Greece
Trip Report: What can you say about Greece?
Athens
Part 1
Part 1
As noted above, I am a serious travel planner. I travel frequently for business in North America with occasional trips to France or England. I like to know the where/how/what before I leave home. I am quite used to booking things 3 months out for business. For vacations, I extend this as available. To secure just the right room in just the right hotel, I will usually book 9 – 10 months out. This is often necessary for the small, popular hotels that sell out long before the summer months arrive. Fodor’s and Trip Advisor are used for research as well as general Internet searches on all properties of interest. Internal flights and ferries are booked as soon as they become available 3 – 6 months before. I will even pre-book a popular restaurant one or two a months out. Yes, I am organized. The hotspots of the world are brimming with other travelers vying for those same rooms and those same special tables and I prefer to be on the winning side of that equation.
June 1 - June 2: We left Toronto on a Monday afternoon with a direct flight to Athens. Air Canada Rouge is a new ‘discount’ airline that bridges the gap between the cheap junket airlines and normal AC service. It gets you there with smaller seat spaces in cattle class (economy) and premium seats that aren’t worth a premium. And the whole cabin was chilly for the entire flight despite our – and others – pleas to the staff. We arrived 2 hours late due to a late departure caused by 25 pre-board wheelchairs (!) and some minor cockpit problem on the ground. Passport control and baggage recovery were a breeze and our driver from George’s Taxis was waiting with a sign for us. I had toyed with a subway ride into Athens but my wife’s large bag was not conducive to hauling very far. It worked for us. The run in from the airport took just under an hour and gave us a chance to see the city from the back seat of a comfortable Benz with a pleasant driver. €55
Hotel: Hilton Athens
Despite our midday arrival, our room was ready offering an eighth floor view of downtown Athens with the Acropolis front and center from our balcony. A big WOW for that! The room was a pretty standard anywhere-in-the-world Hilton King room. I had booked enough ‘alternate’ rooms later in the trip for local flavor, and this worked well for jet-lagged bodies. After a bit of cleanup and unpacking, we dove into Athens. The Evangelismos subway station was easy to find - across a busy intersection in a little parkette. €1.60 each with a train transfer at Syntagma station and we popped out at the Akropoli station in the tourist zone at the foot of the Acropolis. The subway was quite busy mid-afternoon and we were glad we hadn’t tried a trudge in with our baggage. While most stations had nice escalators to negotiate the different levels, some of them were not functional.
Neither of us was particularly hungry so eschewing the many restaurants, we entered the Acropolis grounds at the 1st entrance near the Theatre of Dionysus – a short walk from the subway station. This route offers a slower climb up and a chance to see the two theaters up-close. My wife had been leery of the walk up on our aging bodies but it was a big non-issue. The main route up – where we exited – was definitely a steeper climb via those ‘slippery’ marble stairs as oft reported. Since we entered the actual Acropolis hill at around 3:30pm the crowds were very light and it was a pleasant experience to ooh and aah at the monuments and the views offered from this ancient perch.
June 1 - June 2: We left Toronto on a Monday afternoon with a direct flight to Athens. Air Canada Rouge is a new ‘discount’ airline that bridges the gap between the cheap junket airlines and normal AC service. It gets you there with smaller seat spaces in cattle class (economy) and premium seats that aren’t worth a premium. And the whole cabin was chilly for the entire flight despite our – and others – pleas to the staff. We arrived 2 hours late due to a late departure caused by 25 pre-board wheelchairs (!) and some minor cockpit problem on the ground. Passport control and baggage recovery were a breeze and our driver from George’s Taxis was waiting with a sign for us. I had toyed with a subway ride into Athens but my wife’s large bag was not conducive to hauling very far. It worked for us. The run in from the airport took just under an hour and gave us a chance to see the city from the back seat of a comfortable Benz with a pleasant driver. €55
Hotel: Hilton Athens
Despite our midday arrival, our room was ready offering an eighth floor view of downtown Athens with the Acropolis front and center from our balcony. A big WOW for that! The room was a pretty standard anywhere-in-the-world Hilton King room. I had booked enough ‘alternate’ rooms later in the trip for local flavor, and this worked well for jet-lagged bodies. After a bit of cleanup and unpacking, we dove into Athens. The Evangelismos subway station was easy to find - across a busy intersection in a little parkette. €1.60 each with a train transfer at Syntagma station and we popped out at the Akropoli station in the tourist zone at the foot of the Acropolis. The subway was quite busy mid-afternoon and we were glad we hadn’t tried a trudge in with our baggage. While most stations had nice escalators to negotiate the different levels, some of them were not functional.
