Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 16 (Aegean Sea)

October 8, 2016

This morning my worst (travel) nightmare happened. I received an email from Aegean Airlines saying that our flight for Sunday morning at 6:40 am was canceled due to an air traffic control strike. I leaped out of bed. We have to be in Athens to get on our Delta flight at noon back to NYC. I raced to reception of our hotel without washing my face or even combing my hair. I asked what should we do. They said our best option was to get on the next ferry to Santorini right away. The next one would be leaving at 3:30 pm and take about 8 hours to reach Athens. I would need to go to a travel agency to pick up tickets when the office opens at 9 am. I raced back to my room to get ready.

The Unglamorous Side of Travel

When I returned to the reception desk in a more presentable manner, the woman there gently told me that if my flight to Santorini to Athens was canceled, than most likely my flight with Delta was as well. That thought had not crossed my mind at all during the frenzy of recalibrating my thought process of forgoing the other hotel we had booked tonight on the other side of Santorini and getting a refund from Aegean. But deep down the news sunk in and I checked my Email and had no communications from Delta. I went on the Delta website and it said my flight was still on.

Confused, I tried to call Delta but because I'm in Greece, you cannot make toll free calls to the US. Ok. Let me trying calling a Delta office in Greece. I checked online only to find those offices are only open Monday to Friday. Of course. Given that it was 9 am on a Saturday in Greece, I wasn't sure who I could text in NY to put me thru. Luckily I have a night owl friend in Florida and I saw on facebook messenger she was just active 6 minutes ago.

I texted to see if she was still awake (must have been 2 am her time). She wrote back yes immediately and asked what was up. I told her I needed to call her so she could connect me to Delta. Done. She helped put me thru.

The woman I spoke with at Delta insisted the flight was still scheduled to leave. I asked if she was sure. She said yes. An hour later, Delta even sent me an email asking me to check in online. By then I had gotten the tickets to Santorini with Blue Star Ferry. I gotta say the staff at Santorini Princess Spa was kind. They saw how upset I was and did whatever they could to help. You would think I'd be thrilled to have an extended vacation but that's not how I saw it. I saw this as a mess I would have to untangle later with refunds and rebooking and new bookings. Also I have so much work waiting for me in NYC, I do feel bad being out of the office for any more time.

Anyway I tried to find more news about the strikes. Finally the Athens International Airport spelled it out loud and clear. Two strikes are to happen. Sunday and Monday and then Wednesday and Thursday. A glimmer of hope. That means the airports should run on Tuesday. And they obviously planned it this way to annoy travelers and promote their cause but not have too much disruption.

I was really upset by the news. Moreso because I remember when I was booking this trip, I was going to leave Saturday instead of Sunday. Had I left today, I wouldn't have to deal with the stress and extra expenses. I also remember reading about the strikes from the around the same time as last year. And I remember thinking what are the chances it'll happen again on my exact travel dates?

Anyway I tried to call Delta again, by way of another friend who woke up in the middle of night who saw my text (Florida friend was asleep). I spoke to a man and he also said my flight was still on not to worry. I asked anyway if there were any seats for Tuesday and could I rebook just in case. He said there was nothing available for Tuesday (Delta seems to have just one flight a day to JFK from Athens). I insisted it didn't make sense. I told him about the Athens airport website and how other guests at my hotel definitely had canceled flight notifications too. He finally seemed to check into it and put me on hold to talk to supervisors or another support area. I was on hold for maybe ten minutes. Finally he confirmed yes. The flight would be canceled due to the strikes. I don't know why Delta didn't have this information sooner. I had spoken to guests from Canada earlier that morning who said their Airlines had told them and the receptionist also had told me other American flights had said it too (but she didn't remember which ones).

He then said he could get me out next Saturday! On a flight that would connect via Rome. It would be of no extra charge. He said I could rebook before the 17th and try to take a train to another city in another country and fly out if there's availability with Delta or one of their partner airlines (Air France, Alitalia, KLM). Since I was about to board my 8 hour ferry, I told him I would think about it then and call Delta back later when I got to Athens.

I hate wasting time so I was annoyed to take the ferry to Athens. But honestly it's not too bad at all. Economy tickets are cheap (40 euros) and it's a huge ferry and no assigned seating. But the way the seats are seem more comfortable. There's tables and chair settings to choose from like at a restaurant rather than lined seats like it is on planes. They have those for business class but I honestly think Econ is more roomier because you can rearrange your chairs around.

