Greece 2022
Finally, after 2 ½ years, I’m getting out of the country again. The trip to the Montreal Jazz Festival in July doesn’t really count. I had stops to make in St Louis and Chicago, so I shipped my suitcase to Ginny in New Jersey. I flew into NJ a day early to assure that there were no airline snafus. I had tried to book on Emirates Airline as they had a non-stop to Athens but when I went to purchase the ticket, the price jumped $2,000 a ticket. So we flew Turkish Airlines and changed in Istanbul. The plane left at midnight. In Athens, the taxi driver put the hotel in his GPS and we went where it said but the hotel was not there. Fortunately, my phone was working and we found the place.
We checked into the Brown Acropol Hotel, the first Greek outpost of a British chain. It was in the heart of town and 4 star. It was almost 11 pm by the time we got to the room. The rooftop restaurant has a view of the Acropolis. Breakfast (€ 16 each) was amazing. The Greeks make the best yogurt in the world. We were majorly jet lagged so we just lounged on the roof followed by a nap. We found a tiny fish restaurant a block from the hotel for dinner; Greek salad, sardines, octopus, whole Dorado, bread, and wine for €30 for both of us.
We knew we would need at least a day to recover from the flight, so the second day we walked to the Archaeological museum. By the time we got there ( 1 km), we were both exhausted. We immediately sat down. Eventually, we saw some of the museum and then the cafe. We took a taxi back to the hotel and he tried to charge us € 50 for the 1 km trip. I got the door open and he could not drive so we got out. We almost left without paying anything but at the last minute I threw a 10 into his window. We took a nap until dinner at a great fish place € 32. We love eating here.
On the third, we were feeling a bit closer to normal. We took a Taxi back to the airport and picked up our rental car ( I was not going to drive in Athens). Surprisingly rental car rates in Greece are like the old days, € 30 a day. My Garmin would not start but my phone linked to the car screen and we had navigation. We headed for the Peloponnese. We skipped ancient Corinth as it involved a steep hike and the last time I was there it was underwhelming. After puttering down some lovely two-lane roads thru several olive groves we pulled into Nafplio just before 3. Nafplio is the most charming little town right on the water. Narrow pedestrian lanes and scores of outdoor cafes. We parked in the free public lot and checked into the recently renovated Downtown Hotel. In the heart of town, maybe 10 rooms, a 2-person elevator, and we got upgraded to the suite. Dinner was at one of the waterfront restaurants. The Greek salad and the fried anchovies were fine but the Dorado was so overcooked it was inedible. When we complained they just shrugged and gave us the check. I gave them an accurate review.
Wednesday we drove to Epidaurus. It is Famous for its 4th century BC theater which seats 14,000 and you can hear a pin drop from any seat. They still use it in the summer. In addition, the area was famous as a center for healing. There are extensive Greek ruins and Roman ruins built on top of some of them. The stadium is still sometimes used by the local schools for track races. On the way back we saw a sign for a Mycenaean bridge, just a stone bridge over a stream from 3500 years ago! On the hill above Nafplio sits the Palamidi fortress, our last stop of the day. It was started during the last Venetian occupation and finished by the Ottomans. The stonework and the views are remarkable. Dinner was at another waterfront fish restaurant. This time the whole grouper was cooked perfectly.
I could not decide whether I wanted to visit the Island of Hydra or Spetses, Then I saw a tour that hit both Islands for € 38 so we signed up. It was a short 20-minute drive to Tolo and we boarded right at 8:15. Soon 6 tour buses pulled up and the boat was packed with 240 people. The boat left 20 minutes late. It was supposed to be 2 hours to Hydra but it took 3 hours. We walked along the waterfront for a bit and stopped for an early lunch. I had the grilled baby squids and they were the best squid ever. Hydra is a very nice little town with no cars. We wandered until it was time to get back on the boat. On the way to Spetses, it started to rain. When we docked it was OK but started again shortly. We ducked under a cafe shelter and Ginny ordered hot chocolate while I ordered Metaxa 7 star. They even warmed the glass ;). Spetses was the home of Laskarina Bouboulina, the heroine of the Greek war for independence in 1821. She commanded a fleet of 7 ships and was the first woman ever named an admiral. All the museums were closed so we got back on the boat. The boat finally docked back at Tolo 2 ½ hours late and it was raining again, an ugly drive to Nafplio in the dark. At least we had an excellent dinner 20 meters from our hotel.
