Blogs from Greece, Europe - page 495

Back to Athens........ From Santorini, we returned to Athens and the Hotel Ionis for one night of rest before our mainland road-trip. While M&M found the steam to venture out to the Psiri district and hear some 'bouszouki' music until the wee-hours, We stayed in and watched 'Pretty Woman' and 'Carlito's Way.' After learning of M&M's late-nite adventures over breakfast we checked out of the hotel and into our new rental car. It was supposed to be a Volvo, but we ended up with a European manufactured Ford sedan, the Mondeo. We packed the trunk with all of our luggage and headed out of the city towards the giant port of Pireaus. Although Pireaus is not very far from Athens, it does have it's own very distinct personality. An old port city, Pireaus has been around ... read more

Here we are just arrived in Crete. It's early morning and about to be a scorching day. Left Manchester at 7.30 and it was raining.It's good to see the sun again.Had an excellent journey with Monarch Airways and left on time.The usual things applied to the flight and I suppose we all take the cramped conditions as part and parcel of modern travel.Never the less the in-flight meal was acceptable if not digestable and consisted of sausage,scrambled egg tomato and tea .After some effort that would have done credit to a trained contortionist the meal was dispatched and before we knew it the stewardess was dispensing lots of expensive drinks gifts and perfumes. I of course politely declined all offers We arrived in Crete a little earlier than I anticipated. Today we decided to explore a ... read more

Right. It's decided then. I'm forever moving to Mykonos. At least during the low season. I think I'll spend the high season in Vienna. Wait, I forgot one thing. I'm going to need someone independently wealthy to provide for me so I can just not work in order to enjoy the places to the fullest. Since that's not going to happen, I guess I'll just put those plans on hold. (But I can still dream.) Mykonos is absolutely wonderful. Picture postcard perfect. You'll have to because there were no postcards to be found on the island. Most shops were closed because December/January are definitely not at the peak of tourist season. On top of that, the shops that would have still been open were closed in observance of New Year's Day or just as part of ... read more

Today was a wasted day. None of the archeological sites were open. None of the shops were open. So mostly, I played on the internet after sleeping in late. I was going to try to go to Korinthos and explore the ruins in and around the city--but again, ruins qualify as archeological sites and would have been closed. Ruins aren't nearly as exciting from afar. Decided not to spend the money to get there, just to turn around and come back. Instead, I took the Metro to Pireas--a whopping 0.70 Euro expenditure--and found a cafe in which to have lunch. Service was poor and food wasn't that great, but it was in Greece near the ocean so it worked out just fine. On my walk back from the cafe, I went into the only open place ... read more

Enjoy the beautiful pictures of the city! Mary P.S. I apologize for the many entries you're going to receive from my trip over Christmas. I finally sat down and got all the pictures uploaded and everything written and now that I've got it done, I don't want to wait to send out some of the entries. I hope to get my Lisbon pictures up very shortly so you can expect another entry from me when that happens. Enjoy the pics and let me know how you're doing!... read more