Hi all,

We debarked from the Prinsendam at about 08:30 in the Port of Piraeus. Fifteen (count 'em, 150 cruise ships docked there. We were about 15 min early at the rendezvous point and the cab was about 15 min late, but the other drivers were very helpful in getting in touch with one of the myriad Pauls of www.greektaxi.gr and keeping us apprised of his ETA.

Soon we were in Athens (35E) at the Hotel Adrian (www.douros-hotels.com).

The Adrian is a small, pleasant hotel (which could use a bit of TLC) situated on the Plateia Agora. We would stay there again.

Our rm (102) had a balcony facing Adrianou overlooking the square. Very nice for happy-hour people watching. We had AC, TV, fridge and an ensuite bath in its own room. There are also old-fashioned louvered doors that can be opened to let breezes through.

The number one attraction is the rooftop garden, where one can have breakfast (fruits, meets, cheeses, pastries, breads, rolls, cereals, juices, still and fizzy water, jams, honey and YOGURT) under the benign eye of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis.

[A digression on Greek Yogurt. It is not only very, very good (and good for you), it is very different from other yogurts. We brought some home in order to make more, and found that the Greek yogurt will form threads (indicating a different chemistry) that products made in the US (even if they say "Greek yogurt") don't do. I made 3 quarts from one 5 oz jar, and it turned out just like in Greece.]

In the early afternoon, we took a ride on one of the trains that take tourists around the central district, had lunch, wandered a bit, had dinner, watched the street close down and went to bed.

Next day, we visited the Acropolis. It is a 10-15 min walk from the hotel to the North entrance.

Keep in mind, the Acropolis is the top of a very high hill. There is a lot of climbing.

We happened to choose a particularly windy day. (OTOH, it might always be that windy, but the locals tell you that "it is unseasonably windy today".) The gov't is in the midst of restoring the Acropolis to what it was before the Parthenon blew up. As far as I could see (with my semi-trained conservator's eye) they are doing a good, careful job of it.

The didactic material says that the enhancement of the Acropolis began about 500 BC and that the arrangement of buildings as we now think of it was completed prior to the creation of the Byzantine Empire - about 1500 years. I guess that it won't take more than 300 years, using modern equipment, to restore it.

We retreated from the Acropolis to visit the newly completed Acropolis Museum. This is where Greece will care for the Elgin Marbles when they are returned. The displays are interesting, providing information on the history of the site, as well as original sculptures.

We didn't have enough time to visit the Archaeological museum

Restaurants: There are so many within a 5 min walk of the hotel that we just stopped at whatever looked good.

Ydria, (outdoors on the square), lunch of bread, cheese, olives, tzatziki, house salad, wine. All VG - 21 E.

Hermion - a pleasant place with an enclosed garden.
House special - Salad, moussaka, dessert, coffee. Very nice - 17E

Taramasalata - VVG - quite different from what is available in jars in the US. Very light and pleasant.
Meze - 1 stuffed grape leaf (meat minced, not ground, fresh mint, fresh leaf) - VVG; fish cake - OK; fried Zucchini patty - VG; spanikopita - OK
Mixed Grill - Lamb chop - VVG; sausage - VG; pork beef, chicken - OK

1 bottle of Retsina, 1 glass of house red, coffee - 85E total w/tip

Terina - Nice room, pleasant staff, dull menu.
However - They know how to grill.

2 Manhattans, tapenada (Dakos from Crete), grilled pita, mixed grill, bottle of white wine from Crete. Plenty for 2 people - 75E with tip.

Gift of a fudge brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce with the coffee.

And so to bed.

Next up: Paris

((I))


Mythos beer was quite good.

Thanks. I will be taking Jerusalem off my bucket list. If Kusadasi seemed less touristy, I absolutely don't want to be anywhere more touristy. Yikes!

Hi Otzi,

Unless you have a major religious or cultural interest for visiting Jerusalem. I wouldn't recommend bothering.