Friday was clear and sunny. We had a wonderful Greek breakfast at a nearby Bistro, and headed out. Our first stop was Mycenae, started in the 16th century BC it was the first major civilization on the Greek mainland. We got there early enough that it was relatively uncrowded. We climbed up into the citadel through the Lion’s gate, still an impressive piece of sculpture. We did not make it to the top, but did see the amazing view and many of the major excavations and the museum. The extent of it was impressive. At its peak there were 30,000 inhabitants. Next we stopped at Tiryns, a smaller Mycenaean citadel from the same era. There was almost no one there. Seeing 3500+ years of history gives you a different perspective on human events. After a brief nap, we visited the Nafplio Archeological Museum. The second floor was all Bronze age and the third floor was early Iron age. The elevator was neolithic (stairs). We had dinner at Aiolos, which had been completely full the first three nights. I had some superb grilled squid.
Saturday we had to leave Nafplio where the bougainvillea grows like a weed everywhere. We took the scenic route down the coast to Leonidios which was a delight. We had cappuccino at a very cute little cafe/bakery. Leaving Leonidios the GPS took us on 2 hours of twisty, convoluted, often one lane roads through some very desolate country. Eventually we came out at Monemvasia, a massive rock the size of Gibraltar. It was connected to the mainland by a causeway and at the far end of the island there was a walled settlement that has been continuously occupied since the 6th century. Unfortunately you had to park a mile away and the walk was all uphill. Finally we made it to Gythio and had a lovely room with a sea view for € 56. Our room was in the lower villa and the driveway was scary steep, it took two tries to get up it. We decided to splurge for dinner at Saga, the top restaurant in town, but maybe we went too early. It was a beautiful place on the water, but the food was mediocre.
Sunday we went to drive the Mani peninsula. We had breakfast at Aeropoli on the main square. Everyone else seemed to be eating fried calamari, but we tried the menu and got the strangest french toast ever, the egg was cooked separately and put on top with bananas and chocolate? We drove down the west coast which had numerous gorgeous little rocky coves. The old houses all had towers for defense. The terrain was so rugged and the people so fierce, all the would be invaders, eventually just gave up and left. The road was quite narrow but had several pull offs with spectacular views. At the end of the road we stopped at Porto Kagio and sat on the beach for a little while. It certainly was the place to escape it all. The drive up the east coast was twistier and narrower but seemed to have more houses. It was truly a spectacular loop drive. Dinner was at a local barbeque place. We sat on the terrace and had some of the best lamb chops ever. 4 chops each, salad, okra, wine, water € 44.
Monday morning, we had to wait for the housekeeper to haul our bags down the 2 flights of stairs before we could leave. We wanted to see Mistras, the reputed highlight of Byzantine architecture. The main entrance parking was full so we went up the mountain a bit to the castle entrance. The climb to the ticket office exhausted us. There we realized that the whole extensive World Heritage site was stairs. Lonely Planet called it strenuous no matter where you started. We acknowledged our age and went back to the car. The old road from Sparta to Kalamata is considered the most scenic in Greece. The beginning was twisty and soon the rock walls started to overhang the road. In places both lanes were under the rock. Eventually the rock gave way to trees as we neared the top. There was a nice taverna at the top, so we stopped for lunch. The drive down the other side was just as twisty with spectacular views across the gorge. We stayed at the Irida resort in Kalo Nero, a beautiful place right on the sea.. We had reserved the presidential suite, but it was a 3rd floor walk-up so we switched to a lower floor. Dinner was at the Akrogatai restaurant. In addition to the fabulous fish we had the best eggplant dish ever as a side. € 34.
