cmt

I'm not aware of any problem with water, fruit or vegetables in Greece. The last time I was there was in 1998. I drank both bottled water and tap water in Crete, occcasionally filling my bottle from springs, and ate plenty of vegetables, both cooked and raw, and fruit and yogurt most days for breakfast. The yogurt is very good in Greece. If you eat yogurt at least once a day, you may find that you'll be slightly better at resisting any little digestive tract germs that might otherwise affect you slightly. It probably can't hurt, assuming you're not allergic to it.

I did get a tetanus booster and I think a hepatitis shot before going to Greece, but that's because I was going to be in some remote parts of Crete on a walking/hiking tour. My doctor also gave me a prescription for Cipro "just in case," but told me not to take it unless it was clear to me that I had a very bad infection, just just some little passing ailment.

mellie88

tom_h is right on the money with his info on Hep C. Also, treatment for Hep C involves (usually) a year of treatment and the word "cure" is not used until some time after treatment is over. Your doctor probably was talking about Hep A.

chatham

I posted drink bottled water. I should have said in Mykonos. The rest of Greece should be fine. Unless things have really changed, during the summer water has had to be brought to Mykonos by ship. My daughter goes every summer and they drink bottled water unless the water comes from a well they are sure of. You'll find the best tasting fruits and veggies in Greece.
Have a wonderful trip and use common sense and ask the locals. Joan

prr761

Hi EllensWords;

Thought I should interject my thoughts, since I went to Greece and Turkey last year and also have Crohn's. I did drink only bottled water and tried only to eat peeled produce-which really was easy to do. I did it as a precautionary exercise and remained well through the whole trip. Not sure if it was the extra care I took, but didn't want to tempt even one bad day. Incidentally, I had a Greek salad almost every day (3 weeks) and most are prepared with peeled cucumber and peeled tomatoes, so ENJOY! Hope this helps...a little sacrifice equals a great vacation!

llamalady

......Yikes! I'd better sing the Alphabet song more often - of course
I meant Hep B.........!!!

indytravel

"...a hepatitis A jab for a trip to the US...that's living cautiously."

A trip TO the US? LOL. I live IN the US. My travel Dr. recommended hep-A for just living in the US like I do.

Hepatitis-A is usually spread by not washing one's hands after using the bathroom. I'm a man. Maybe I'm overly cautious but I'm endlessly grossed out by the men I see leaving the restroom who don't wash their hands.

Hep-B is spread by blood. That would be mainly unsafe sex and being treated in a 3rd world hospital/clinic that has no choice but to try to sterilize medical equipment and re-use it.

Remember kids. "A" for ass (fecal matter) and "B" for blood to keep them straight.

indytravel

Darn. I forgot another Hep-B risk. Intravenous drug users sharing needles.

Non of the 3: unsafe sex, unscheduled hospital stays in foreign countries or drug abuse are any of my favorite hobbies. It's easy for one of them to slip my mind.

Heimdall

Chatham, I wasn't aware that at Mykonos water is brought in by ship, but if so, it wouldn't be for safety concerns. Many Greek islands have limited fresh water supply, and perhaps Mykonos needs extra water to meet the summer demand.

At any rate, bottled water is so cheap that everyone drinks it anyway. As I recall the supermarkets charge about 60 cents (in euros) for a 1.5l bottle, and that's for good mineral water from natural springs.

LalaB

People! Seriously Greek food in Greece is some of the nest and freshest in the world - you can actually taste that the vegetable have come straight from the ground - absolutely mouthwateringly delicious!!shocked to hear that you read that advice about Greece aware, best stick with bottled water no matter where you are though - if you have a chronic illness.I spent 2 weeks there last summer and intend to go for 2 weeks again - the people are so lovely, the food is incredible and glorious sunshine/history.

Liz2005

I just wanted to add that you should bring with you any OTC drugs you take for upset stomach (or for anything really). You can only by these things in pharmacies, not supermarkets, and the pharmacies all keep very odd hours.

I had a bad bug bite that I wanted some Benadryl cream for. THere was a pharmacy near our hotel, but no matter when we went it was closed. Finally one night at 11:30 we walked past it and my husband stopped me and said in desbelief "it's open!" Just bring everything you need with you.

Heimdall

Many shops open for a few hours in the morning, and then again in the evening when temperatures have dropped. Not sure about Athens, but the worst time of day to find anything open is early afternoon. Mosquito repellant (and Benadryl cream) are good things to pack when you go to the islands.

chatham

Heimdall, I lived there for 13 years, but haven't been back for 10 years. Mykonos did have some water , but during the summer the demand was so high, it was brought in by boat. My husband was a doctor on the island and we drank bottled water unless we were in one of villages and knew there was a good well. As I told EllensWords, it would be best to ask the locals. I drank tap water everyplace else in Greece with no problems.

Heimdall

Chatham, EU membership has benefited Greece in many ways, but has also imposed strict standards for many things. Greece has to comply with EU drinking water standards, and this means it is now safe to drink, but not necessarily pleasant tasting. What you are saying was correct in the days of the drachma 13 years ago, but no longer true today.

chatham

Heimdall, I was last on Mykonos 10 years ago for a visit. I lived in Greece for 13 years. My daughter and her family go back every summer and stay on Mykonos and drink bottled water. Maybe for the taste. I was telling EllensWords who asked the question and has a illness to be careful, the same as she would anyplace in the world.

chatham

Heimdall, I was last on Mykonos 10 years ago for a visit. I lived in Greece for 13 years. My daughter and her family go back every summer and stay on Mykonos and drink bottled water. Maybe for the taste. I was telling EllensWords who asked the question and has a illness to be careful.

Heimdall

Other things have changed as well. It appears that Mykonos is now satsisfying most of its water shortage by desalination. See http://www.grundfos.com/web/grfosweb...ag/HMTE-5ARCMY.

chatham

Sorry, I don't know why the above posted twice. My fingers are misbehaving. Joan

chatham

Heimdall, That's great. Bet that makes water very expensive. It was a pain to live there with water being so scarce. I learned not to waste a drop. Our laundry water was used to mop floors. But I loved living there in that beautiful country with those wonderful people.

Heimdall

Joan, my problem is the opposite. I keep hitting the "post my reply" button with the touchpad on my laptop, and transmitting before finishing my message.

I started going to Greece about 12 years ago, and have noticed many changes, including higher prices with the demise of the drachma. Greece was once one of the poorest countries in Europe, but is now becoming prosperous. Water standards are very important to the EU, not only for drinking, but also for swimming. The beaches are much cleaner these days as well.

Heimdall

This is too funny. I am sitting in front of my TV here in England, watching BBC, and the topic is...water shortage. Not in the Greek islands, but right here in rainy England.