Mediterranean Adventure Fall 2019
Greece
We arrived on Wednesday morning after a long day of travel.
Donna had picked us up on Tuesday at 5:30 which gave us some time at the airport to eat
and drink before boarding a two hour flight to Toronto.
Donna had picked us up on Tuesday at 5:30 which gave us some time at the airport to eat
and drink before boarding a two hour flight to Toronto.
The international part of the airport in Toronto is really nice and we quickly found
a nice place for lunch. We enjoyed burgers and talked to our waitress who commutes
in from Guelph. She mentioned she had thought of moving to Miami and we recommended
that she stay put in Canada. Once we boarded, we settled in for a nine hour flight.
Our movies including one set in Barcelona helped pass the time.
Sleep was elusive and thankfully we were in Athens about 30 minutes early.
That airport stood in stark contrast to Canada. It was dinghy and disorganized.
We showed our passports and collected our luggage. Customs was a non-event.
The taxi ride was only exciting when we realized how good it was that we had gotten
Euros in St. Louis as the driver didn’t take credit cards.
We arrived at the Royal Hotel Olympic about 5 hours before check-in.
We changed into shorts and had them store our luggage.
The doorman who spoke perfect English as he was from Canada suggested a
lunch place nearby and advised us to watch out for pick-pockets.
This was a warning that was repeated many times.
a nice place for lunch. We enjoyed burgers and talked to our waitress who commutes
in from Guelph. She mentioned she had thought of moving to Miami and we recommended
that she stay put in Canada. Once we boarded, we settled in for a nine hour flight.
Our movies including one set in Barcelona helped pass the time.
Sleep was elusive and thankfully we were in Athens about 30 minutes early.
That airport stood in stark contrast to Canada. It was dinghy and disorganized.
We showed our passports and collected our luggage. Customs was a non-event.
The taxi ride was only exciting when we realized how good it was that we had gotten
Euros in St. Louis as the driver didn’t take credit cards.
We arrived at the Royal Hotel Olympic about 5 hours before check-in.
We changed into shorts and had them store our luggage.
The doorman who spoke perfect English as he was from Canada suggested a
lunch place nearby and advised us to watch out for pick-pockets.
This was a warning that was repeated many times.
We had our first Greek gyro which was good but oddly stuffed with french fries.
We were too tired to walk and headed back to sit at our spectacular rooftop bar
that overlooked the Acropolis and Parthenon as well as the Temple of Zeus.
We had both espresso and wine but stayed sleepy. We finally got into our room
at 2:30 in the afternoon. That helped and we did venture back out for a bit to walk
around the Temple of Zeus and the original site of the Olympics.
We also stumbled on another archaeological site which has been discovered while
digging for the metro.
We were too tired to walk and headed back to sit at our spectacular rooftop bar
that overlooked the Acropolis and Parthenon as well as the Temple of Zeus.
We had both espresso and wine but stayed sleepy. We finally got into our room
at 2:30 in the afternoon. That helped and we did venture back out for a bit to walk
around the Temple of Zeus and the original site of the Olympics.
We also stumbled on another archaeological site which has been discovered while
digging for the metro.
We had our most expensive dinner at a touristy place called Oasis.
They did not want to run a credit card and also did a bait and switch with the wine order,
setting us up to buy a more expensive wine. The moussaka was good but contained no meat.
We were so tired that it didn’t make sense to argue.
We begged off from meeting Craig and Carol who were just arriving from London
and slept fitfully for the next 12 hours.
They did not want to run a credit card and also did a bait and switch with the wine order,
setting us up to buy a more expensive wine. The moussaka was good but contained no meat.
We were so tired that it didn’t make sense to argue.
We begged off from meeting Craig and Carol who were just arriving from London
and slept fitfully for the next 12 hours.
The next day we were ready to go after a fantastic breakfast at the hotel.
European meats and cheese pies plus yogurt, potatoes, eggs and wonderful dark bread.
European meats and cheese pies plus yogurt, potatoes, eggs and wonderful dark bread.