Tuesday we planned on visiting the site of Olympia. Just as we pulled in, it started to rain. By the time we got to the Archeological Museum, we were soaked, and there was a 40 minute wait to get it. It was totally worth it. The age, quantity, and condition of the artifacts were amazing. After 1 1/12 hours there, the rain had stopped. We walked thru a bit of the ruins and then did the museum about the history of the games. The games were held every 4 years for over 1100 years. The site was a bit muddy so we left for the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae. This is the most originally intact temple in Greece. It was looted by the British in 1812, they bribed the local Turkish governor and sold the statuary and the frieze to the British Museum. The location is very remote and gets few visitors. It was impressive.
Wednesday we had to leave the Peloponnese. But first, we visited the tomb of Kyparissia Peristeria, a Mycean tomb from 2200 BC. One tomb was restored to its original beehive shape. When you stand in the center and whisper your voice is amplified like rolling thunder. After that, it was a long drive around the western coast of the Peloponnese to Patras and across the bridge to the mainland (€ 13.50 toll) We finally arrived in Galaxidi to find our first fiasco of the trip. Our hotel, the Seamore Pensione, was supposed to have 2 queen beds. All their rooms had only a small double bed. So they moved us to the quaint Ganimede hotel with 2 twin beds in a very small room. We got settled, sent out some laundry, and went to dinner. We found a charming place that had several local, Galaxidi dishes. The octopus in wine was the best I have had. On the way back to the hotel, my phone rang and we were told we could only stay at our new hotel, one night. Another fine mess.
After a nice breakfast, we headed for Delphi. Maybe the oracle could straighten out our hotel issues. Driving thru the new town of Delhi was an adventure. I don’t know why we did not set the GPS for the archaeological site in the first place. The archaeological museum was nice and then we started climbing up thru the ruins. Of course, there were no handrails. I had been there in 2010 and when Ginny had enough stairs, I was more than willing to quit. When we returned to Galaxidi we stopped on the harbor for iced cappuccinos and a spell of watching the world go by. Later we went back to the Ganimede to pick up our laundry and bags. The new hotel, Art Hotel Archontiko, was very nice with a balcony that looked out over the bay. The evening was so pleasant, we walked about a half mile to dinner. The place was on the water and sort of Greek/Italian fusion. When we finished the owner had her mother drive us back to the hotel, such great hospitality!
Wow, September 30th already. We had a huge breakfast in the garden of the hotel and got a leisurely start We did not have far to go but we couldn’t find anything to stop for. It was mostly farming country, cotton harvest, with a few factories here and there. We stopped in the only decent-sized town for an iced cappuccino. Just before 2, we arrived at the Athidon Estate, a lovely high-end resort. Our plan was to repack for the islands, kick back and relax. We had a very nice, two-story, two-bedroom villa right on the pookl€ 130 a night. Eventually, our hunger overtook us and we went looking for dinner. The resort restaurant was closed so we drove 10 km to the waterfront where there were supposed to be a few fish tavernas. They all looked closed. I spotted a person at one and we stopped. The first woman asked if we wanted coffee. The next woman came with a baby in her arms and gave us menus. We had a Greek salad, grilled whole gilt head bream, and wine for € 31. The fish was cooked perfectly. No other customers ever showed up.
