Blogs from Attica, Greece, Europe

I’m way too tired to write out a post so I will save details for later. Arrived at 130am 2 days ago and found an awesome place near the airport to spend the night. Trekked down to city center. Hostel is awesome. Area is borderline meh but it’s on the edge of greatness and close to everything so we can walk everywhere. Little shopping and exploring yesterday. Acropolis and Pláka today. Love Pláka. All the food has been amazing. Tomorrow I take a boat day trip. I won’t even tell you the number of photos I took today alone. I’ll attempt to upload a few. And no surprise, I’m making friends with cats. More later. Sorry photos won’t do upload. They are ah-maz-ing.... read more

Mastika (also spelled as mastiha) is one of the most unique Greek liqueurs. It is made from mastic tree resin from the island of Chios, the only place where the trees grow. Chios Mastiha has European PDO status. Mastika has a slight piney flavor, making it an intriguing cocktail ingredient. It must be at least 15% ABV. My Greek brothers make their own, and offer it at the end of dinner (usually not lunch). Mastika can also be purchased at most grocery and liquor stores in Greece. In fact, on one of my first trips to Athens, I was having dinner, and enjoying a conversation with some Americans at the next table. After we were served the mastika, they decided to buy some at the store around the corner. They brought back TWO, one for them ... read more

A writer on Insider mentioned that of her 40 trips, 20 have been solo. That got me thinking about how many countries I have visited solo. This includes many that I have done with others. Or multiple times. Also, please note that some travelers do not consider traveling solo and traveling alone to be the same. Solo: (Belgrade) Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece (4 times), Bucharest, Romania, Istanbul (twice), Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Lyon, Champagne, Berlin, Lisboa, Porto, Vienna, Amsterdam, London, Russia, Japan, Porto, Portugal, Finland, Warsaw, Poland (3 times), Iceland, Thailand, Mexico City, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canada, Slovakia. Looks like 25. I do not regard it as a big deal. Most were intentional, a few were not. But rarely do I feel alone. In Athens, I was adopted by my Greek brothers, Stavros, Giorgos, and Vasili. ... read more

Disembarkation was sad but went smoothly, except for the fact that our driver was to meet us at Terminal A and we pulled in at Terminal C. The small mix-up was solved and after a short wait our driver found us. The port is actually in Pireus, a “suburb” of Athens. So we had a 30 minute drive along the coast to get to our hotel. Sharon booked us a room in the Electra Palace, Athens. It is in the old part of the city, “Plaka” at the foothills of the Acropolis. I have to say, the daytime view is amazing but the evening view is breathtaking. We had to wait for our room to be readied so we left our usage with the bellman and headed out to explore. Every street is lined with stores ... read more

“Beyond finding beautiful crafts at local markets, one of my favorite travel souvenirs is a magnet. It fits perfectly in your personal item, every destination has one, it’s affordable and each time you open your refrigerator to grab a snack, you’re reminded of all of the incredible places you’ve been. The fridge is the Louvre of the home, after all.” ― Melissa DaSilva, president of url=https://go.skimresources.com/?id=38395X987171&xs=1&xcust=6364265ae4b0eb51ab0e12bc&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trafalgar.com%2Fen-usTrafalgar, North America One of the most exciting and appealing tourist souvenirs is a bagpipe-shaped fridge magnet that a user bought at a Scottish airport. Despite its apparent touristy nature, this charming keepsake has a special plac... read more