Trip Report: Crete/Santorini/Athens
Oct 16th, 2008, 09:15 AM
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Trip Report: Crete/Santorini/Athens
After months of research and planning we are sadly home from our first trip to Greece. As with most trips, we couldn’t have done it without all the help from the loyal contributors to this board. However, as is typical for anyone, sometimes you just have to go with the flow and so we didn’t always get to some of the highly recommended sights and restaurants. We traveled from late Sept to early Oct and used Fodor’s Greece, Lonely Planet’s Crete, and Island Hopping as additional guide materials. Hopefully our experiences will help others plan their own wonderful Greek holiday. I apologize for the length; just couldn't seem to shorten it.
Background – we are 50-something, empty nesters traveling on a budget. The impetus for going to Greece was an invitation to stay at a home in Crete owned by friends from Belgium. Combine that with FF airfare resulting from hubby’s endless business travel and it was a no brainer even while paying tuition for two sons and in this economy. On the bright side, the dollar soared to a high 1.32 against the euro while we were in Greece.
Getting To Greece
OK, so Athens is a lot further from the East Coast of the US than London, Amsterdam or Paris (our other European travels). We made our reservations with NW FF miles; flew over on Continental direct from Newark to Athens; flew home on Delta from Athens to Atlanta and then Atlanta home to Portland, ME. The Athens-Atlanta fight was 12 hours long! All flights were on time and we felt that service was fine. Continental had individual screens for each seat and choice of video, but Delta gave us more food service.
Crete
When we finally reached our destination about 10 min outside of Rhetymnon we realized that we had been traveling for 24 hours! A large part of that time was spent in the Athens airport business lounge (no more complaints that hubby spends $300 a year for this privilege!) Our Continental flights schedule had been changed since our original reservation, and we arrived 3 hours earlier than expected. Unfortunately, we had already made reservations on Aegean to fly to Chania, leaving at 7:30 p.m. With our original schedule the 2:30 flight seemed impossible to make, so we played it safe. Tried to get on the earlier flight, but the Aegean representative wasn’t being too accommodating so we just sucked it up and saved the 300 € that it would have cost to get on the earlier flight. I will say that the lounge was quiet and had free internet, wine, snacks, etc. At least we had our first Greek meal at the Olive Tree restaurant in the airport – nice Greek salad and souvlaki platter.
Our hosts picked us up at the airport and we proceeded to Rhetymnon, about an hour drive. (Keep in mind that English transations of Greek place names often appear in several forms: Rhetymnon/Rethimno, Chania/Hania, etc.) Now it was dark and although I couldn’t see the scenery, the curving road and the lights far below in the distance gave me a clue that Crete was much more mountainous and diverse than I had expected. [Background: our hosts were a former au pair, her husband and two children aged 3 months and 21/2 years, and her parents. The home where we stayed belonged to her in laws who built it about 3 years ago.] On the way home, our host informed us that there was a slight problem: there was a gasoline strike and no stations were open! They had arrived a few days earlier for a 3-week holiday and rented a large van to allow all of us to sightsee together. Although the Flemish are fluent in several languages, Greek is not one of them so they hadn’t heard anything about this on the news. Suddenly all stations were closed. Just a slight wrinkle in our plans, but at that point we were too tired to worry about it at all!
We were staying in Crete for 6 nights, 5 full days. Waking up the first morning we certainly knew we “weren’t in Kansas anymore.” Although this home was in a small group of new homes, it was located about 10 km inland from Rhetymnon, in a small village on a steep hillside. Next door was an older home complete with chickens and roosters (they start their cock-a-doodle-doing many hours before sunrise!), goats, and olive trees. In fact, the olive trees were everywhere on Crete – it was amazing! The open valleys also enabled us to hear barking dogs from some far flung places and caused me to wonder what the people who lived closer to those dogs were thinking as they barked constantly at all hours of the night! The village was complete with a church where the women sat outside in the evening, across the street from the ‘men’s club’ where the men sat outside. I don’t think it qualified as an official taverna as this was a small village, but the separation was interesting. I didn’t get a chance to test the waters by venturing into the men’s domain and ordering a Raki!
So our hosts were nervous about the gas problem and worried about not being able to show us the sights right away. They spoke with one of the neighbors trying to ascertain when the petrol might again start flowing. “I don’t know, maybe tomorrow or the next day. No boats coming to Crete with fuel”; combined with the “don’t worry about it” Greek shrug. So we called for 2 cabs (enough to hold everyone) and set off for Rhetymnon. As others have said on this board, this is a nice small city complete with the 13th c. Venetian lighthouse and “fortezza”. For you Pirates of the Caribbean fans, there really was a pirate named Barbarossa, he Sacked Rhetymnon in 1538, and a tourist replica of a pirate boat named in his honor provides tours of the coastline. The “downtown” adjacent to the harbor has an area of small streets dedicated to tourism and tavernas. Interesting shops and good refreshment. In the center is the 17th c. Rimondi fountain complete with lion heads. To the west a long beach stretches along the coast. Hotels line the road across from the beach, nice that they don’t obstruct the view. A little like the Coney Island of Crete, but not so overwhelming to be offensive.
During our stay the weather was a bit cooler than usual for late Sept, and we had some scattered rain. Only a couple of days were true beach weather, but that wasn’t our main objective so it was fine with us.
Day 2 and still no gas. So hubby and I decided to give our hosts a break and took a cab into Rhetymnon where we got a bus to Chania. The bus was nice and actually left 10 min early! As reported on this forum, the bus service between Chania-Rhetymnon-Iraklion is good. They run at least every hour. Our bus only stopped 2 or 3 times and took just about an hour to get to Chania.
Chania is similar to Rhetymnon but larger. Upon arrival we went to the little shop directly across from the bus station for a Bougatsa, wonderful custard-filled pastry. Listed in Lonely Planet Crete and also recently on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. We didn’t get there until almost 1:00 and I think we got the last one. Yummy! On to the Central Market, which was suppose to close at 1:30 according to one guide book but apparently most vendors except the fresh fish/meat/produce ones stay open until 7:30 or so. We headed to the harbor for lunch at Apostolis as recommended several places. 18 € bought us a mixed seafood grill with small salad, bread, followed by poached pears, ice cream and Raki. It was very good and the view of the harbor and lighthouse were unforgettable.
Dinner that night back in Rhetymnon at Levantes, a favorite of our hosts. Very reasonable, back from the beach and filled with local folks. And yes, they were able to get gas that afternoon!
With a full tank of petrol (found out later that a 20 gal tank costs about 90 € - guess we should stop complaining here in the US!), we headed to Knossos the following day. Certainly a fascinating archeological site, even for those of us not well schooled in history, but a little odd figuring out which parts are “original” and which were recreated by Evans and crew. It was cloudy that day with brief showers, which probably kept the crowds down, but the tour busses filled the “coach” parking lot. As you approach the site there are various parking options where they charge you to park. Our hosts knew of one, I believe it was one of the first places on the left, where you can park for free if you visit their taverna for even just one coffee when you leave. So we had a nice lunch of mezess there: souvlaki, taziki, feta, zucchini balls, etc. With a Methos ale on the side it was delicious.