Maybe I should say a bit about driving in Greece. They do drive on the right. Generally, the roads have very light traffic. Except for the tollways, there are almost no straight sections of over 100 meters long, and very little that is flat. In the hills and mountains, it is a continuous steep, snake of turns and switchbacks. In many small towns, the houses were there before the road was paved, or maybe they just paved the goat path. The side streets in the city aren’t any better. 90-degree turns on an 8-foot wide road are exhilarating.. Streets in the cities are often one-lane but two-way. I have hit the side mirrors a few times. People take the signage; stop, do not enter, no parking, speed limit, no passing, etc. as a mere suggestion. Parking on the sidewalk, double parking, or completely blocking the street is not unusual. If the highway is a bit wider, many people ride the shoulder, allowing faster cars to pass. The cooperation of opposing traffic on one-lane roads is excellent. Your chance of finding anything without GPS is zero, city or country. Sometimes the GPS tells you to turn up an alley that looks barely wide enough to walk up.
Saturday we planned to explore Evia, the 2nd largest island in Greece. We crossed the old bridge into Chalkis the capital. It turned out to be a work-a-day city, with terrible traffic and little charm that we could find. So we headed south the Eretria, which I thought was in Africa. It was a pleasant beach town with a ferry to the mainland. We stopped for a midday snack; mussels in lemon sauce, yum. By this time the temp was over 90 so we just went back to the resort and sat by the pool. Greece has innumerable cats, probably because they have so many fish tavernas. This resort was teeming with them and one got into our room. It was fun trying to chase it out We planned to eat at the resort, but the menu was all Italian and not very interesting. We returned to the waterfront again and tried a different taverna. They did not have an English menu so I went back to the kitchen to look at the fish. We were not very hungry so it was just fried anchovies and grilled red mullet, with wine € 23, and very tasty.
October 2nd, Sunday, did not go well. We drove to the gas station for fuel and air for the left rear tire. Ginny wanted to drive, which was fine as I had not slept all that well. However, just past the bridge to Chalkis, she did not see an old man on a bicycle and knocked him over. He really seemed to not want the police involved. We took him to the hospital emergency room and he got right in. His shoulder was dislocated. After a few hours, the nurse took our phone number and said we could leave. We had planned to visit the temple of Artemis Brauron but got there just as it closed. We got a good look from the road and it was small but quite nice. We stayed in a small but functional hotel in Sounion. 30 meters down the road was the Artemis restaurant. We had Greek salad, bruschetta, octopus carpaccio, and cod. The bruschetta and the cod may have been the best we ever ate, € 49.
We had stayed in Sounion so that we could be the first visitors of the day at the Temple of Poseidon. The setting, on a bluff on the southernmost point of Attica, was dramatic. By the time we left, there were 8 tour buses. From there we drove to the airport and turned the car in. Then we took a taxi to Rafina, Greece’s largest fishing port. We had several hours to kill before our ferry so we sat at an outside taverna and had a 2 ½ hour lunch, I ate way too much. The ferry was huge and comfortable. In 3 ½ hours, we reached Tinos. The hotelier met us at the dock to help with the luggage. That was a good thing as it was a short but steep uphill to the hotel. The Voreades was nicely done with dry-laid stonework. We had a suite on the 2nd floor with a balcony that looked out to the sea, € 90 a night.
Tinos has a well-deserved reputation for relaxing. After breakfast, we made our way up to the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Evangelistria. We saw several penitents (all women) making their way up the hill on their knees. The church was not that impressive but draws many pilgrims, especially in August. There was no miracle for my back so we stopped for an iced cappuccino. Doing essentially nothing is very restorative. That evening we had the worst meal in Greece. The salad was good but the local sausage was cooked so long that it had the texture of oak and even less flavor. We decided to stay an extra day so we had to change our ferry tickets. One of the changed tickets cost us € 50 each and the other was free. We had to go to different offices to change each ticket. The next day we wandered around the brown, drank coffee, lounged on our balcony, and called the American embassy about the bicyclist. They gave us the name of a local lawyer who assured us we were not in trouble. Dinner was excellent.