Also there is wifi on board (3 euros for 2 hours) and places to charge your electronics. And phone carrier service works well too. Before we left Santorini I did manage to book a hotel in Athens for tonight. We were initially going to sleep at the airport but once we knew there are no flights there was no point. Also I wasn't sure if we could get on the ferry tomorrow and didn't want to risk it so gave up our last day in Santorini to get to Athens as soon as possible.

Because we don't get into Athens until close to midnight, I asked the hotel to arrange a pickup for us at the port. Athens Status Suites was very helpful and so we have a transfer to the hotel for 25 euros. I like arranging with the hotel just in case because I don't feel you can trust the taxi driver you run into especially late at night. Also I had done no research on how to get from the Athens port to Athens and didn't have time to either so having the hotel arrange it was easier.

So 30 min. into our ferry ride, the boat made an announcement that it was returning to Santorini due to a sick passenger. I thought, wow could this day get any better. Luckily they also said the boat would still continue at least.

I forgot to mention if you ever take Blue Star Ferry from Santorini, the check in is at Gate 4 and best to get there an hour early to get in line. The ferry is coming from other islands first so there is as rush/horde to get on after other passengers depart. Otherwise boarding wasn't too bad and unlike Hellenic Seaways where we had to put our luggage downstairs, we could bring everything up. I think because this ferry holds automobiles down below.

Finally another hour later, I got an email from Delta. They had rebooked us on a new flight at 10 am to JFK to depart Tuesday. I'm not sure if this is a brand new flight in addition to their usual 12:30 pm one. I had checked before that there was only one Tuesday flight at 12:30 and not sure if this is moved to 10 am or they are having one flight at 10 and another at 12:30. In any event, my fleeting dream of one extra week of vacation in Rome faded and it looks like I just need to figure out a hotel for Sunday and Monday.

I know there are bigger issues in the world and this travel inconvenience is really nothing in the grand scheme of things but I just didn't want to stress about making more bookings or dealing with refund requests. And I do feel bad not being at work because it is a busy period for us this week. Lastly I'm sad I missed out on a final beach day! But I'll get over it. I'm also not thrilled about having to be in Athens again but will make do...

The ferry ride has been beautiful though.

My love for the Aegean Sea remains though

Whoops didn't realize this is blurry and don't know to delete from the blogging app

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 15 (Santorini)

October 7, 2016

Today we took a sunset boat tour around Santorini and it was lovely! It is something worth doing but don't go expecting amazing food. We went with Santorini Sailing, on their Dream Catcher catamaran. This one was slightly more pricey than others but I didn't want to be a huge boat or a small boat and this one was pretty steady in terms of not having too much motion sickness. If you pay in cash it's 95 euros but they charge your card first for 105 euros pp and then refund you later.

The tour lasted 5 hours and they picked us up from the hotel and dropped us off. Food was given about three hours into the trip, it was your typical Greek salad and grilled meats. I've given up on hoping for amazing food in Greece. The food wasn't terrible but nothing compares to NYC food! I get that food here should be more authentic but if that means overly salty (and believe me I love savory food) then no thanks. Also I noticed here in Santorini they don't really give complimentary desserts the way they do on Rhodes or Crete.

We made two swim stops but I didn't get in because I didn't want to come back feeling wet and cold. I'm also not a strong swimmer but they give you life jackets and floaties. The first stop was near the hot springs and the second was near a black sand beach. I loved just being on the boat though and marveling at the Caldera and its history.

It was amazing to see all the towns of Santorini lined up along the edges of the cliffs. And to see the sheer cliffs that were created by the volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. So according to the tour, Santorini used to be a circular island with a volcano in the middle. When it erupted, everything around the volcano collapsed and the sea came in. The cliffs all around the western edge was caused by the tsunami, which apparently reached as high as Imerovigli. In addition, the volcano is still active and land continues to form from the lava flow which is cooled by the seawater above. They think that in a few hundred years, there will be land rising again and no more water all around. I can't imagine that happening in this beautiful place but who knows.

We also grazed by a red sand beach (which they recommended not to visit because of possible landslides) and we saw more cool limestone cliffs. The tour ended with clear views of the sunset and we were back at the hotel by 8:15 pm.

Forgot to mention earlier this morning we did a mini hike from Santorini Princess Spa hotel towards Oia. We only went a mile north because the road gets really narrow and steep and the sun was coming up fast, which seems to make any kind of walking outside more difficult. The mile north hike was also only about one third of the way to Oia and I was starving for breakfast so we walked back. Took us a whole hour in general (started at 7:30 am and sun came up at 7:15) as it is quite steep in some parts. We saw some people running the trail. I don't know how they do it!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 14 (Santorini)

October 7, 2016

I had trouble posting yesterday so posting Day 14 & 15 today!