Craig and Carol had a neighbor that knew Athens well and gave us great directions
to more authentic local oriented places. After walking around the neighborhood and
stepping into several beautiful churches, we found a street cafe and enjoyed cappuccinos
and lattes. It was everything we could imagine for Greece. We kept walking and saw a
market that included a large meat market. The meet was all hanging, including rabbit
that still had the cotton tail. The odor was quite strong and it was a relief to get to the
spices and herbs. From there, we took a taxi to the beach and had a long leisurely lunch
on the outdoor patio. We had spinach salads with goat cheese and egg roll appetizers.
to more authentic local oriented places. After walking around the neighborhood and
stepping into several beautiful churches, we found a street cafe and enjoyed cappuccinos
and lattes. It was everything we could imagine for Greece. We kept walking and saw a
market that included a large meat market. The meet was all hanging, including rabbit
that still had the cotton tail. The odor was quite strong and it was a relief to get to the
spices and herbs. From there, we took a taxi to the beach and had a long leisurely lunch
on the outdoor patio. We had spinach salads with goat cheese and egg roll appetizers.
We returned to the Plaka area which was next to Monastiraki. We saw more ruins but
didn’t go in. By 4:30, we decided it was time to rest. We met again at 7 PM and went to
the 7th best bar in the world. We then walked to dinner, first hitting a place that was in
a sketchy neighborhood. We convinced Craig that this was not ideal and we went on to
find a lovely place with dining in the courtyard. We watched cats come and ago.
We had saganaki which was not flaming. We also had shrimp.
didn’t go in. By 4:30, we decided it was time to rest. We met again at 7 PM and went to
the 7th best bar in the world. We then walked to dinner, first hitting a place that was in
a sketchy neighborhood. We convinced Craig that this was not ideal and we went on to
find a lovely place with dining in the courtyard. We watched cats come and ago.
We had saganaki which was not flaming. We also had shrimp.
As we returned and also from our hotel, we saw the Acropolis at night.
The next morning we saw a rainbow over the Acropolis as we had breakfast.
We then had a tour. Our guide was named Theodoro.
She took us to the Acropolis, on a city tour where we saw another Olympic stadium
and then the Acropolis Museum. The big takeaway was that so much of the Acropolis
was taken hundreds of years back and is now in the British Museum. It should be returned.
We then had a tour. Our guide was named Theodoro.
She took us to the Acropolis, on a city tour where we saw another Olympic stadium
and then the Acropolis Museum. The big takeaway was that so much of the Acropolis
was taken hundreds of years back and is now in the British Museum. It should be returned.
After the tour, we had an appetizer lunch and then finished up with
donuts at Lukumaaee. I had the pistachio cream and it was amazing but too much.
Craig and Carol had just found out there boat to Myknonos was canceled due to weather
and they ran back to book a flight. We met them later for drinks on their rooftop bar.
We then had the best souvlaki ever, lamb, pork and chicken.
The place was called the Kalamaki Bar and after all we ate, the meat, the Greek salad,
appetizers and wine, the total bill was 50 Euros. There is so much graffiti in Athens.
donuts at Lukumaaee. I had the pistachio cream and it was amazing but too much.
Craig and Carol had just found out there boat to Myknonos was canceled due to weather
and they ran back to book a flight. We met them later for drinks on their rooftop bar.
We then had the best souvlaki ever, lamb, pork and chicken.
The place was called the Kalamaki Bar and after all we ate, the meat, the Greek salad,
appetizers and wine, the total bill was 50 Euros. There is so much graffiti in Athens.
Cruise
Saturday morning we went our separate ways. We had our last breakfast at the hotel
rooftop bar, savoring the view of the Acropolis. We went to our room to pack and at 11 AM,
we hailed a taxi and headed for the port of Piraeus. The ride took us through some seedy
neighborhoods. Once we arrived at the ship, the on boarding process was the easiest
experience ever. No lines and we walked right on to the ship and were having lunch in minutes. We found out later that many passengers on our cruise were doing 14 or 21 days and Athens was just a port for them. After lunch, we found our cabin and were pleasantly surprised to find that we had been upgraded to a mini-suite. Our room steward was Jay who is from the part of India that Joshy is from. He was not very outgoing.
rooftop bar, savoring the view of the Acropolis. We went to our room to pack and at 11 AM,
we hailed a taxi and headed for the port of Piraeus. The ride took us through some seedy
neighborhoods. Once we arrived at the ship, the on boarding process was the easiest
experience ever. No lines and we walked right on to the ship and were having lunch in minutes. We found out later that many passengers on our cruise were doing 14 or 21 days and Athens was just a port for them. After lunch, we found our cabin and were pleasantly surprised to find that we had been upgraded to a mini-suite. Our room steward was Jay who is from the part of India that Joshy is from. He was not very outgoing.