On the fourth morning in Tinos, we had a lovely breakfast looking out at the sea, before we finished packing for the next ferry. No sooner did we get back to the room, than we got a text that the ferry was canceled. Kosmis, our hotelier came to the rescue. There were no other ferries to Naxos that day. Our hotel reservation in Naxos was non-refundable. Kosmis got our money back for the ferry from Mykonos to Naxos. He changed the tickets from Tinos to Mykonos to open date tickets and then bought them from us. We negotiated with the hotel on Naxos and just changed the dates. Then we got ferry tickets to Syros, where we wanted to go after Naxos anyway. We wandered down along the harbor and had our usual Greek salad for lunch. The ferry was late afternoon and only 30 minutes. The Amare Hotel on Syros met us at the dock and drove us to the hotel. The hotel was beautiful but the room was quite small. At first, it seemed like a ways from the center, but when we walked to dinner it was no problem (downhill). We ate at a lovely taverna on the waterfront, 4 dishes and wine €51. We took a taxi back. Disaster averted, it turned out to be a good day.
The town of Ermoupoli oozes charm. In the center the streets are marble. As you get a bit further out the streets become cobble but the sidewalks and curbs are still marble. There are lots of neoclassical buildings and some dramatic churches. We visited their small archaeological museum which had many local objects from 2700 BC. In the afternoon, we finally found the beach that was supposed to be 2 minutes from our hotel. It was a very nice concrete platform that stretched for a few hundred meters. It was many flights of stairs below our hotel. Several people were swimming in the crystal clear water but with the wind, we decided it was not for us. For dinner, Ginny ordered the swordfish and got a circular slice from near the tail that was 7” in diameter and delicious. The next day, after breakfast on the water we went looking for the art gallery of the Cyclades. After several tries, we found the entrance, which was locked and with no sign. So we wandered around the harbor and up thru the market looking at the small fishmongers and the produce sellers. We sat on the main square and ate ice cream while kids chased pigeons. Part way back to our room was the Opera house, supposedly a miniature la Scala. The inside was quite nice with 5 tiers of boxes and a glorious painted ceiling. We ate on the water again. The food was superb, the best orzo Ginny ever had and a nice whole grilled snapper for me. However, they charged € 5 for the bread we didn’t order and as much for a glass of wine as most places charged for a liter.
A very nice thing about our hotel was that they picked us up at the ferry and took us back. Sunday we were on the fast ferry to Naxos. The turnaround at the port was impressive. swarms of people came down one car ramp while more went up the other ramp. The boat left while we were still storing our luggage and before they even checked our tickets. We arrived in Naxos in an hour and 20 minutes including a stop in Mykonos. Our hotel, Alkyoni Beach Hotel, was everything you would expect a beach resort to be. Great view, a beautiful pool, pool bar, Beach shacks for drinks and eats, and a 10-minute walk down the sand to town. €140 a night. After a light lunch, we lounged on our terrace and watched the sea. Eventually, we wandered down the beach and settled into a promising-looking shack to watch the sunset. From when the sun touched the hills until dark was almost an hour, spectacular. Dinner was delicious but the smallest portions of the entire trip.
Monday we started off like we often do, walking thru town. We wanted to see the Kastro, the old Venetian castle/fort, which was on the high point of the town. It was easygoing for the most part, but then we hit the stairs. I was not sure I could make it and then Ginny sat and said she was feeling faint and was done. We sat for a while and she told me to go on, and it was only one more flight up to the castle. They had built a warren of apartments inside the walls. There was renovation going on on the north wall. I passed on the church and museum and went back to check on Ginny. Three young Argentinians and their 79-year-old mother had stopped and were giving Ginny some water. In our dotage, we had set out with no water and the tavernas we hoped to stop at were both closed. They insisted on walking us down to the port, which was much appreciated. We sat and had a couple of lemonades and a liter of water. Then we felt much better but weren’t thinking better. We decided to walk the mile back to the hotel. We made it but were completely spent. We took a nap. We ate at the hotel that night, the food was ok and very reasonable.
