Live ( almost) report from Greece!
Oct 15th, 2014, 08:35 PM
#21
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Mariha, the unremarkable restaurant I referred to is Gargantouas. We didn't order lamb chops and that's probably why we found our meal unremarkable. We ordered souvlaki, grilled feta cheese and Greek salad. The food isn't bad, it was just ok. We did notice however, that the tables nearby ordered lamb chops. To Patriko Mas was good though.
Today, we ate very well in Meteora at Promethi for dinner and Paradiso for lunch. Both were recommended by our host at Dellas Hotel. The grilled bass and trout were both very good at Promethi.
Greektraveller, we passed Ermioni on our way to Hydra a few days ago, we need to check that town out next time and there will definitely be a next time for us in Greece. We plan to come back next year to
visit the Mani peninsula and more small towns in the Peloponnese.
Today, we ate very well in Meteora at Promethi for dinner and Paradiso for lunch. Both were recommended by our host at Dellas Hotel. The grilled bass and trout were both very good at Promethi.
Greektraveller, we passed Ermioni on our way to Hydra a few days ago, we need to check that town out next time and there will definitely be a next time for us in Greece. We plan to come back next year to
visit the Mani peninsula and more small towns in the Peloponnese.
Oct 16th, 2014, 07:33 AM
#24
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Mariha, you are something else, indeed! Always providing insights we would not have, with our feeble knowledge of Greek. Fairy tale! It reminds me of a night in Chania, when we asked our landlady for a good small place for dinner ... she sent us off to a tiny place on Dailiana ... superb food, all mezedes... it was called Oneiro-Dromio = Street of Dreams (!).
PS: Coming back to Greece next May-June, hope to see you!! --TJ
PS: Coming back to Greece next May-June, hope to see you!! --TJ
Oct 16th, 2014, 09:51 PM
#25
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Meteora:
- the drive from Delphi to Meteora took 5 hours with a couple of pit stops- one for coffee and another for gas and bathroom. we were on the national highway until Larissa, then E952 from Larissa to Kalambaka where we will be staying for 3 nights at Dellas Hotel. Again, the drive was an easy one as the roads were well paved and well marked and nearly empty. There were a few turns but not the gnarly, hairpin kind.
- we are very pleased with Dellas Hotel. The hotel is only about 4 years old so the rooms and common areas are in very good condition. The location is also very good- just at the foot of the uphill road leading to the monasteries but away from the main drag of souvenir shops and restaurants.
- we went to 3 monasteries on our first full day - the Church of Transfiguration/Metamorphosis ( the biggest and most interesting, imo ), Varlaam ( second most interesting, imo ) and St Stefanos (a nunnery) Each monastery charged an entrance of €3 per person. If I were to go to just one, I would go to the Transfiguration since it is the most complete for the casual visitor. You can tour the kitchen ( not the actual one in use ), cellar, infirmary and of course the big church. On our second day, we visited the Rosannou, The small nunnery that has a cable car which is now only used for transporting supplies and goods.
- I would highly recommend buying the €4 colored guidebook on Meteora and its monasteries as there are no leaflets or handouts at the monastery. Our hotel gave us a loaner but I ended up buying my own as a souvenir. It's sold everywhere and in the monasteries' gift shops,
- the souvenir stands outside the monasteries tend to have better prices than the shops in town, based on my random inquiry on the prices of some items I was interested to buy. I did end up buying a few souvenirs and small presents for friends and family here.
- we ate twice at Palamithi as recommended by Apostolia, our charming front desk host at the hotel who is also the bar tender at the hotel's bar. Husband and I agree that she does look like Shakira, with the darker hair. Like our hosts/hotel owners in Nafplio, Apostolia and Maria ( the owner ) gave us a very warm, Greek welcome. Palamithi Restaurant is known for serving freshwater fish which is what we were interested in. Most restaurants in the area are more into grilled meat dishes. We were not disappointed, the grilled bass was good and paired well with the grilled eggplant and tomato we ordered. The dessert which by now has become a routine, was at the cafe near the big, fancy pastry shop near the big fountain in the center of town ( sorry I couldn't make out he name as it's written in fancy Greek cursive )we bought the baklava to take out and ordered our coffee from the cafe next door.