After Knossos we drive south across the island to the south shore and we came to realize how truly mountainous Crete is. The highest mountain is 7500 feet ASL, and the area is really beautiful. We went to Matala beach. Limestone cliffs rise from the water on the east side of the beach and are dotted with 2nd c. Roman tomb caves, where the hippies lived caves in the late ‘60’s and where Joni Mitchell wrote the song “Carey” [http://jonimitchell.com/research/g_entry.cfm?id=27]. “The wind is in from Africa. . .beneath the Malala moon”. Although it has been developed a bit since then, it is still a very small resort area with just a few small hotels and tavernas. Swam in the beautiful Libyan Sea and climbed up the cliffs to see the caves.
The next day we again ventured into the mountains to Spili. This village is high in the mountains south of Rhetymnon and features mountain springs routed to a Venetian fountain complete with 19 loin heads. A nice visit complete with taverna lunch and walk through winding paths up the hill to local homes. As we walked along suddenly a woman leaned down from her terrace handing us huge bunches of the sweetest grapes picked right from her trellis!
Our last full day in Crete we again drive inland, first to the 16th c. Monastery Arkadi, where in 1866 3000 Turks attacked the building where hundreds of local residents had taken refuge. The Cretans were not about to allow the Turks to take them prisoners so they set fire to their gunpowder stores, creating a huge explosion and killing all the soldiers and Cretans except one small girl. It is a beautiful church and surrounding building, high on a hill with commanding views all around. Later we drive to Margarite, a small village famous for pottery made with local clay. Artisans in some of the shops are happy to demonstrate their wheel throwing, but sadly there are several shops where the items are glazed in garish colors and look somewhat less than handmade. At this time we hadn’t had lunch so we spied a bakery of sorts and purchased several cheese pies to be passed around our group. Well, I found one of my favorite Greek treats! Flaky filo dough wrapped around a slab of feta and baked. Delicious!
The last night we treated our hosts to dinner at Melina, just behind the fortessa. It has a view southeast over the city rather than out on the water and this was nice because the weather was a bit chilly that night. A little more expensive than other places, but nice food and service and a play area for the little boy. After the Grandma took the children home the rest of us enjoyed wine and raki at one of the cafes in the Old Town next to the fountain. The owner was a friend of our hosts and just sitting watching the people was really nice.
The next morning we drove to Iralkion to catch the 9:45 Flying Cat 4 to Santorini. We had reserved tickets on the internet and simply had to go to the Passenger Terminal building to pick them up. This building was not too close to where the ferry was docked, but luckily we arrived with enough time to get the tickets and board the ferry. On our walk between the ferry and Passenger Terminal we noticed a man at the edge of the dock, repeatedly picking something up and slamming it down on the pavement. As we got closer we saw that it was an octopus – probably a cousin of the one I enjoyed for diner the night before.
While waiting for the ferry we quickly realized that our vacation was due for a change. After meeting no Americans in Crete for almost a week, we were surrounded by our countrymen, even meeting a group of 4 couples also from Maine! Its not that Americans don’t visit Crete, but the size of the island and large amount of interesting places to see dilutes us in with all the other nationalities. Obviously Santorini is more concentrated, as we were soon to find out.
Summary thoughts on Crete: This location was a surprise to us, especially the mountains. Loved the feeling that we were in “real Greece” as compared to Santorini – the olive trees, goats, etc. Will definitely return. Souvenirs: silver Greek key bracelet (not high end, but nice. Jewelry is cheaper here than in Athens or Santorini), linen table runner with olive motif, olive oil, herbs. Should have bought some olivewood salad servers; again they were much more expensive in the Plaka. We didn’t eat out every meal because we were staying in a house, but we never had a bad meal anywhere. Raki really is fire water, but we didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects as long as we kept it in moderation. Local Cretan white and red wines are inexpensive and quite good. If you’re spending any amount of time on Crete I highly recommend a Crete-specific guidebook like the Lonely Planet one that we had.
Next stop: Santorini
Background – we are 50-something, empty nesters traveling on a budget. The impetus for going to Greece was an invitation to stay at a home in Crete owned by friends from Belgium. Combine that with FF airfare resulting from hubby’s endless business travel and it was a no brainer even while paying tuition for two sons and in this economy. On the bright side, the dollar soared to a high 1.32 against the euro while we were in Greece.
Getting To Greece
OK, so Athens is a lot further from the East Coast of the US than London, Amsterdam or Paris (our other European travels). We made our reservations with NW FF miles; flew over on Continental direct from Newark to Athens; flew home on Delta from Athens to Atlanta and then Atlanta home to Portland, ME. The Athens-Atlanta fight was 12 hours long! All flights were on time and we felt that service was fine. Continental had individual screens for each seat and choice of video, but Delta gave us more food service.
Crete
When we finally reached our destination about 10 min outside of Rhetymnon we realized that we had been traveling for 24 hours! A large part of that time was spent in the Athens airport business lounge (no more complaints that hubby spends $300 a year for this privilege!) Our Continental flights schedule had been changed since our original reservation, and we arrived 3 hours earlier than expected. Unfortunately, we had already made reservations on Aegean to fly to Chania, leaving at 7:30 p.m. With our original schedule the 2:30 flight seemed impossible to make, so we played it safe. Tried to get on the earlier flight, but the Aegean representative wasn’t being too accommodating so we just sucked it up and saved the 300 € that it would have cost to get on the earlier flight. I will say that the lounge was quiet and had free internet, wine, snacks, etc. At least we had our first Greek meal at the Olive Tree restaurant in the airport – nice Greek salad and souvlaki platter.
Our hosts picked us up at the airport and we proceeded to Rhetymnon, about an hour drive. (Keep in mind that English transations of Greek place names often appear in several forms: Rhetymnon/Rethimno, Chania/Hania, etc.) Now it was dark and although I couldn’t see the scenery, the curving road and the lights far below in the distance gave me a clue that Crete was much more mountainous and diverse than I had expected. [Background: our hosts were a former au pair, her husband and two children aged 3 months and 21/2 years, and her parents. The home where we stayed belonged to her in laws who built it about 3 years ago.] On the way home, our host informed us that there was a slight problem: there was a gasoline strike and no stations were open! They had arrived a few days earlier for a 3-week holiday and rented a large van to allow all of us to sightsee together. Although the Flemish are fluent in several languages, Greek is not one of them so they hadn’t heard anything about this on the news. Suddenly all stations were closed. Just a slight wrinkle in our plans, but at that point we were too tired to worry about it at all!
We were staying in Crete for 6 nights, 5 full days. Waking up the first morning we certainly knew we “weren’t in Kansas anymore.” Although this home was in a small group of new homes, it was located about 10 km inland from Rhetymnon, in a small village on a steep hillside. Next door was an older home complete with chickens and roosters (they start their cock-a-doodle-doing many hours before sunrise!), goats, and olive trees. In fact, the olive trees were everywhere on Crete – it was amazing! The open valleys also enabled us to hear barking dogs from some far flung places and caused me to wonder what the people who lived closer to those dogs were thinking as they barked constantly at all hours of the night! The village was complete with a church where the women sat outside in the evening, across the street from the ‘men’s club’ where the men sat outside. I don’t think it qualified as an official taverna as this was a small village, but the separation was interesting. I didn’t get a chance to test the waters by venturing into the men’s domain and ordering a Raki!
