Just got back from our trip, stayed in the Hotel Pomezia in Rome. It was a good price,for 4 it cost 140E including breakfast. Clean, helpful staff ( reminded me of Fawlty Towers), no elevator or A/C. Don't stay in Rome in June without A/C! Excellent location, very near Campo de Fiori. Excellent gelateria on the Campo, 1.50E for a large cone. It seemed that nobody ever time stamped their bus tickets and we never saw any policing of this. We found a taxi service to take us back to the airport for 31E ( four people) so take the train into Rome, use the service back to the airport.
We spent three days in Athens and I recommend not going there till after the Olympics next year everyhting seems to be under construction and covered with a layer of concrete dust but the Acropolis is perhaps the most inspiring, impressive and beautiful site (sight) I have ever seen, particularily lit up at night!
We also spent 7 days in Crete and tried to see everythng, impossible to do, can't drive more than 50 km per hour. The new National route was blocked at one point by goats. Crete is spectacular, mountains , gorges, beaches, caves, archaelogical sites and people. Great food and free raki at most restaurants after meals.
One last observation, European woman and men seem more fashionable and well dressed than U.S. While in Europe,I thought about this and I believe that the single biggest reason is that they are not anywhere near as overweight as us and therefore no matter what they wear they look better.
I'm looking forward to planning next years trip, the planning is part of the fun!

DougP

Thanks for the update, and I was glad to hear your trip went well. I agree with you 100%, the planning is part of the fun, and you can never start too early (I already booked next February's trip and have one in November).

One statement/question. I was looking at Greece for the first part of '04, but was told by a couple of different Greek travel agencies that they were unable to book hotel rooms at any point in '04 until after the Athens Olympic Committee releases the rooms. Did you hear anything about this while there? I know a year away you would not have run into any hotel difficulty, but I am curious when they will start limiting "the public's" ability to book hotel rooms.

I have heard nothing about booking hotels in Greece in 04 but my recommendation about not going till after the Olympics still stands, many museums are closed for refurbishing and costruction is going on everywhere. While touring the Venetian fort at Rethymno in Crete there was construction in advance of expected increased tourism.

Did you get any idea of when the musuems would open back up? We were thinking of going to Greece in May 2004.

Thanks for the report. I would agree that people in Europe tend to be better dressed and not as overweight. Although, I don't agree they are related. I do find their sense of fashion enspiring though. Thanks again for the report.

The Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens is closed until April, 2004, IF it reopens on schedule!