- the orange colored pastry store (best description I can give) is a must stop for Greek dessert lovers. they have a wide selection of Greek and non Greek desserts, like Turkish delight ( they don't call it that though, it's called something else but it is Turkish delight ), various types of mousse,nougat, candied fruit ( kum quat, a small yellow fruit that's tart )
- on our second day, we drove to Trikkala for lunch, about 20 kms from Kalambaka. It's a big, university town with a university for athletes and a military school. A lot of people who work in the tourism/service industry in Kalambaka call it home. We were surprised to find a Sephora, Body Shop and United Colors of Benetton here. The city has a young vibe although we did see the ubiquitous older men ( we are assuming they are retirees ) gathered in park benches or cafés shooting the breeze. They look like they meet there everyday from morning till just about dinnertime, when it's time to come home This is a familiar scene in Nafplio and all the other small towns we've visited.
- tomorrow will be the long drive to Athens, our last stop before flying back home.
- the drive from Delphi to Meteora took 5 hours with a couple of pit stops- one for coffee and another for gas and bathroom. we were on the national highway until Larissa, then E952 from Larissa to Kalambaka where we will be staying for 3 nights at Dellas Hotel. Again, the drive was an easy one as the roads were well paved and well marked and nearly empty. There were a few turns but not the gnarly, hairpin kind.
- we are very pleased with Dellas Hotel. The hotel is only about 4 years old so the rooms and common areas are in very good condition. The location is also very good- just at the foot of the uphill road leading to the monasteries but away from the main drag of souvenir shops and restaurants.
- we went to 3 monasteries on our first full day - the Church of Transfiguration/Metamorphosis ( the biggest and most interesting, imo ), Varlaam ( second most interesting, imo ) and St Stefanos (a nunnery) Each monastery charged an entrance of €3 per person. If I were to go to just one, I would go to the Transfiguration since it is the most complete for the casual visitor. You can tour the kitchen ( not the actual one in use ), cellar, infirmary and of course the big church. On our second day, we visited the Rosannou, The small nunnery that has a cable car which is now only used for transporting supplies and goods.
- I would highly recommend buying the €4 colored guidebook on Meteora and its monasteries as there are no leaflets or handouts at the monastery. Our hotel gave us a loaner but I ended up buying my own as a souvenir. It's sold everywhere and in the monasteries' gift shops,
- the souvenir stands outside the monasteries tend to have better prices than the shops in town, based on my random inquiry on the prices of some items I was interested to buy. I did end up buying a few souvenirs and small presents for friends and family here.
- we ate twice at Palamithi as recommended by Apostolia, our charming front desk host at the hotel who is also the bar tender at the hotel's bar. Husband and I agree that she does look like Shakira, with the darker hair. Like our hosts/hotel owners in Nafplio, Apostolia and Maria ( the owner ) gave us a very warm, Greek welcome. Palamithi Restaurant is known for serving freshwater fish which is what we were interested in. Most restaurants in the area are more into grilled meat dishes. We were not disappointed, the grilled bass was good and paired well with the grilled eggplant and tomato we ordered. The dessert which by now has become a routine, was at the cafe near the big, fancy pastry shop near the big fountain in the center of town ( sorry I couldn't make out he name as it's written in fancy Greek cursive )we bought the baklava to take out and ordered our coffee from the cafe next door.
- the orange colored pastry store (best description I can give) is a must stop for Greek dessert lovers. they have a wide selection of Greek and non Greek desserts, like Turkish delight ( they don't call it that though, it's called something else but it is Turkish delight ), various types of mousse,nougat, candied fruit ( kum quat, a small yellow fruit that's tart )
- on our second day, we drove to Trikkala for lunch, about 20 kms from Kalambaka. It's a big, university town with a university for athletes and a military school. A lot of people who work in the tourism/service industry in Kalambaka call it home. We were surprised to find a Sephora, Body Shop and United Colors of Benetton here. The city has a young vibe although we did see the ubiquitous older men ( we are assuming they are retirees ) gathered in park benches or cafés shooting the breeze. They look like they meet there everyday from morning till just about dinnertime, when it's time to come home This is a familiar scene in Nafplio and all the other small towns we've visited.
- tomorrow will be the long drive to Athens, our last stop before flying back home.