((I))

Ira, great information, and nicely-worded. I'm very much enjoying reading about your trip, thank you.

BC

Thanks, BC.
................................................

Something that I forgot to report:

In Kusadisi and Ephesus we saw signs advertising, and vendors offering, "Genuine Imitation Watches".

((I))

'In Kusadisi and Ephesus we saw signs advertising, and vendors offering, "Genuine Imitation Watches".'

Sorry but I have to disagree with you here. I was in Selcuk and Kussadasi in October and the sign was - Genuine FAKE Watches!!!

I have photographs to prove it.

Loving your report.

"genuine fake watches"--wonderful oxymoron!

Thanks for your report, Ira!

Hi Cambe,

Correction noted.

The physical universe is interfering with my life in cyberspace.

I'll be back as soon and as often as I can.

((I))

Hi all,

Arrived CDG T1 from Athens with no difficulty.
exited plane. Followed sign <--- to baggage claim. Agent standing at door pointing -->. Went Right. Went Left. Went Left.

Arrived at other side of door.

Found baggage claim. While waiting for suitcases needed to use men's room. Followed sign. Went Left. Went left. Went left. Arrived at men's room about 40 ft from where started.

Followed signs to taxis. We started at six o'clock and went counter clockwise until we reached 4 o'clock.

Stood on line for cab.

Single gentleman with briefcase: Nine-passenger VW.

Couple with one large suitcase. Benz.

Us with 2 large and 2 small suitcases. Honda.
Eventually the driver did manage to get us all into the car.

Single woman behind us with one suitcase. Benz.

I can only assume that the French still hate Americans.

Being smart enough to arrange the itinerary so that we arrived in Paris at 6:30 PM on the night before a major holiday - Armistice Day - I was pleased to see that the traffic was no worse than Atlanta at rush hour and cost only 80E (with tip). Fortunately, being in the top 1% of all of the passengers in the cab, I could afford it. (A Zoloft helped, too)

After being warmly greeted by the staff at the Bonaparte, stowing the luggage and freshening up, we toddled around to the restos around the Rue Guissard, only to find them overflowing with mobs of thirty-somethings. Dang, we have been discovered big time.

Had moules-frites at Leon de Bruxxeles before returning to hotel and sacking out.

Nov 11. Cloudy, chilly, rainy. Lady Wife has developed a cough. Fortunately there are open pharmacies.

Visited the Branly. Very well designed exhibit space. Very good displays. Worth the price of admission.

Walked around to the rue Bourdonaise where we found a table at the "Boulangerie Patissiere de la Tour Eiffel" for a couple of pick me ups opposite the ET. The cafe is opposite a street that aims directly at the tower. Excellent view. "très français".

With no doubt, at the direction of a committee of beaurocrats (each of whom stamped, signed and filed several copies of the paper work), a small billboard was erected directly in front of the view.

Anyway, as the deep purple fell over the town, the ET went into blinky light mode. This was a good complement to the "Baba Bling" exhibit at the Branly.

Birthday dinner for me at Le Florimond.

Amuse bouche: tiny cups of sweet potato/squash cream soup with <i>crème fraiche</i>

Roberta had terrine of wild duck, St Jacques (with tiny veggies and a crispy, crunchy chapeau), millefeuille - All VVG.

Dessert was something of a surprise. See http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP...de_France.html

I had Grandma's stuffed cabbage (heavenly) and a dessert of <l>chocoquilot (sp) de langues de chat</i>. No, this is not made from little cat tongues.

with wine, coffee and tip 100E.

Nov. 12 Cold, chill, rainy, windy and Roberta as a cold.

Stopped off at the market at Boul Raspail and rue Rennes. Yum. At 1E = $1.38 there were no bargains.

Lunch at Cafe de Metro (opposite St Sulpice). VG onion soup for Roberta and a very suggestive andouillete for me.

Activate Plan B - visit to the Pompidou.

We are not fans of "contemporary" art. However, in the vast reaches of the museum we knew that we would find something.