Today was a spectacular day of walking. The Caldera hiking trail from Fira to Oia sounds great in theory but I have no idea how people do it in the summertime, or any even after 9 am even in October! With the sun beating down on you and zero shade anywhere, it feels way hotter than the temperature says. That and the humidity, I don't get how people venture this climb at all!

Instead of doing the hike, we took the hotel car service to Oia to walk around. It's tiring just walking in the city! With all the steps up and down and also with no shade.

I love Oia more than Fira. Oia was more scenic and had more pathways to walk around and explore on. We spent about 4 hours (including lunch at Skala, which was very good and beautiful views) walking around and taking it all in. Aim to get near Ammoudi Bay, and then you know you've seen most of it. It's about 200+ steps down to the bay so we didn't go (didn't want to climb back up!) but there's supposed to be good seafood taverns there and an area to swim in.

After Oia we went back to Fira to explore it some more as well but we were done in two hours. After we went back to the hotel and rested, we watched the sunset from our hotel which was gorgeous and different from the night before since there were some clouds.

We then raced against the fading light to dinner up in Imerovigli. We barely made it, it got dark fast and the way up from the hotel it is not an easy walk. A flashlight is recommended as there are some parts of the trail that are well lit be others not so much. Also, although it's generally pretty safe in Santorini, best not to walk this alone since it's so dark and you need to be careful since the path can be rocky/not even/has steps. We ate somewhere not worth recommending and then went for a stroll all the way down to Fira. Walking along the rim of the island at night was also wonderful. It took us about twenty minutes to walk thru Imerovigli to Firastefani and then finally to Fira (think this walk was about a mile total). It was a different experience to see the villages at night. From Fira to Oia, it's about 5 miles. From Santorini Princess Spa to the center of Imerovigli, it's about a mile (due to the uphill climb). From Imerovigli to Fira it's about a mile.

The northwest side of the island, Firastefani and Imerovigli

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 13 (Santorini)

October 5, 2016

The day I've been waiting for finally arrived. Off to Santorini!! Bought the ferry tickets in advance and booked online through Hellenic Seaways. One way tickets were $70 USD from Heraklion and the first ferry is at 9 am. So we took a taxi from Kronos hotel to the port, which was $7.50 euros for three and got there by 8:15 am to board. Every ticket purchased comes with an assigned seat and the ferry doesn't allow you to walk around outside after it passes thru the city port. I thought we were in for a smooth ride when we departed Heraklion but as soon as we reached open water, the boat swayed side to side and everyone on deck was ushered back in. Thankfully it's a short trip, just under two hours to get to Santorini. Also, the ferry was recently upgraded in April 2016 so the Hellenic Seaways 7 was quite nice. The ride was a bit rocky but not too much to get you sick. I fell asleep for most of it and we arrived in Santorini at 11 am.

We were picked up by our hotel, Santorini Princess Spa. I picked this hotel because I wanted to eat in between Fira and Oia and read that this place has great views of the Caldera (where everyone angles to watch the famed sunsets). I also picked this hotel as I know they have their own car service (which you need to pay for but it's less than taking a taxi and apparently there are only 35 taxis on the whole island!).

Here are the views from the hotel:

Had lunch at the nearby town Imerovigli and then went swimming at the pool before heading to dinner in Fira. Feel very relaxed here!

Fira from afar (really took my breath away in person)

Brave to walk out to this point! It's so hot!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 10 (Crete)

October 2, 2016

I can't believe this is my tenth day of vacation! It doesn't feel like it. I know there are some people who don't like being away from home for more than 7-10 days. Not me!!!! I could totally continue on for weeks. I feel like time has flown by and I'm sad to go home next weekend. Sigh.

Today was a beautiful day. Woke up at 6:30 am for breakfast at the hotel and then shot down to Elafonissi Beach, which is in the southwestern part of Crete. The drive down is about 1.5-2 hrs, depending on the route you take and traffic. Luckily it's the end of the season so not too much traffic. There appears to be different ways to get down there and Google maps seemed to take us the most 'safe' way. I read about hairpin turns and no guard rails on narrow roads. While we did encounter this, the route we were on seemed to only have 15% of this. Otherwise I thought the drive down was fine though very windy.

We arrived close to 11 am and there was plenty of parking. When you walk in, there's like three main areas where you can choose your lounge chairs with umbrellas. They charge 8 euros per umbrella and two chairs total. There's also some food and bathroom facilities (gotta pay 50 cents euros to get on) but probably better to bring your own food if you can. Choices are limited.