Oct 21st, 2014, 06:19 PM
#28
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hbo6, I would suggest that you post your query on a separate thread... a lot of people are not going to see it here. You'll also do better if you take a look at a guidebook or 2 (I suggest EYEWITNESS: the Greek Islands, because it clearly shows the different islnad groups, and gives good brief VISUAL overview of each island)... if you just ask for suggestions, you are going to get a bunch of people who went on cruises saying Mykonos-Santorini, Mykonos-Santorini, and then some others suggesting islands that are waaaay too far, or widely separated. It is helpful to the advisors to know how many days you want to devote to this 3-island visit -- I would suggest tht you must have a minimum of 9 days for this. Also say whether you want to use ferries entirely, and have the time for it, or whether you are open to flying to the farthest island and ferrying back. As a comment on timing I would also say that after Sept 25, some of the islands are going to feel in the "closing down" mode.
Oct 24th, 2014, 01:19 AM
#30
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The drive to Athens :
- the drive from Kalambaka to Athens was an easy one. Our previous concerns about the drive being 6+ hours is totally unwarranted. Good well marked highway and very light traffic. The only comment I would make is the toll charges amounted to almost €20. But considering the ease of using this national highway, it was worth it and a good bargain considering the shorter in driving time if we had used the undivided highways through the towns.
- as suggested by Clausar in my pre trip post, we stopped in Kamena Vourla for lunch. We ate at one of the restaurants by the sea and sat at one of the outdoor tables. We parked along the road in front of the restaurant. One thing I noted was the roving vendors selling stuff to restaurant diners. It was no big deal for us as the vendors are not the aggressive types. They quickly move on if you tell them you're not interested.
- Kamena Vourla is a good stop for those driving south on the highway. It's just right off where you exit the highway. Quick in and out and there are many seaside restaurants to choose from. Post lunch, we lingered for a little bit for some dessert (halva) and coffee since it's only about 3 pm and we are now only about 2 hours from Athens. We would like to avoid the rush hour commute in Athens so we planned our Athens arrival at somewhere around 6 pm.
- I saw the first McDonalds off the highway as we are approaching the airport!!! The posters here are too polite(?) to point out to me that McD has presence in Greece. Or didn't want to burst my bubble :=)
- the rental car return process with Enterprise at the airport was quick and easy. The major car rental companies shared a big parking lot that's walking distance from the arrivals area. We walked back to the Arrivals area at the airport and got on Bus X95 which would drop us off a few hundred yards from Hilton where we would stay for the next 4 nights.
Athens:
- we knew we are now in the "big city" that Athens is. Nafplio and Kalambaka feel like a distant past. The bus made a few stops to let off and pick up passengers but overall, it wasn't bad. The commute took 45 minutes.
- staying at a big hotel chain like Hilton has it's pluses and minuses. Upon arrival, we were greeted by courteous, helpful, friendly and professional staff. Nothing to complain about. It just lacked the warmth of being welcomed by the Petros or Panos at the Pension Marianna or Maria at Dellas Hotel. On the plus side, we appreciate the large bathroom, heavy duty plumbing ( we can now flush tp and tissue in the toilet ) and extra bedroom space. I couldn't say if we preferred one over the other, they're just different.
- we wasted no time in visiting the Athens sightseeing "biggies" for first timers like us. The next day, we're off to the National Arch Museum then the Plaka afterwards. Next day we are at Syntagma Square, the ancient agora and Benaki Museum and on our last day, we visited the Acropolis and its museum.
- we ate well at a restaurant on the steps of Anafiotiki neighborhood ( I need to find the name of the restaurant in my credit card statement ) Thanasia, Sabbas ( both on Mitropoleos str in Monastiraki ) Ti Allo Kiti by the Acropolis museum for home cooked meal.
- there is a Starbucks in Monasteraki!!! We didn't go, we prefer the local coffee shops and their Greek desserts. We didn't make it to Funky Gourmet either, good reason to return to Greece and Athens even for just a couple of days.
- more shopping done in the Plaka and Monasteraki areas - leather sandals, honey, small museum copy pottery.
- we are definitely planning another trip next year to visit Crete and the Mani peninsula. Greece is a wonderful destination and our only regret is we should have visited sooner!