Neither of us was particularly hungry so eschewing the many restaurants, we entered the Acropolis grounds at the 1st entrance near the Theatre of Dionysus – a short walk from the subway station. This route offers a slower climb up and a chance to see the two theaters up-close. My wife had been leery of the walk up on our aging bodies but it was a big non-issue. The main route up – where we exited – was definitely a steeper climb via those ‘slippery’ marble stairs as oft reported. Since we entered the actual Acropolis hill at around 3:30pm the crowds were very light and it was a pleasant experience to ooh and aah at the monuments and the views offered from this ancient perch.
The Acropolis
The temperature was in the high-20Cs so we had a refreshing lemon drink at the bottom before slugging it back to the subway and our hotel to rest before dinner.
I hadn't really intended this trip to be a foodie vacation but it ended up that way. I had done extensive research about restaurants that were only walking distances from each of our hotels and I had a nice list with lots of options. A pleasant surprise was that one of my choices – Milos Estiatorio – was actually attached to the Hilton.
I hadn't really intended this trip to be a foodie vacation but it ended up that way. I had done extensive research about restaurants that were only walking distances from each of our hotels and I had a nice list with lots of options. A pleasant surprise was that one of my choices – Milos Estiatorio – was actually attached to the Hilton.
- Review Milos Estiatorio “Worthy” I have dined at the Montreal & the Las Vegas versions of this very good restaurant. We were jet lagged so we just shared a couple of appetizers including the incredible Milo's Special of thin fried eggplant & zucchini slices with tzatziki. Very yummy. Our 2nd app was calamari which was tasty but tough. The efficient waiter claimed that is was from a bigger squid. We washed it down with a couple of glasses of local wine while dining in the pleasant garden outdoor area in a near-empty restaurant. The light dinner at Milos clocked in at €60. Great food is usually not cheap food.
- Review Hilton Athens “Great for business (and the view)” We had a great room with a balcony facing the Acropolis. From our 8th floor room we could even see Piraeus & mountains disappearing into the haze. The staff was efficient & very accommodating. We were on a reward stay so I can't really complain. As mentioned, Internet was a crazy €20 per day & my status was not high enough for free service. Likewise the breakfast buffet is €35 (€20 if you pre-book at check-in). Luckily there are several inexpensive cafés & a Starbucks around the corner to fill the gap. The Evangelismos subway stop is a minute away across the very busy road to easily connect with anywhere in Athens. As a bonus, the wonderful Milos Restaurant is attached to the hotel.
Day 3
We woke up at 6am to overcast skies, mild temps and light showers. Well, that kind of sucks. It was June 3. We avoided the extortion-like Hilton buffet and walked around the corner. There was a Starbucks and several coffee shops. One yielded coffee and a ham and cheese pastry for just €4.80. Breakfast solved.
Manned with our umbrella – we had seen the forecast before we left home – we set our sights on the Archaeological Museum of Athens via the busy Omonia subway hub. Still with a light rain falling, we made our way up a busy store-lined avenue – oh, and did I mention rather ugly? – to the museum. A few tour buses were in evidence but the mild crowds – solos and tours including school groups – were never a real problem.
I would rank this museum very high on my ‘The Must-Sees’ list. Well laid out with great displays and some of the world’s finest ancient treasures. You are truly a history-Neanderthal if you willingly skip it.
We woke up at 6am to overcast skies, mild temps and light showers. Well, that kind of sucks. It was June 3. We avoided the extortion-like Hilton buffet and walked around the corner. There was a Starbucks and several coffee shops. One yielded coffee and a ham and cheese pastry for just €4.80. Breakfast solved.
Manned with our umbrella – we had seen the forecast before we left home – we set our sights on the Archaeological Museum of Athens via the busy Omonia subway hub. Still with a light rain falling, we made our way up a busy store-lined avenue – oh, and did I mention rather ugly? – to the museum. A few tour buses were in evidence but the mild crowds – solos and tours including school groups – were never a real problem.