So our hosts were nervous about the gas problem and worried about not being able to show us the sights right away. They spoke with one of the neighbors trying to ascertain when the petrol might again start flowing. “I don’t know, maybe tomorrow or the next day. No boats coming to Crete with fuel”; combined with the “don’t worry about it” Greek shrug. So we called for 2 cabs (enough to hold everyone) and set off for Rhetymnon. As others have said on this board, this is a nice small city complete with the 13th c. Venetian lighthouse and “fortezza”. For you Pirates of the Caribbean fans, there really was a pirate named Barbarossa, he Sacked Rhetymnon in 1538, and a tourist replica of a pirate boat named in his honor provides tours of the coastline. The “downtown” adjacent to the harbor has an area of small streets dedicated to tourism and tavernas. Interesting shops and good refreshment. In the center is the 17th c. Rimondi fountain complete with lion heads. To the west a long beach stretches along the coast. Hotels line the road across from the beach, nice that they don’t obstruct the view. A little like the Coney Island of Crete, but not so overwhelming to be offensive.
During our stay the weather was a bit cooler than usual for late Sept, and we had some scattered rain. Only a couple of days were true beach weather, but that wasn’t our main objective so it was fine with us.
Day 2 and still no gas. So hubby and I decided to give our hosts a break and took a cab into Rhetymnon where we got a bus to Chania. The bus was nice and actually left 10 min early! As reported on this forum, the bus service between Chania-Rhetymnon-Iraklion is good. They run at least every hour. Our bus only stopped 2 or 3 times and took just about an hour to get to Chania.
Chania is similar to Rhetymnon but larger. Upon arrival we went to the little shop directly across from the bus station for a Bougatsa, wonderful custard-filled pastry. Listed in Lonely Planet Crete and also recently on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. We didn’t get there until almost 1:00 and I think we got the last one. Yummy! On to the Central Market, which was suppose to close at 1:30 according to one guide book but apparently most vendors except the fresh fish/meat/produce ones stay open until 7:30 or so. We headed to the harbor for lunch at Apostolis as recommended several places. 18 € bought us a mixed seafood grill with small salad, bread, followed by poached pears, ice cream and Raki. It was very good and the view of the harbor and lighthouse were unforgettable.
Dinner that night back in Rhetymnon at Levantes, a favorite of our hosts. Very reasonable, back from the beach and filled with local folks. And yes, they were able to get gas that afternoon!
With a full tank of petrol (found out later that a 20 gal tank costs about 90 € - guess we should stop complaining here in the US!), we headed to Knossos the following day. Certainly a fascinating archeological site, even for those of us not well schooled in history, but a little odd figuring out which parts are “original” and which were recreated by Evans and crew. It was cloudy that day with brief showers, which probably kept the crowds down, but the tour busses filled the “coach” parking lot. As you approach the site there are various parking options where they charge you to park. Our hosts knew of one, I believe it was one of the first places on the left, where you can park for free if you visit their taverna for even just one coffee when you leave. So we had a nice lunch of mezess there: souvlaki, taziki, feta, zucchini balls, etc. With a Methos ale on the side it was delicious.
After Knossos we drive south across the island to the south shore and we came to realize how truly mountainous Crete is. The highest mountain is 7500 feet ASL, and the area is really beautiful. We went to Matala beach. Limestone cliffs rise from the water on the east side of the beach and are dotted with 2nd c. Roman tomb caves, where the hippies lived caves in the late ‘60’s and where Joni Mitchell wrote the song “Carey” [http://jonimitchell.com/research/g_entry.cfm?id=27]. “The wind is in from Africa. . .beneath the Malala moon”. Although it has been developed a bit since then, it is still a very small resort area with just a few small hotels and tavernas. Swam in the beautiful Libyan Sea and climbed up the cliffs to see the caves.
The next day we again ventured into the mountains to Spili. This village is high in the mountains south of Rhetymnon and features mountain springs routed to a Venetian fountain complete with 19 loin heads. A nice visit complete with taverna lunch and walk through winding paths up the hill to local homes. As we walked along suddenly a woman leaned down from her terrace handing us huge bunches of the sweetest grapes picked right from her trellis!
Our last full day in Crete we again drive inland, first to the 16th c. Monastery Arkadi, where in 1866 3000 Turks attacked the building where hundreds of local residents had taken refuge. The Cretans were not about to allow the Turks to take them prisoners so they set fire to their gunpowder stores, creating a huge explosion and killing all the soldiers and Cretans except one small girl. It is a beautiful church and surrounding building, high on a hill with commanding views all around. Later we drive to Margarite, a small village famous for pottery made with local clay. Artisans in some of the shops are happy to demonstrate their wheel throwing, but sadly there are several shops where the items are glazed in garish colors and look somewhat less than handmade. At this time we hadn’t had lunch so we spied a bakery of sorts and purchased several cheese pies to be passed around our group. Well, I found one of my favorite Greek treats! Flaky filo dough wrapped around a slab of feta and baked. Delicious!
The last night we treated our hosts to dinner at Melina, just behind the fortessa. It has a view southeast over the city rather than out on the water and this was nice because the weather was a bit chilly that night. A little more expensive than other places, but nice food and service and a play area for the little boy. After the Grandma took the children home the rest of us enjoyed wine and raki at one of the cafes in the Old Town next to the fountain. The owner was a friend of our hosts and just sitting watching the people was really nice.
The next morning we drove to Iralkion to catch the 9:45 Flying Cat 4 to Santorini. We had reserved tickets on the internet and simply had to go to the Passenger Terminal building to pick them up. This building was not too close to where the ferry was docked, but luckily we arrived with enough time to get the tickets and board the ferry. On our walk between the ferry and Passenger Terminal we noticed a man at the edge of the dock, repeatedly picking something up and slamming it down on the pavement. As we got closer we saw that it was an octopus – probably a cousin of the one I enjoyed for diner the night before.
While waiting for the ferry we quickly realized that our vacation was due for a change. After meeting no Americans in Crete for almost a week, we were surrounded by our countrymen, even meeting a group of 4 couples also from Maine! Its not that Americans don’t visit Crete, but the size of the island and large amount of interesting places to see dilutes us in with all the other nationalities. Obviously Santorini is more concentrated, as we were soon to find out.
Summary thoughts on Crete: This location was a surprise to us, especially the mountains. Loved the feeling that we were in “real Greece” as compared to Santorini – the olive trees, goats, etc. Will definitely return. Souvenirs: silver Greek key bracelet (not high end, but nice. Jewelry is cheaper here than in Athens or Santorini), linen table runner with olive motif, olive oil, herbs. Should have bought some olivewood salad servers; again they were much more expensive in the Plaka. We didn’t eat out every meal because we were staying in a house, but we never had a bad meal anywhere. Raki really is fire water, but we didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects as long as we kept it in moderation. Local Cretan white and red wines are inexpensive and quite good. If you’re spending any amount of time on Crete I highly recommend a Crete-specific guidebook like the Lonely Planet one that we had.
