mdtravel

Oh, that's what this thread is about. Couldn't tell from the War & Peace like title.

SmileDarling

"What happens next is the most disconcerting cultural clash we've encountered in a very long time. Alex picks us up and is obviously very upset. He says that a couple from S. Korea that have been staying at the hotel have complained about the Greek food (can't imagine, but we all have our preferences). They've told the staff they had a great meal last night in the apt and that they had cat!. The staff later that day confirmed it (the details of which I won't give) but it was one of the staff's favorite pets. We've always been very receptive to cultural differences which is why we like to travel so much, but this was a little much."

OMG. This completely caught me off guard. How... horrible. Who butchers a hotel cat?? Amazing...

Anyway, great thread. Thank you for taking the time to post such an in-depth report. You've piqued my interest in Athens!

Take care.

SmileDarling

p.s. yes, the title is long but who cares? It has cities, counntry, a time period and it says "Trip Report" in it. I wouldn't say it was unclear at all.

again, nice job

dfr4848

Thanks Smile - and yes that was one bizzare experience for an otherwise wonderful vacation.

djuna

No the government does NOT put tags on the dogs and cats, nor do they spay and neuter them unless under pressure of a worldwide audience such as the one around the Olympics.
Greek pride dictated that they had BETTER show a good face, since the animal problems are so huge in Athens and if they did nothing that looked in the slightest bit humane, the world would raise a huge stink. As soon as the Olympics were over - the animals little bit of luck ran out. Even then it was discovered that several neighborhoods in Athens had their stray dogs (and some pets) poisoned just before the big 'show'.

The world should raise a huge stink anyway!

The Greek government does NOTHING for the animals. State sponsored vets (the older ones) sit around on their rears, smoking, rarely do a darn thing to help the animals and the islands are hard pressed to EVER get a visit from one of these guys.
Most of the tagging, spaying and neutering is done by Greek Animal Rescue and the independent offshoots on the islands that have sprung up from the donations of foreigners on holiday and have the attentions of foreign vets - only.
I am writing a book on this subject - have done a lot of research. Much of what I have found is exactly what Greece does NOT want tourists to know about. Greece's dark and dirty secrets (like the poisonings that still happen regularly and though there are stiff penalties against animals abuse in Greece, the municipalities and Nat'l Govt simply turn a blind eye.) and if you are a lover of Greece and a lover of animals, you may want to visit the GAR (google them) website for information regarding who to write strongly worded letters to in protest. - I am not at all affiliated with GAR or any other animal rescue org in Greece - just an animal lover and a friend of Greece who has learned for to much for my own comfort level!

CAPH52

I'm so glad you happened to mention this report, dfr! I would probably not have seen it otherwise. And I enjoyed it <i>so</I> much! Especially the food! All that and ancient history too! Sounds like a fantastic trip!

I couldn't help noticing (with some envy) how much more reasonable most of your meals were than anything we found in Ireland, Barcelona or the UK. And for such wonderful food! That alone is enough to put Greece on my wish list!

What a wonderful experience your daughter's study abroad was! I'm so glad that you and your wife were able to benefit from it too.

BTW, I loved your title! And I think you were right to put in the cat story. Though I also found your missing wallet story distressing, I think we all need to be reminded that things like that happen when you're traveling. The reminder to be cautious is important as is seeing how others deal with the situation. I'm glad to see that it didn't put too much of a damper on your trip.

So have you made that trip to the North Shore and Hudson Bay? If so, I hope there'll be a trip report!

marigross

I need to read this over the weekend!

dfr4848

CAPH 52 - thanks for reading and your kind words. Yes, we thought the food prices were quite reasonable, and certainly cheaper than most places we've been in Europe. We were pleasantly surprised by how relatively low the costs were for most things overall.

Daughter is getting ready to go back for her senior year in 3 weeks and she's already lamenting about the fact that she's not returning to Greece. Ohio will just have to do.

Still working on North Shore. Having some MIL health issues so that has diverted our attention. Will definitely do a TR if we go.

CAPH52

I'm sorry to hear about the MIL health issues. I hope she's better very soon. And that you're able to make the trip.

I was wondering how your daughter had adjusted to being back! Where does she go in Ohio? Our son seriously considered Ohio State but, as you know from my TRs, chose UW. Good luck to her with her senior year!

dfr4848

CAPH - thanks. She's going to Denison Univ in Granville so we're very familiar with the Columbus area. [BTW, DW went to school in Iowa, my mother went to U of Ill, dad went to U of Mich and I went to U of Tex, so OSU wasn't really in the running for her. ]

Kristinelaine

Some years ago (too many to count) my daughter spent her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, and then returned for her senior year at a small college in Michigan. It was a difficult adjustment for her. Hope your daughter does well with it!

dfr4848

Thanks Kristine. We imagine she'll do fine - at least she's had a few months to adjust! Now we just need another excuse to go back to Greece.

Kristinelaine

Don't wait for an excuse -- just go! We have been to Greece twice and I'm sure we could go at least once more and not even duplicate anything (except Athens, since one usually flies there!).

lincasanova

Great report.

Marsh

I am leaving for Greece next week. Did we ever find out where to get that chocolate cake? I want to know, since I am a serious "chocoholic"!

Thanks for a great report!

Marsh

brotherleelove2004

Marsh, if you're going to Santorini be sure to try the chocolate cake from Melenio in Oia. You won't be sorry......

Marsh

Thanks, Lee, for steering me toward the chocolate cake! I think I'll be able to walk off those calories in Greece. We are going to Naxos, Santorini, & Crete, plus a daytrip to Delos & Mykonos, before doing the mainland.

Bettina222

dfr,
I'm planning a 3 night stay (two full days) in Napflio in April, 2010. We (two couples) thought about renting a car and driving from Athens to Napflio. But now I'm wondering if we should use the public transportation. Did you find it relatively easy/convenient?
betty

dfr4848

Bettina - we found it incredibly easy. Buses ran often, were very clean, and never had problem buying tickets at the last minute (per our screw-up in getting to Mycenae).

The bus station in Nafplio is only a few easy-to-walk blocks from center of town. There are several bus stations in Athens, so you do have to know which one (which I can't recall at the moment). It's about a 20-25 min cab ride from center of Athens.

Obviously a car would allow you to stop in places like Corinth and to easily drive from Nafplio to, for ex, Mycenae but we thought the bus suited us well for what we wanted and eliminated any "hassles" with a rent car.

Bettina222

Thank you so much.
I'm leaning more toward that than renting a car.
We'll be coming in from Santorini to the Athens airport.
I wonder if there is a bus from there of if we have to go to the center of Athens