I would rank this museum very high on my ‘The Must-Sees’ list. Well laid out with great displays and some of the world’s finest ancient treasures. You are truly a history-Neanderthal if you willingly skip it.
The Archaeological Museum of Athens
Some of the stunning frescoes from Akrotiri on Santorini ca. 1627 BC
The rain was finally tapering off as we exited, and we were entertained by a gaggle of Greek pre-teen girls in the forecourt imitating their coffee-drinking/cigarette-puffing male teacher. They obviously liked him a lot and he took it all in stride.
We subway’d to Syntagma Square and set off down Mitropoleos St for lunch of some tasty toasts at Café Duomo. €12. It rained fairly heavily while we ate but the substantial awning allowed us to peacefully watch the mix of tourists and locals scurry by for shelter into the Hondos Center across the alley.
With the weather finally clearing and the sun peeking out, we dove into the Monastiraki area, walking by the Roman agora on our way to the Ancient Greek one. The large park-like setting was lightly touristed and was a very pleasant way to kill an hour or so. I even dragged my wife to visit the foundations of the State Prison – now labelled btw – which houses the cells where Socrates drank his cup of death. The agora museum – in the re-constructed Stoa was small but had some nice pieces so it is also worthy of a diversion. Along the way, we noticed some of the same tourists we had seen in the Acropolis the day before – yes, the crowds were that light! A stop in a tourist den for an espresso/cappuccino fredo yielded a nice conversation with the talkative waiter about the economy and tourism. His view: independent tourism is way down while the cruise groups are increasing – except for the growing Chinese independents many of whom favor winter travel. Unfortunately for him, neither of these demographic segments stop in his restaurant, they walk right by.
We subway’d to Syntagma Square and set off down Mitropoleos St for lunch of some tasty toasts at Café Duomo. €12. It rained fairly heavily while we ate but the substantial awning allowed us to peacefully watch the mix of tourists and locals scurry by for shelter into the Hondos Center across the alley.
With the weather finally clearing and the sun peeking out, we dove into the Monastiraki area, walking by the Roman agora on our way to the Ancient Greek one. The large park-like setting was lightly touristed and was a very pleasant way to kill an hour or so. I even dragged my wife to visit the foundations of the State Prison – now labelled btw – which houses the cells where Socrates drank his cup of death. The agora museum – in the re-constructed Stoa was small but had some nice pieces so it is also worthy of a diversion. Along the way, we noticed some of the same tourists we had seen in the Acropolis the day before – yes, the crowds were that light! A stop in a tourist den for an espresso/cappuccino fredo yielded a nice conversation with the talkative waiter about the economy and tourism. His view: independent tourism is way down while the cruise groups are increasing – except for the growing Chinese independents many of whom favor winter travel. Unfortunately for him, neither of these demographic segments stop in his restaurant, they walk right by.
The State Prison in the Agora - site of Socrates' death by drinking hemlock
Then it was back to the hotel to prepare for our ‘treat’ restaurant. We justified it many ways, but it was still a big extravagance: The Funky Gourmet From the moment we found the website and the reviews, we wanted to make this an Athen’s highlight for us. It was.
- Review Funky Gourmet “A must if you are a foodie.” This was our 'treat' restaurant. It has been recently awarded its 2nd Michelin Star & the price, presentation & service reflected this accolade. We had the Degustation Menu #2 with wine pairing. The food was all exceptional even though some of the ingredients were not in our normal rotation. The presentations were the real star here with incredibly inventive plating. Service was efficient & friendly albeit not quite as special as a Parisian equivalent. The wine choices (one was actually beer) were perfect for the dishes served. A must if you are a foodie. Georgianna (co-chef/co-owner) was happy to meet us to share a photo. As others have mentioned, the area was slightly sketchy & we taxied both ways from our hotel.
Some of the dishes from The Funky Gourmet
And then there was the wonderful lightening display that the Greek Gods put on for us. Perched on our balcony with late night duty-free cocktails in hand, we had an incredible view of the awesomeness of nature as multiple lightening forks lit up the hills of Athens. Despite our best efforts, we never got a lightening strike picture but it was amazing to watch.
And fwiw . . . taxis to/from Funky were €8/€10.80 respectively so cabbing is not cheap in Athens.
And fwiw . . . taxis to/from Funky were €8/€10.80 respectively so cabbing is not cheap in Athens.