Anyway I thought Lindos Beach in a Rhodes was nice but this totally took the cake. I loved it here!!!! You're surrounded by beaches and water all around since this area is kind of shaped like an island. As you walk in, towards the left is the seaside where water is more rough (but not really). To the right is where it's reeeally calm because it's more enclosed.

The calm side, where I frolicked much of the day

It's really hard to capture the scope of this place. You can wade out very far out and still be in knee or hip deep only. Even though we came on the first Sunday of October, it was still warm enough to spend the day swimming in the water. Plenty of fish swimming around too. Best to bring swim googles to really enjoy this place.

Elafonissi is also known as pink sand beach. You can see flecks of this at the shoreline of the sand. It's subtle but there.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. See the slight pink in the shoreline?

Wish we could stay longer but left at 3 pm for the drive back.

I hung out at the hotel pool a bit before showering and heading out to dinner. Dinner was unremarkable so won't comment on it. But I love walking around the alleyways of Chania at night. Very lively and lots of shops and people watching!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 9 (Crete)

October 1, 2016

Woke up at 8 am and packed our bags to head westward towards Chania. Left at 9:45 am and arrived close to 1 pm. It is a long drive but the pretty scenery helps past the time. Plenty of gas stations along the way and easy to follow the highway.

We are staying at Samaria Hotel which is sooo much nicer in terms of comfort and amenities than the past two other places we stayed at. I booked thru Expedia but I used rewards points too so I got $200 off the rate. I always try to book a flight/hotel package with Expedia to accumulate these rewards points. The beds are so comfy and there is a nice pool with a nice lounge area too and breakfast is included with the rate. The hotel is just on the outskirts of the center of town and parking can be found for free on the south side of the hotel. You can pay for private parking for 8 euros too but we were able to find spots three short blocks away.

Afterwards we wandered around the maze-like streets in the center of town and found a great place for a casual lunch. It's a very local place (no website!) called Draft Bistro Cafe. It looks like a drinks only place but they have a small food menu. We got the club sandwich and the chicken sandwich and it was soooo good! I know, it's just a sandwich but everything was fresh, tasty, and light. Way better quality than most sandwiches I've had in NYC and sooo cheap. With the sandwich you get crispy potato fries all for under 6 euros!

So good and so cheap, all things considered

Then we wandered around town a lot. I like it here much better than Rhodes Old Town and Agios Nikolaus. Rhodes seemed too touristy. Agios was too quiet. Chania has the right mix of charm, locals, and tourism comfort.

Chania Town from the lighthouse side (to get here have to walk allllllll the way around)

Dinner at night was at Theodosi, which is highly ranked on Trip Advisor. The views are nice but the food was hit or miss. Prices were ok but I guess I wouldn't really say this is a must, especially since the drive here is a little difficult thru the winding streets. We came right before sunset and had a nice view though.

During dinner a cat jumped onto the table behind us and ferociously licked whatever was left. Some may find this cute, I find it gross!!

When the waiter saw he shooed it away but yech. There are tons of stray cats and dogs all over Greece and I guess this is how they survive.

I will say one thing I appreciate about eating out in Greece are all the complimentary desserts! We have gotten different things each time, though it's mostly been ice cream with fruit. Not complaining though!

After dinner we wandered around more alleyways in the main area which was really nice. A lot of cute and more interesting shops than Rhodes but definitely catering to tourists.

I don't know why but growing up I always thought if I came to Greece, breaking plates would be a thing. This is what I get for getting all my culture from watching Full House on TGIF when I was a kid!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 8 (Crete)

September 30, 2016

Today was spent visiting Elounda in the morning and then Agios Nikolaus in the afternoon. Elounda is just 15 min. north of Agios Nikolaus and full of luxury hotels and resorts. The water here is just as nice as Rhodes but seemed a bit rougher. There's free parking by the beaches around Elounda but just need to look for and follow the signs. Otherwise we saw some lots that charge 3 euros for the day.

Most people do the day trip to Spinalonga, which is an island that housed a former leper colony. Had no Interest to visit it but it's very close by to Plaka Beach in Elounda.

After walking around Plaka Beach, we headed to the center of Elounda for a nice lunch at Lotus Eaters. Owned by a British man and his Romanian wife, the view from the restaurant is fantastic and the food for the most part was good as well.

Not a big fan of octopus but I wanted to try it here so got it. Tasted like chicken! But I hate the look of it so couldn't finish it!! I had the pasta too because I was getting tired of a Greek food.

Afterwards we walked around all over Agios Nikolaus. It is a cute beachy town but not much else to do. The beach in Rhodes was much nicer. Overall it's nice to come here for a slow pace of life but not sure that it's a "must see." However the colors of the water against the backdrop of the barren mountains do relax me from my NYC life!