Tuesday was our last full day on Naxos. We rented a small car for the day. It had no GPS but I did have my bracket to stick my phone on the windshield. The night desk clerk had given us an itinerary that sounded great. Our first stop was the Temple of Demeter. It was closed but there was a trail that bypassed the entrance. About halfway up, the young couple that went ahead of us was coming back down, not much to see. The road winds thru several villages including Chalki which had a little distillery that distilled a tasty liqueur from Citron, an especially ugly citrus fruit. Some villages did pottery, some did marble carving, and all were charming. Stavros was just a church in the middle of the road with a spectacular view. Eventually, we came to Apollonas, a darling little village on the water. We ate lunch about 19 feet from the water. I ordered the red mullet, and the waitress said there were 5 in an order, I asked for only 4, and the cook compromised with 6. The bees started coming as soon as we got our food and when I pushed my plate, with the heads and bones, to the end of the table, a dozen or more bees started feasting on the plate. With zucchini fritters, greek salad, and wine, € 35. We wanted to see the Kronos (a large marble statue meant for a temple but still laying in the quarry) but it was up a zillion, uneven steps without a handrail. We continued on the road enjoying the scenery overlooking the Aegean. The oil press museum was closed. Our last stop was to be at Melanes where there were two more Kronos. As we approached the village google maps started to spin 360 degrees, and never settled. Of course, we managed to drive down a street that narrowed to about 5 feet and had to back out. Having lost my enthusiasm for driving by this time, we went back to the resort for a nap. I think we were vacationed out, finally.
Wednesday we planned to fly to Athens as it was the same price as the ferry (€ 70) and 40 minutes vs 5 ½ hours. We walked down the beach a bit but it was quite windy so we soon stopped. We took a taxi to the airport at 12:15 only to have our 1:30 flight delayed for 3 hours. The metal seats in the airport were much worse than the ferry seats and we got to Athens at about the same time as the ferry. It was cool to see the Cyclades Islands spread out below us, almost like seeing a map. Our hotel, the AD Luxury Suites, was beautiful and spacious, € 180. We looked at a couple of highly regarded restaurants but settled on a more traditional sidewalk cafe. The sidewalks in Athens are wall-to-wall outdoor cafes. Ginny had lamb chops and I had the crispy skin sea bass, which was completely deboned. With an appetizer, dessert, and a lovely bottle of rose from Crete; € 74. As an after-dinner treat, they gave us shots of Mastica, which is made from tree sap and was so good that I bought a bottle the next day.
Our hotel was a block from the museum of the Acropolis which we both wanted to visit again. After a lovely breakfast on the roof of the hotel, we set out for a morning of archaeology. The museum is impressive, built over excavated ruins with a glass floor both inside and on the plaza. Then we went to the temple of Olympian Zeus, but it was mostly scaffolded, so we just sat in the park and watched the world go by for a bit. Checking in for our flight was completely bolixed up. Everyone in the first class line seemed to have a problem that took forever. The Greek national bicycle team was checking in with huge boxes of bikes. The whole economy line finished before we got our turn. Then the agent that was supposedly checking us in kept going to help other agents. At least we got escorted thru passport control and security. When the plane landed in Istanbul, it taxied for 15 minutes and stopped a mile from the terminal. We had to clamber down steps and take a bus back to the terminal where it was a long walk with no assistance to our connecting flight. Dinner was supposed to be steak but was a couple of small disks ¼ inch thick and burnt to a crisp. The plane was a 787 Dreamliner. Whoever designed the seating must have dreamt that all business-class passengers were 5’ 2”. When I put the seat flat there was not enough room to lay on my back, and if I tried to lay on my side, the cubby hole for my feet was narrower than my feet are long. And all the partitioning, for privacy I guess, prevented me from bending my knees enough to fit on my side. 10 ½ hours with no sleep sucks. When we landed in NJ it was raining, there was a shortage of taxis and Uber prices were thru the roof. Oh well, better to have the worst day at the end than the beginning. The end!