Next stop: Santorini
Oct 16th, 2008, 10:27 AM
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Cindy
Really nice report - Great detail, and appreciated the names of restaurants, a little history, suggestions, etc.
We're going next month to visit daughter who's spending fall semester in Athens. I know, not the best time of year, but better than not going.
We know most islands like Santorini pretty much shut down in fall/winter, but have been told larger ones like Crete are somewhat less seasonal. Did you get that impression?
Really nice report - Great detail, and appreciated the names of restaurants, a little history, suggestions, etc.
We're going next month to visit daughter who's spending fall semester in Athens. I know, not the best time of year, but better than not going.
We know most islands like Santorini pretty much shut down in fall/winter, but have been told larger ones like Crete are somewhat less seasonal. Did you get that impression?
Oct 16th, 2008, 03:50 PM
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Hi,
Great report. I am glad that you enjoyed Crete. We were there last summer and had a wonderful time. I really liked the food and the raki. Well, one raki after a meal. Keep the report coming.
Yipper
Great report. I am glad that you enjoyed Crete. We were there last summer and had a wonderful time. I really liked the food and the raki. Well, one raki after a meal. Keep the report coming.
Yipper
Oct 17th, 2008, 03:46 AM
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dfr: Yes, I think Crete definitely has more year-round residents than Santorini. There are small cities, etc. That's one of the reasons our hosts from Belgium decided to invest in their house on Crete rather than other islands. I would think that Chania would still be beautiful and interesting later in the fall. It does get cold though, with snow in the mountains. I would suggest maybe Chania as a home base and then take a bus to Iraklion to see the Knossos site. Depending on the weather, most of the villages we visited would also be beautiful in Nov. There are airports in both Chania and Iraklion and maybe you could fly into one and out of the other. Aegean also offers cheap flights, as low as 30 E, so check their site.
Oct 17th, 2008, 03:47 AM
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Santorini
The Flying Cat 4 arrived just before noon to the port at Athinios. So many tour buses and car service drivers with signs for everyone but us! But we knew we were traveling on a budget and so asked a couple of questions and hopped on the bus to Fira for 2 €, and then changed to a bus to Oia for 1.6 €. Although we only passed through Fira, we were glad we were headed to the smaller village of Oia for our 2-night stay. We had been quite busy sightseeing on Crete and were looking forward to relaxing with a glass of wine and just gazing out over the caldera.
After much research and help from the Fodorites, we had reserved a traditional cave house at Golden Sunset Villas in Oia. Now I realized that Golden Sunset was a bit of a hike from the bus station, but our wheeled carry-on sized luggage didn’t do us much good on the cobble stone paths of Oia with steps up and steps down. (Note: we were quite successful in packing carry-ons only for this trip, but after a few purchases in Crete things were getting a bit heavier.) But when we arrived we knew we had made a great hotel choice. Kyriakos was a wonderful and helpful host. Our room was just as pictured on their website, just below the windmill and above or beside Esperas, with our own little terrace. The hotel doesn’t have its own pool but shares one with the next hotel. Because Golden Sunset is virtually at the end of Santorini, it sort of straddles both the caldera side and the backside, and the pool in on the backside, sort of looking to the north. But it is bigger than most hotel pools in Santorini with a nice terrace, chairs, etc. (Sorry, but I don’t remember the name of the hotel that actually owns the pool.)
The room was comfortable and complete with a kitchenette. The usual Greek bathroom and shower comments apply, although there was plenty of hot water and you need only handle the shower head with care to keep the water mostly in the shower area. However, the first night we made a big mistake by keeping windows and door open after dark while we sat outside. Despite being an arid island, there are tons of mosquitoes and no screens! So the second night we were sure to close up at dusk, and then leave only the bathroom light on hoping to keep the buggers in there. With only minor buzzing around our ears we slept better than the first night! I would imagine that if you were there in warmer weather you’d want to be sure to have some repellent with you.
So the first afternoon we simply explored Oia, having lunch at one of the many café’s with terraces overlooking the caldera. As I mentioned, it was a bit of a culture shock after Crete. The cruise ships that anchor below Fira offload their prisoners, er. . .passengers, who board huge tour busses and again offload in Oia. They almost run around town, snapping photos at each corner before running to the next photo op. I guess its one way to travel, just not my first choice. And although I had diligently made notes from this forum on restaurants and had my books in hand, we sort of just ended up eating at whatever looked good at the moment. There certainly isn’t any shortage of choices, and although we paid moderate prices and enjoyed the views, we could have stayed on budget if we chose to do so.
That evening we enjoyed wine and the view from our terrace as planned, but unfortunately clouds on the horizon pretty much ruined the sunset. Oh well, you can’t have everything! So as soon as we realized the show was over we walked down the zig zag stairway to the dock at Amouda port. We dined at the water’s end at Katina’s. Luckily I had read about fish prices being by the kilo or we would have had sticker shock at the menu. Now everyone raves about Katina’s, and we were certainly happy, but I didn’t get all gaga about it. The waiter wasn’t all that friendly although we really tried to be nice, and the food was fine but not out of this world. I think we had calamari and shrimp, both grilled, and a couple of appetizers. We ordered a liter of red wine and he brought 0.5 L. When questioned he said that he would bring the second carafe out when we were ready, although he never did. Yes, we did ask, but somehow something was lost in the translation. I had fun talking with the grill chef and folks in the kitchen about all the types of seafood though. (We’re from Maine, so I guess I felt like I had a salt water connection with these folks.) Probably because we didn’t get the second 0.5 L of wine we were able to walk back up the steps after dinner.
I awoke earlier than hubby and ventured out on the terrace. The sun was rising behind the island, and casting a beautiful light on the island of Thirassia across the caldera. All the hotels and restaurants are immediately adjacent to each other, so a few others were stirring, setting up for breakfast, etc. One of Santorini’s famous ‘stray’ dogs came wandering by. I was surprised that he didn’t beg or try to get attention from me. That is the case with all the dogs on the island, they don’t beg or bother you, just go about the business – that usually involves sleeping in a sunny spot. At Golden Sunset breakfast is included: bread, cheese, yogurt and honey. . .yummy! We also learned that ordering “filtered coffee” gets you coffee in a little French press; the closest to brewed American coffee and very good.
