter to order pizza, pasta or other dishes, including meat, dessert and salad. The food was not bad.

Actually we're joking that we're poisoned by the Greeks because we just could not forget about it. I actually dreamt of Santorini a couple of times in the first two weeks.

Hi,
10 years ago we ate at Xinos. We had a wonderful meal and the guitar players were there at that time also. We have been back to Athens twice, but have not gone to Xinos. Next May our son is getting married in Santorini and when we lay over in Athens we will go to Xinos again. I love your report and I still dream about the tomato salads, yogurt, the history and those views.

yipper, that's funny, isn't it? Hope you will have a great time.

Selinalei,
We are considering staying at the Nymphes Apartments in Agia Pelagia in Crete, and I was wondering whether you could give a little more info on it. I have read that staying there is absolutely wonderful, do you agree with that? Was it convenient to restaurants, markets, etc? We are considering staying there without a car - what do you think of that? I read in your report that Heraklion would have suited you just fine, but from what I've read we'd probably like something a bit quieter and relaxing than that. But we also want to use wherever we stay as a base for exploring places like Knossos, etc. Did you use the hotel to book any excursions, or anything like that? Thanks so much for any comments/suggestions you may have.

NHC,

I think Nymphes is wonderful in terms of quality of apartment and view. It is a very quiet place where you can relax and enjoy yourself.

However, I would not suggest you staying there without a car. It is basically up in a hill where there is nothing else (that's why you have a wonderful view). Even to go to the village of Agia Pelagia where the beach, supermarkets and restaurants are, it will not take less than half an hour (or 45 minutes) by walking (actually you have to go down the hill, cross the main road and go down all the way to the beach area).

In terms of excursions, we did everything by ourselves since we rented a car in Chania. Eventually you can ask the Apartment to book excursions for you. I know it does arrange excursions. But the fact that you will not be able to go anywhere unless an excursion has been arranged or a taxi has been called does not appeal very much to me, personally.

In the end, if you decide to stay there anyway, at least the Apartment does serve dinner if you request for it. Actually we had dinner there every night in our room (there is also a public area where you can join other guests) and the food is cooked the local way and the price is good (20 Euros per dinner).

Let me know if I can of any more help.

Selinalei,
Thanks so much for your response, it was very helpful. It looks like we're going to do a very similar Crete trip in terms of staying in both Chania and Agia Pelagia (I think we're going to do the Nymphes and rent a car) for around 5 days. I also think I'm going to follow your lead and just rent a car for the Agia Pelagia leg of the trip. Thanks again.