Lastly, our thanks to all of you who helped us with the planning aspect of this trip. The valuable tips and advice on here are something one will not find in any guidebook. Special thanks to to clausar, stanbr, mariha for the "local" input. Happy travels to all who are bound for Greece.
- the drive from Kalambaka to Athens was an easy one. Our previous concerns about the drive being 6+ hours is totally unwarranted. Good well marked highway and very light traffic. The only comment I would make is the toll charges amounted to almost €20. But considering the ease of using this national highway, it was worth it and a good bargain considering the shorter in driving time if we had used the undivided highways through the towns.
- as suggested by Clausar in my pre trip post, we stopped in Kamena Vourla for lunch. We ate at one of the restaurants by the sea and sat at one of the outdoor tables. We parked along the road in front of the restaurant. One thing I noted was the roving vendors selling stuff to restaurant diners. It was no big deal for us as the vendors are not the aggressive types. They quickly move on if you tell them you're not interested.
- Kamena Vourla is a good stop for those driving south on the highway. It's just right off where you exit the highway. Quick in and out and there are many seaside restaurants to choose from. Post lunch, we lingered for a little bit for some dessert (halva) and coffee since it's only about 3 pm and we are now only about 2 hours from Athens. We would like to avoid the rush hour commute in Athens so we planned our Athens arrival at somewhere around 6 pm.
- I saw the first McDonalds off the highway as we are approaching the airport!!! The posters here are too polite(?) to point out to me that McD has presence in Greece. Or didn't want to burst my bubble :=)
- the rental car return process with Enterprise at the airport was quick and easy. The major car rental companies shared a big parking lot that's walking distance from the arrivals area. We walked back to the Arrivals area at the airport and got on Bus X95 which would drop us off a few hundred yards from Hilton where we would stay for the next 4 nights.
Athens:
- we knew we are now in the "big city" that Athens is. Nafplio and Kalambaka feel like a distant past. The bus made a few stops to let off and pick up passengers but overall, it wasn't bad. The commute took 45 minutes.
- staying at a big hotel chain like Hilton has it's pluses and minuses. Upon arrival, we were greeted by courteous, helpful, friendly and professional staff. Nothing to complain about. It just lacked the warmth of being welcomed by the Petros or Panos at the Pension Marianna or Maria at Dellas Hotel. On the plus side, we appreciate the large bathroom, heavy duty plumbing ( we can now flush tp and tissue in the toilet ) and extra bedroom space. I couldn't say if we preferred one over the other, they're just different.
- we wasted no time in visiting the Athens sightseeing "biggies" for first timers like us. The next day, we're off to the National Arch Museum then the Plaka afterwards. Next day we are at Syntagma Square, the ancient agora and Benaki Museum and on our last day, we visited the Acropolis and its museum.
- we ate well at a restaurant on the steps of Anafiotiki neighborhood ( I need to find the name of the restaurant in my credit card statement ) Thanasia, Sabbas ( both on Mitropoleos str in Monastiraki ) Ti Allo Kiti by the Acropolis museum for home cooked meal.
- there is a Starbucks in Monasteraki!!! We didn't go, we prefer the local coffee shops and their Greek desserts. We didn't make it to Funky Gourmet either, good reason to return to Greece and Athens even for just a couple of days.
- more shopping done in the Plaka and Monasteraki areas - leather sandals, honey, small museum copy pottery.
- we are definitely planning another trip next year to visit Crete and the Mani peninsula. Greece is a wonderful destination and our only regret is we should have visited sooner!
Lastly, our thanks to all of you who helped us with the planning aspect of this trip. The valuable tips and advice on here are something one will not find in any guidebook. Special thanks to to clausar, stanbr, mariha for the "local" input. Happy travels to all who are bound for Greece.
Oct 24th, 2014, 09:52 AM
#32
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Thank you for coming back and posting a trip report, it helps to see if/how advice/info provided in the forums is used. And trip reports help future visitors on planning. And anyway, we love reading them : )
Jan 26th, 2017, 09:30 PM
#33
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Thank you so much for this wonderful report! I am reading it belatedly as I plan a trip to Greece, and have taken quite a few notes. I especially appreciate the tips about Akrotiri and Meteora!
Thanks for your insights and inspirations!
Thanks for your insights and inspirations!