That day we made arrangements through Kyriakos to take a caldera cruise. I think it cost 27€ per person and included pick-up and drop-off at the hotel. So we headed down to Amouda and boarded the boat. First stop Nea Kameni and a tour of the smoldering volcano. Brought back memories of my college Geology courses. Next stop Palea Kameni, another uninhabited island promising a swim in hot springs. Well, what they don’t tell you before the trip is that the boat can’t dock at Palea Kameni, so you have to jump off the boat and swim a hundred yards or so into the cove that is the hot springs. Not a problem, adventure on. After jumping in I noticed these beige little balls floating on the water and assumed they were some sort of plant, but they were actually volcanic rocks so porous that they actually floated. Cool! I had also read that the springs were muddy and the water cloudy, but I didn’t find them that way at all. I will agree that they weren’t too hot, but it was still worth the adventure. Final stop was Thirassia, where the boat stops for 2 hours. You can eat in the taverna’s at the port or take the steps or donkeys to the top. We were feeling adventurous and took the donkeys. Now hubby wasn’t too keen on being on top of a strange animal while ascending switchbacks with steep drop offs, but I sort of shamed him into it. However, the donkey herder must have seen the fear in his face because while he sent my donkey ahead with several others, he kept hubby’s donkey tethered to his donkey. Very perceptive of him! We all laughed as the donkeys made their way up the switchbacks, jockeying among themselves to be the first around each corner, causing us to wonder how the hometown papers would report “local couple lost in Greek donkey accident”. All in all the day was great fun and I would recommend it.
That evening we enjoyed a proper sunset together with a newlywed couple from Massachusetts and then explored Oia until we decided on a moderately priced restaurant. I apologize that I can’t remember the name, but it was near the Dolphin restaurant and had a painting of an octopus on the sign. They have tables on both sides of the pedestrian street, and the menu offered many choices. We enjoyed a lovely conversation with a German couple at the next table. Just love those experiences while traveling; they were reliving a trip to the US in the early days of their marriage and asking about whether we thought Obama would win the election.
After breakfast the next morning we packed and got ready for our noon flight to Athens. While doing so we vowed never to stay less than three nights at a location on all future travels. Although on paper the travel time between stops doesn’t sound like much, it eats up the better part of a day when you include transfers to and from the airport, ferry terminal, etc. We walked to the bus terminal – our suitcases rumbling along the cobbles once again. Following Brotherleelove’s advice, our plan was to catch the bus to Fira and then, depending on timing, catch a bus or cab to the airport. We had allowed 2 hours for this travel, but when we checked the bus schedule we realized that we would not make our flight and so decided to spend the Euros on a cab direct from Oia to the airport. The bus station area was busy and it took us a while to get a free cab, but once we did we felt good that we would make our flight. We didn’t, however, count on the traffic between Oia and Fira mid-morning. The narrow road was virtually impassible with those floating cruise ships (a.k.a. tour buses) going both directions. Thank goodness we hadn’t decided to rent a car! While passing through Fira in the cab I felt smugly superior that we had made the decision to stay in Oia. In the end we made our flight with time to spare. Although we would have loved to do more while on Santorini we had a great first visit and were very happy with the choices we made for our time.
Next and last stop: Athens
The Flying Cat 4 arrived just before noon to the port at Athinios. So many tour buses and car service drivers with signs for everyone but us! But we knew we were traveling on a budget and so asked a couple of questions and hopped on the bus to Fira for 2 €, and then changed to a bus to Oia for 1.6 €. Although we only passed through Fira, we were glad we were headed to the smaller village of Oia for our 2-night stay. We had been quite busy sightseeing on Crete and were looking forward to relaxing with a glass of wine and just gazing out over the caldera.
After much research and help from the Fodorites, we had reserved a traditional cave house at Golden Sunset Villas in Oia. Now I realized that Golden Sunset was a bit of a hike from the bus station, but our wheeled carry-on sized luggage didn’t do us much good on the cobble stone paths of Oia with steps up and steps down. (Note: we were quite successful in packing carry-ons only for this trip, but after a few purchases in Crete things were getting a bit heavier.) But when we arrived we knew we had made a great hotel choice. Kyriakos was a wonderful and helpful host. Our room was just as pictured on their website, just below the windmill and above or beside Esperas, with our own little terrace. The hotel doesn’t have its own pool but shares one with the next hotel. Because Golden Sunset is virtually at the end of Santorini, it sort of straddles both the caldera side and the backside, and the pool in on the backside, sort of looking to the north. But it is bigger than most hotel pools in Santorini with a nice terrace, chairs, etc. (Sorry, but I don’t remember the name of the hotel that actually owns the pool.)
The room was comfortable and complete with a kitchenette. The usual Greek bathroom and shower comments apply, although there was plenty of hot water and you need only handle the shower head with care to keep the water mostly in the shower area. However, the first night we made a big mistake by keeping windows and door open after dark while we sat outside. Despite being an arid island, there are tons of mosquitoes and no screens! So the second night we were sure to close up at dusk, and then leave only the bathroom light on hoping to keep the buggers in there. With only minor buzzing around our ears we slept better than the first night! I would imagine that if you were there in warmer weather you’d want to be sure to have some repellent with you.
So the first afternoon we simply explored Oia, having lunch at one of the many café’s with terraces overlooking the caldera. As I mentioned, it was a bit of a culture shock after Crete. The cruise ships that anchor below Fira offload their prisoners, er. . .passengers, who board huge tour busses and again offload in Oia. They almost run around town, snapping photos at each corner before running to the next photo op. I guess its one way to travel, just not my first choice. And although I had diligently made notes from this forum on restaurants and had my books in hand, we sort of just ended up eating at whatever looked good at the moment. There certainly isn’t any shortage of choices, and although we paid moderate prices and enjoyed the views, we could have stayed on budget if we chose to do so.
That evening we enjoyed wine and the view from our terrace as planned, but unfortunately clouds on the horizon pretty much ruined the sunset. Oh well, you can’t have everything! So as soon as we realized the show was over we walked down the zig zag stairway to the dock at Amouda port. We dined at the water’s end at Katina’s. Luckily I had read about fish prices being by the kilo or we would have had sticker shock at the menu. Now everyone raves about Katina’s, and we were certainly happy, but I didn’t get all gaga about it. The waiter wasn’t all that friendly although we really tried to be nice, and the food was fine but not out of this world. I think we had calamari and shrimp, both grilled, and a couple of appetizers. We ordered a liter of red wine and he brought 0.5 L. When questioned he said that he would bring the second carafe out when we were ready, although he never did. Yes, we did ask, but somehow something was lost in the translation. I had fun talking with the grill chef and folks in the kitchen about all the types of seafood though. (We’re from Maine, so I guess I felt like I had a salt water connection with these folks.) Probably because we didn’t get the second 0.5 L of wine we were able to walk back up the steps after dinner.
I awoke earlier than hubby and ventured out on the terrace. The sun was rising behind the island, and casting a beautiful light on the island of Thirassia across the caldera. All the hotels and restaurants are immediately adjacent to each other, so a few others were stirring, setting up for breakfast, etc. One of Santorini’s famous ‘stray’ dogs came wandering by. I was surprised that he didn’t beg or try to get attention from me. That is the case with all the dogs on the island, they don’t beg or bother you, just go about the business – that usually involves sleeping in a sunny spot. At Golden Sunset breakfast is included: bread, cheese, yogurt and honey. . .yummy! We also learned that ordering “filtered coffee” gets you coffee in a little French press; the closest to brewed American coffee and very good.