We found 2 very nice works by Matisse, 1 by Dali, a sculpture by Brancusi, and 1 I have forgotten. Not bad for a day's work.

Dinner at Relaise de L'Isle. Thanks to all who recommended it.

This is a tiny room - 8 tables downstairs and 3 up. It is furnished in a blend of contemporary and traditional. Live piano Fris, Sat and Sun eve. We arrived, with reservations, at 7:45 PM. By 8:15 it was full.

The waitress is a pleasant, friendly, perky little woman

This is not a fast-food place. Fish is caught to order.

Dorade and salmon - both perfectly prepared and beautifully presented.
One vegetarian menu - 27E
One Gourmand menu - 36E
With water. wine, coffee and a tip - 105 E.

The dessert looked so good that I broke a rule and took pictures of the food. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/56463357@N04/?saved=1

11/13 Still drizzly, cloudy and chilly.

Visit to the Monet exhibit at the Grand Palais. Stood in line for a long time. Worth every second of the wait. Highly recommended.

Tip: Buy the France 1500/Monet combination ticket at the France 1500 exhibition. You can then walk around to the entrance to the Monet exhibit without waiting on line.

Dinner at a local place.

11/14 Flew home.

NOTES:

There is now an Amorino on rue Guissard.

The macarons at Pierre Herme and at Laduree are not what they used to be.

You get better food on Delta if you fly from CDG to ATL compared to vv.

((I))

Fun, ira.

That millefeuille looks like a logistical and etiquittal challenge but very yummy.

Thank you, Ira, I continue to enjoy your report.

Stokebailey, that's what I thought, too, when I saw the photo! I'd have been afraid to touch it!

BC

Hi Ira, are you going to write a report on your cruise?

I always find you reports very interesting as you report the good and the not so good. I would be very interested to read your impressions on cruising as I will be taking my first cruise and following a similar itinerary to yourself.

Ira: whats the link for the cruise? I am interested in Alexandria, Just back myself from 3 weeks in Sudan\Egypt\Cairo but want to go back because know we know they lay of the land we want to do some things we missed and Alexandria was one of them

Dear Ira,

As always, I enjoyed your report on your travels with a good bent toward what you ate.

Rome is much nicer when you are not in tourist mode. My first trip was 8 days of tiring, hot touring and I can't say I loved the city although I learned a lot - and made my kids learn probably more than they wanted to! Second time I just spent three days roaming, eating and drinking and it was a lot nicer. I also thought I would find the Trevi Fountain over rated but actually really loved it and went back a few times to see it in day and night light.

I also love Greek yogurt and actually am finding a hard time getting back into American yogurt of any sort after Switzerland which offered great yogurt as well. I don't have your love of time in the kitchen to attempt making my own.

I just missed you and your Lady Wife as I was in Paris Oct 30 - Nov 10. I even walked over to Pierre Herme and thought about you and your favorite hotel. I loved the Monet exhibit as well - seeing the various studies grouped together was really something - probably once in a lifetime for us to actually see them together.

My husband and I went to Greece for 2 weeks for our honeymoon and visited many of the same spots. Funny, the Acropolis was under construction 23 years ago too.

Happy Birthday to you both and best wishes for a healthy year with more travels and more great reports for us to read.

gruezi

Hi Cam,

>are you going to write a report on your cruise?

Yup
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Hi JH

>whats the link for the cruise?

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-c...24A712B0E782B7
.................................................. .
Hi Gru,

So near and yet so far. :)

>I loved the Monet exhibit as well - seeing the various studies grouped together was really something - probably once in a lifetime for us to actually see them together.

Agreed.

((I))

thanks I meant the link to the Cruise Critic report I want to read about alexandria. While I like to cruise for me being single its to costly having to pay for two and eating for one <G>

Hi JH,

>I meant the link to the Cruise Critic report ...<

Sorry, haven't gotten to it yet.

((I))

ok well when you do post the link......