It was clearly pool time and the crowd was thin. It was a relaxing start and much needed after the crazy marathon days of Athens. At 6, we went to the LGBT gathering. The unofficial cruise host was from South Africa. Her wife is also on staff and from Honduras. We met Brian and Mark from LA who have 4 Basenji’s. They were the guys I saw on Meet me On Board. There was another couple from New Orleans who live in the Warehouse District. We stayed at that bar with Brian and Mark for the sail away. And by then, it was time for our first anytime dining experience in the DaVinci dining room. We sat with a couple, she was Puerto Rican and he was second generation Indian. They were travelling with their grown son who did realize how lucky he was. They live in NYC and had the drink package. They talked as though they owned properties.
Our first port on Sunday was Santorini. We took the “ultimate tour” and it was a good one. It started with an archaeological tour at the The Akrotiri excavation site. This is a Minoan Bronze Age settlement. The city is much older than Pompeii and very similar except no people were found. They must have fled as a result of earthquakes that were a precursor to the volcanic eruption. We were hoping they survived but it is unlikely they did. Our tour guide for this was very good and passionate about the excavation. She mentioned a number of times that the excavation has been so slow due to a lack of money.
Next we went to Oia to see the classic blue domed buildings. The blue indicates they are churches. We got some great and very classic photos of this beautiful town. Lunch was at the Artemis Karamolegos Winery for a tasting. During the excellent Greek meal, the wine was generous. After the tour, we had free time and went to a seaside bar called Exo Gonia in Thira. We then took the cable cars back down to the port.
We woke up in Kotor Montenegro to a beautiful view.
It is a medieval town nestled into the mountains.
We heard roosters as we were pulling into port.
It is a medieval town nestled into the mountains.
We heard roosters as we were pulling into port.
Guide talked a lot about Croatia and Bosnia too.
Country existed since 2006.
It was not part of the war but impacted by the Bosnia block on imports.
It was not part of the war but impacted by the Bosnia block on imports.
Our day in Sicily took us to Mt Etna and a gorgeous Botanical Garden.
Mt Etna was rumbling while we walked on the volcanic craters formed in previous eruptions.
It was eerie.
It was eerie.
We had a great guide who was very funny and very cute.
Our next day was in Naples, We went to see Pompeii which was such an amazing historic experience. But first, we took a boat along the Amalfi Coast which was gorgeous. It did rain at the end of that small cruise which was exciting. From there, we had lunch at a castle.
The cruise ended in Barcelona where we spent four more days.
This was all about food and of course Gaudi.
9/21
1st lunch was a cheese plate and a few small bites
Dinner from Open Table recommended restaurant called 2254.
That is the distance from Barcelona to Palmera (where the chef hails from)
Magnet of duck
Rolled sea bass
Amazing calamari called Calamares Andaluza
Tortilla
Catalan bread with tomato
Spanish red was Pas Curtei
Limoncello
9/22
We ate a late lunch at Los Caracoles which was recommended by Pickles.
Augustus chardonnay
Verduras salteadas which was calamari?
I had ½ roasted chicken
1 Chipirones plancha?
La Vinoteca Torres
2 copa Atrium
1 croqueta de mar and 1 de ja
1 racion gyozas
1 marchar y pasar
1 huevo a baja
2 copa v. senat
2 copa l. torres
9/23
Pura Brasa Rambla Catalun 62 Euros
1 Vina Esmeralda
Russian salad
Cazuelita pulpo
Pies cerdo cava
1 cambio vino
Obama Bar
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