That day we made arrangements through Kyriakos to take a caldera cruise. I think it cost 27€ per person and included pick-up and drop-off at the hotel. So we headed down to Amouda and boarded the boat. First stop Nea Kameni and a tour of the smoldering volcano. Brought back memories of my college Geology courses. Next stop Palea Kameni, another uninhabited island promising a swim in hot springs. Well, what they don’t tell you before the trip is that the boat can’t dock at Palea Kameni, so you have to jump off the boat and swim a hundred yards or so into the cove that is the hot springs. Not a problem, adventure on. After jumping in I noticed these beige little balls floating on the water and assumed they were some sort of plant, but they were actually volcanic rocks so porous that they actually floated. Cool! I had also read that the springs were muddy and the water cloudy, but I didn’t find them that way at all. I will agree that they weren’t too hot, but it was still worth the adventure. Final stop was Thirassia, where the boat stops for 2 hours. You can eat in the taverna’s at the port or take the steps or donkeys to the top. We were feeling adventurous and took the donkeys. Now hubby wasn’t too keen on being on top of a strange animal while ascending switchbacks with steep drop offs, but I sort of shamed him into it. However, the donkey herder must have seen the fear in his face because while he sent my donkey ahead with several others, he kept hubby’s donkey tethered to his donkey. Very perceptive of him! We all laughed as the donkeys made their way up the switchbacks, jockeying among themselves to be the first around each corner, causing us to wonder how the hometown papers would report “local couple lost in Greek donkey accident”. All in all the day was great fun and I would recommend it.
That evening we enjoyed a proper sunset together with a newlywed couple from Massachusetts and then explored Oia until we decided on a moderately priced restaurant. I apologize that I can’t remember the name, but it was near the Dolphin restaurant and had a painting of an octopus on the sign. They have tables on both sides of the pedestrian street, and the menu offered many choices. We enjoyed a lovely conversation with a German couple at the next table. Just love those experiences while traveling; they were reliving a trip to the US in the early days of their marriage and asking about whether we thought Obama would win the election.
After breakfast the next morning we packed and got ready for our noon flight to Athens. While doing so we vowed never to stay less than three nights at a location on all future travels. Although on paper the travel time between stops doesn’t sound like much, it eats up the better part of a day when you include transfers to and from the airport, ferry terminal, etc. We walked to the bus terminal – our suitcases rumbling along the cobbles once again. Following Brotherleelove’s advice, our plan was to catch the bus to Fira and then, depending on timing, catch a bus or cab to the airport. We had allowed 2 hours for this travel, but when we checked the bus schedule we realized that we would not make our flight and so decided to spend the Euros on a cab direct from Oia to the airport. The bus station area was busy and it took us a while to get a free cab, but once we did we felt good that we would make our flight. We didn’t, however, count on the traffic between Oia and Fira mid-morning. The narrow road was virtually impassible with those floating cruise ships (a.k.a. tour buses) going both directions. Thank goodness we hadn’t decided to rent a car! While passing through Fira in the cab I felt smugly superior that we had made the decision to stay in Oia. In the end we made our flight with time to spare. Although we would have loved to do more while on Santorini we had a great first visit and were very happy with the choices we made for our time.
Next and last stop: Athens
Oct 17th, 2008, 04:24 AM
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Thanks for the great trip report. Very informative. I'm in the process of planning a trip for next summer. I agree with you that three night stays are best but it's hard to fit in everything you want to see in Greece without moving around often. But you also seemed to imply that what with all the tourists and all, Santorini is perhaps not worth that much time. Others have said that as well - come and see it, but do your lingering on some other island. So now that you've done it, would you suggest two or three nights in Santorini? Can't wait for the the Athens part.
Oct 17th, 2008, 05:06 AM
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If I had it to do again I would somehow find a way to spend 3 nights in Santorini. Despite the tourists it is incredibly beautiful and the geology aspect is so cool. I would have loved to explore the 'backside' of the island (opposite the caldera) for beaches, wineries, etc. I could have sat on our terrace for hours and with the kitchenette we could have prepared small meals there too. There is also an archeological site on Santorini, Arkoteri I think, but it is closed due to a roof collapse. We are not history buffs, but would have also liked to do some of that on Santorini. We didn't do other small islands, so my opinions are limited. But I would go back to Santorini, maybe not in high season (July-Aug) though.
Oct 17th, 2008, 09:56 AM
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cindy - thanks for the response and comments about Crete. Also anxious to hear about Athens. We talk with our daughter via skype fairly often and some of her stories about Athens are both fascinating and sometimes more than interesting. She's really enjoying it. Can't wait for your impressions.
Oct 17th, 2008, 10:13 AM
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Thanks to everyone for comments and encouragement. It takes a while to put these together and I know they're long, but I also know I really appreciated others' reports before our trip. BLL - thanks for the name of the restaurant. I know its nothing special, but it met our needs that night and the waitstaff was wonderful and friendly.
julieah: there is only one subway train from the airport - Line 3. You just have to be sure to get on Line 3 and not the suburban rail line. I'm not sure if they even leave from the same spot outside the airport, but we asked just in case. (When you exit the airport follow the train signs, exit the doors, cross the street, and look for stairs going up to the 2nd level. Then walk along until you see the train station.) Line 3 goes to Syntagma Square, close to the Plaka.
julieah: there is only one subway train from the airport - Line 3. You just have to be sure to get on Line 3 and not the suburban rail line. I'm not sure if they even leave from the same spot outside the airport, but we asked just in case. (When you exit the airport follow the train signs, exit the doors, cross the street, and look for stairs going up to the 2nd level. Then walk along until you see the train station.) Line 3 goes to Syntagma Square, close to the Plaka.
Oct 20th, 2008, 01:11 PM
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Cindy,
My wife and I (in our fifties) plan to spend three days in Santorini and three in Crete in early November. With only three days in Crete, can you recommend where I should go and fully utilize the three days? I was thinking about 2 nights in Hania and one in Heraklion. Any suggesion is greatly appreciated.
Matt
My wife and I (in our fifties) plan to spend three days in Santorini and three in Crete in early November. With only three days in Crete, can you recommend where I should go and fully utilize the three days? I was thinking about 2 nights in Hania and one in Heraklion. Any suggesion is greatly appreciated.
Matt
Oct 21st, 2008, 01:39 PM
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Athens
Our Aegean flight from Santorini was just about an hour. After a short wait for our luggage (after picking up some olive oil on Crete and other goodies we no longer qualified for carry on), we headed for the train into Athens. This is apparently the new subway line installed for the Olympics in 2004 and it is clean, efficient and wonderful. 10€ for two one-way tickets or 6€ each. We got off at the Evangelismos stop for the Athens Hilton. We wouldn’t normally stay in a Hilton, preferring a more local hotel, but our budget included using Hilton points from hubby’s work travels. I wasn’t complaining: beautiful room, huge bathroom with toilet accepting of tp, and huge bed.
The Hilton is a large high rise hotel renovated before the Olympics. The rooms are quite nice although we felt like we were the only guests pulling our luggage to the lobby from the subway station! After checking in we headed down Vasileos Konstantinou Boulevard toward the Panathenaic Stadium, where the 2004 marathon ended. This street must be one of the grand boulevards planned by the first king of newly-independent Greece. As I read in one of the guidebooks, at the time of Greece’s independence in 1892, Athens had only a few thousand inhabitants, but was chosen as the capital for sentimental reasons. The grand plan went awry during wars in the early 20th century when a flood of refugees entered Athens and quick housing was needed. The result is a city of concrete, punctuated by monuments and incredible treasures. Unfortunately, walking along this street is not too pleasant with the 6-plus lanes of traffic. Also unfortunately, the stadium was closed in preparation for a weekend concert. So we continued to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s and into the Plaka. A souvlaki lunch at one of the tavernas refueled us and we did a little shopping. Walked up to Syntagma Square and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. Walked through the National Garden to Kolonaki Square, where we bought a bottle of wine and headed back to the Hilton – dead tired!
Although we had planned dinner in the Plaka, we just couldn’t push ourselves to trek down there so we rested in the room with a little wine and decided to head upstairs to the Hilton’s rooftop Galaxy Bar. We knew this would be out of our budget, but decided to splurge. We got off the elevator around 8:00 p.m. and already the techno music was really loud. Fortunately, the outdoor tables were quieter and the view of the Acropolis was magnificent. We had a couple of glasses of overpriced wine and one appetizer – lamb souvlaki with pitas and tzatziki. Yes, overpriced, but really superior quality and definitely enough for the two of us that night. We were pleasantly surprised and glad we didn’t make the trip downtown. (Unfortunately, it didn’t look like the neighborhood around the Hilton had any local tavernas or anywhere to get a bite to eat.)
The next morning we took the subway to the Acropolis station (requiring an easy change at Syntagma) and got coffee and a light breakfast just outside the Acropolis. Then we headed to tour the site, using the multi-site ticket we had purchased the day before at the Temple of Zeus. Although we had wanted to take a walking tour, the Hilton was no help in providing suggestions. (There was no concierge and all questions were handled by the front desk. I think this hotel is geared for conferences and so our service was not too great. A “Visitor Information” desk did exist, but we never saw anyone sitting there!) So we just used guidebooks to see the site.
After a couple of hours up on “the rock” we headed to the new Acropolis Museum, which we were told was open. Well, that was true, but they only had a small pottery exhibit and none of the Acropolis artifacts had been moved in for display. This will be a great place when fully open and we missed seeing the real sculptures and frescoes that have been removed from the site for protection. Although controversial, the modern architecture is nice and in places there are glass floors exposing the ruins that were discovered when the site was excavated for building. Our Fodors (2006) said the museum would open at the end of 2006, “Greek Island Hopping” (2008) reported that it was to open early in 2008. But alas, its not open yet. (Note: the Nov. Travel and Leisure that just arrived has a 1-page article on the museum saying that it is scheduled to open early 2009.)
So we walked back to the Plaka to scout our dinner spot, and then headed to Monastiraki Square for lunch at one of the souvlaki places mentioned in Fodor’s Greece. I should mention here that despite maps we had a hard time navigating the little streets of the Plaka. Most maps are not detailed and then there’s the problem of the Greek alphabet. Our maps had the English translations, but many of the street signs do not. So over the course of our trip I began to memorize the Greek characters and tried to sound things out. We must have looked pretty funny at some street corners!
We ate lunch at Savvas, watching the crowds go by and enjoying our Methos, Greek salad, and souvlaki. After lunch we wandered up to the Central Market: large indoor halls filled with meats, fish/seafood and produce. It was fascinating seeing all the raw ingredients and local people buying and selling.
From there we walked to the base of Mount Lycabettus and took the funicular to the top. Unlike similar lifts I have taken in Quebec City and Pittsburg, this one was entirely enclosed. Good for those of us afraid of heights, but a weird feeling anyway. At the top we took in the views but decided to forgo refreshment at the café.
That night we followed Fodorites recommendations and dined at Tou Psarra in the Plaka. Tucked into a little alley with tables staggered up the steps, it was delightful. I don’t remember what we had for appetizers, but I had stuffed calamari for the main course and it was delicious. It was a whole squid stuffed with a mild cheese and some roasted peppers and then grilled. Hubby had the lamb baked in a clay pot, similar to Oso bucco, and loved it. A cold ouzo and we were off wandering through the Plaka back to the metro. Along the way we stopped in a cool little bar named Brettos. They had multi-colored bottles of flavored liquors lining the backlit walls and it was really pretty. We had a glass of wine and talked with a young British couple about our travels. It was a nice last night in Greece.
Although we had a noon flight out of Athens, getting to the airport and worries about security lines really meant that we couldn’t do anything that morning. Again our lesson is: no less than three nights in one place. Travel between places takes up much more time than one would expect. If we had another day we would definitely have seen the Archeological Museum, but we simply didn’t have enough time.
Hopefully another trip to Greece will be in our future. We loved the few places we visited and would have a hard time deciding whether to explore Crete, Santorini and Athens further or to try new areas. Thanks again to all the Fodorites and your fabulous advice. I will stick around on the board and try, based on our limited experience, to help others planning trips to Greece.
Our Aegean flight from Santorini was just about an hour. After a short wait for our luggage (after picking up some olive oil on Crete and other goodies we no longer qualified for carry on), we headed for the train into Athens. This is apparently the new subway line installed for the Olympics in 2004 and it is clean, efficient and wonderful. 10€ for two one-way tickets or 6€ each. We got off at the Evangelismos stop for the Athens Hilton. We wouldn’t normally stay in a Hilton, preferring a more local hotel, but our budget included using Hilton points from hubby’s work travels. I wasn’t complaining: beautiful room, huge bathroom with toilet accepting of tp, and huge bed.
The Hilton is a large high rise hotel renovated before the Olympics. The rooms are quite nice although we felt like we were the only guests pulling our luggage to the lobby from the subway station! After checking in we headed down Vasileos Konstantinou Boulevard toward the Panathenaic Stadium, where the 2004 marathon ended. This street must be one of the grand boulevards planned by the first king of newly-independent Greece. As I read in one of the guidebooks, at the time of Greece’s independence in 1892, Athens had only a few thousand inhabitants, but was chosen as the capital for sentimental reasons. The grand plan went awry during wars in the early 20th century when a flood of refugees entered Athens and quick housing was needed. The result is a city of concrete, punctuated by monuments and incredible treasures. Unfortunately, walking along this street is not too pleasant with the 6-plus lanes of traffic. Also unfortunately, the stadium was closed in preparation for a weekend concert. So we continued to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s and into the Plaka. A souvlaki lunch at one of the tavernas refueled us and we did a little shopping. Walked up to Syntagma Square and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. Walked through the National Garden to Kolonaki Square, where we bought a bottle of wine and headed back to the Hilton – dead tired!
Although we had planned dinner in the Plaka, we just couldn’t push ourselves to trek down there so we rested in the room with a little wine and decided to head upstairs to the Hilton’s rooftop Galaxy Bar. We knew this would be out of our budget, but decided to splurge. We got off the elevator around 8:00 p.m. and already the techno music was really loud. Fortunately, the outdoor tables were quieter and the view of the Acropolis was magnificent. We had a couple of glasses of overpriced wine and one appetizer – lamb souvlaki with pitas and tzatziki. Yes, overpriced, but really superior quality and definitely enough for the two of us that night. We were pleasantly surprised and glad we didn’t make the trip downtown. (Unfortunately, it didn’t look like the neighborhood around the Hilton had any local tavernas or anywhere to get a bite to eat.)
The next morning we took the subway to the Acropolis station (requiring an easy change at Syntagma) and got coffee and a light breakfast just outside the Acropolis. Then we headed to tour the site, using the multi-site ticket we had purchased the day before at the Temple of Zeus. Although we had wanted to take a walking tour, the Hilton was no help in providing suggestions. (There was no concierge and all questions were handled by the front desk. I think this hotel is geared for conferences and so our service was not too great. A “Visitor Information” desk did exist, but we never saw anyone sitting there!) So we just used guidebooks to see the site.
After a couple of hours up on “the rock” we headed to the new Acropolis Museum, which we were told was open. Well, that was true, but they only had a small pottery exhibit and none of the Acropolis artifacts had been moved in for display. This will be a great place when fully open and we missed seeing the real sculptures and frescoes that have been removed from the site for protection. Although controversial, the modern architecture is nice and in places there are glass floors exposing the ruins that were discovered when the site was excavated for building. Our Fodors (2006) said the museum would open at the end of 2006, “Greek Island Hopping” (2008) reported that it was to open early in 2008. But alas, its not open yet. (Note: the Nov. Travel and Leisure that just arrived has a 1-page article on the museum saying that it is scheduled to open early 2009.)
So we walked back to the Plaka to scout our dinner spot, and then headed to Monastiraki Square for lunch at one of the souvlaki places mentioned in Fodor’s Greece. I should mention here that despite maps we had a hard time navigating the little streets of the Plaka. Most maps are not detailed and then there’s the problem of the Greek alphabet. Our maps had the English translations, but many of the street signs do not. So over the course of our trip I began to memorize the Greek characters and tried to sound things out. We must have looked pretty funny at some street corners!
We ate lunch at Savvas, watching the crowds go by and enjoying our Methos, Greek salad, and souvlaki. After lunch we wandered up to the Central Market: large indoor halls filled with meats, fish/seafood and produce. It was fascinating seeing all the raw ingredients and local people buying and selling.
From there we walked to the base of Mount Lycabettus and took the funicular to the top. Unlike similar lifts I have taken in Quebec City and Pittsburg, this one was entirely enclosed. Good for those of us afraid of heights, but a weird feeling anyway. At the top we took in the views but decided to forgo refreshment at the café.
That night we followed Fodorites recommendations and dined at Tou Psarra in the Plaka. Tucked into a little alley with tables staggered up the steps, it was delightful. I don’t remember what we had for appetizers, but I had stuffed calamari for the main course and it was delicious. It was a whole squid stuffed with a mild cheese and some roasted peppers and then grilled. Hubby had the lamb baked in a clay pot, similar to Oso bucco, and loved it. A cold ouzo and we were off wandering through the Plaka back to the metro. Along the way we stopped in a cool little bar named Brettos. They had multi-colored bottles of flavored liquors lining the backlit walls and it was really pretty. We had a glass of wine and talked with a young British couple about our travels. It was a nice last night in Greece.
Although we had a noon flight out of Athens, getting to the airport and worries about security lines really meant that we couldn’t do anything that morning. Again our lesson is: no less than three nights in one place. Travel between places takes up much more time than one would expect. If we had another day we would definitely have seen the Archeological Museum, but we simply didn’t have enough time.
Hopefully another trip to Greece will be in our future. We loved the few places we visited and would have a hard time deciding whether to explore Crete, Santorini and Athens further or to try new areas. Thanks again to all the Fodorites and your fabulous advice. I will stick around on the board and try, based on our limited experience, to help others planning trips to Greece.
Oct 21st, 2008, 08:04 PM
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Cindy, thanks so very much for your report -- and NEVER apologize for length. It is the little details that are so helpful to other newcomers to Greece... even things like noting the bumpy cobbles, or warning people that it helps to recognize some of the Greek Letters, if just for street signs to help you find your way!
We "old hands" agree with you heartily about a 3-night minimum if possible, and ALWAYS try to warn trip-planners that transferring from one place to the next always eats up more time than they'll imagine.
However, most people don't want to hear that! They come to forums for advice on seeing 3 islands and Athens in 8 days, and resist our warnings of "too much!" I think it's because Americans are so used to jumping in a car and going where they want to go, WHEN they want to go, with no delays or scheduling. PErhaps when the Gasoline Era is over and we must all use mass transit, we Americans will recover the mind-set of pre WW II, when travelers had a realistic idea of mass-transit trip durations.
It sounds as if you had some fine discoveries on Crete -- and I'm so pleased you got to Matala, nicely off-season. IT's still a favorite of mine--- isn't the water crystalline?
The little Spili happenstance of the woman sharing fruit is so typical of the Greek impulse of generous hospitality... I'm glad you got out in the countryside, and sampled a bit of the daily life that goes on.
We can tell your trip was a success, from your very first sentence, where you say, not "our trip to Greece" but "our FIRST trip to Greece."
For people who "get it" -- and you obviously do -- this is just the first chapter in your Greek adventure. Come back to Fodor's when you want to plan Trip #2!!
We "old hands" agree with you heartily about a 3-night minimum if possible, and ALWAYS try to warn trip-planners that transferring from one place to the next always eats up more time than they'll imagine.
However, most people don't want to hear that! They come to forums for advice on seeing 3 islands and Athens in 8 days, and resist our warnings of "too much!" I think it's because Americans are so used to jumping in a car and going where they want to go, WHEN they want to go, with no delays or scheduling. PErhaps when the Gasoline Era is over and we must all use mass transit, we Americans will recover the mind-set of pre WW II, when travelers had a realistic idea of mass-transit trip durations.
It sounds as if you had some fine discoveries on Crete -- and I'm so pleased you got to Matala, nicely off-season. IT's still a favorite of mine--- isn't the water crystalline?
The little Spili happenstance of the woman sharing fruit is so typical of the Greek impulse of generous hospitality... I'm glad you got out in the countryside, and sampled a bit of the daily life that goes on.
We can tell your trip was a success, from your very first sentence, where you say, not "our trip to Greece" but "our FIRST trip to Greece."
For people who "get it" -- and you obviously do -- this is just the first chapter in your Greek adventure. Come back to Fodor's when you want to plan Trip #2!!
Oct 21st, 2008, 11:29 PM
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Mattyl, the answer to your question, is, of course, that it depends what you want to do. IMHO, there's no point in Iraklion as a holiday destination except for Knossos and the Archaeological Museum, but that can make it a good stop en route, if you're going into or out of the airport or port there. Otherwise- it all depends what you want to do.