I will miss vistas like these in the winter

Lastly, had dinner at To Karnagio which was good and our cheapest meal yet!!! Had grilled shrimps (yes...again) with chicken souvlaki and an Asian noodle dish (nice change from Greek food). Also potatoes/fries in Greece are so much more fresh and tastier than in the USA so been eating a lot of that too on this trip! and Greek frappe coffee is delicious!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 7 (Rhodes/Crete)

September 30, 2016

One of the reasons why we spent four nights in Rhodes is because the only flight from Rhodes to Crete was on Thursday. It doesn't fly out before then. So far our experience with Aegean Airlines has been quite nice. Lovely attendants and good snacks on the plane. Also, no issues with delays so far. Our flight to Heraklion in Crete wasn't until 5:45 pm so we had tons of time to kill. We woke up a bit later than usual and then walked around Elli Beach, which is right be where our hotel was located but never had the chance to walk around.

You can stand under my umbrella ella ella ella...

Afterwards we did some browsing at the shops nearby. There's Zara, Mango, H&M and the British chain Mark & Spencers. Didn't buy anything but was a good time killer. Really wanted to have lunch at Tamam (my favorite so far) before we left but they don't open for lunch until 1 pm. So we headed back to Mama Sofia's, where we went when we first arrived and wow do they know service!!

They remebered us and welcomed us back. Even though it's been three days since they saw us, I guess it's easy to remember three Asian women since there were hardly any other Asians around the time we were there. The owner of the place greeted us warmly and took care of us. The food was even better this time around. We had the grilled prawns which were so flavorful and very fresh. Also mussels again, a shrimp salad and this time beef souvlaki. For dessert, instead of little chocolate ice creams we got watermelon and honey dew fruit with delicious ice cream. I don't even know what the flavors were but they were unique and perfect finish to lunch.

We checked out of the hotel at 2 pm and still had time to kill so we drove around and just took more pictures of the beautiful Aegean Sea. I love the sapphire and turquoise colors. It's so pretty I want to drink the sea!

We had a hybrid car but had to fill up the gas for return. For the 2.5 days we used it, we only spent 15 euros on gas. Then we headed to the airport to drop off the car. Rodos Car Rental has a spot near all the car rentals at the airport, in both the parking lot and at the arrivals terminal where you pick up the car. Just park the car in the rental parking lot and drop off the key at the car rental desk at Arrivals.

The flight to Crete was short and sweet. By the time we were handed our refreshment drink, it was time to land. And one way was only $45 USD! We landed at 6:15 pm even though the time said we would land by 6:35 pm. However, by the time we were bussed over from the plane to the terminal and picked up our luggage, it was 6:35. I had read really bad reviews on the Rhodes airport but since we came at the end of high season, things were smooth. Aegean Airlines has been great so far and the check in desk is at desks 7-12 (middle of the terminal). There is no separation for domestic and international flights.

When we landed at Heraklion airport, had to wait for our car rental which I booked for 7 pm pick up. I rented from Dimitris Auto rental Crete based on Trip Advisor recommendations. We got an automatic for 5 days for $190 euro which includes insurance. A rep picked us up and drove us to the lot to get our car and go over the paperwork. The only 'negative' was that she gave us the car with a quarter tank of gas left! So we had to go find a gas station since we had an hour drive to Agios Nikolaus which is where we stayed on our first night in Crete.

GPS with Google Maps is hit or miss. Mostly hits but sometimes it doesn't identify places well (like a non existent gas station in Rhodes or taking us thru private property instead of public). So just really pay attention when driving especially in Crete where the local streets can be so narrow!!! And it's so easy to miss a turn because you won't expect a street to be there. Or you might not be able to turn because it's one way and not two. So best to study directions a bit before going somewhere.

It took us an hour to get to Agios Nikolaus from the airport and we got a bit lost trying to find our accommodations. Stayed at Mantraki Apartments which is owned by the cutest old couple. We were a bit worried because reception closes at 9 pm but we made it in time and the room we have is so adorable with two balconies. It's not fancy but a step up from the last place we stayed at.

We had dinner late nearby at Bel Katsoralakia. Decent food at decent prices. Would recommend. At this point I've memorized the Greek menu. It's all the same offerings I feel like it doesn't matter too much where you go!!!!!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 5 (Rhodes)

September 27, 2016

Today we got out of Rhodes Town and rented a car from Rodos Car. We got a Toyota Hybrid (save on gas!) for $150 for three days. Includes insurance! Anyway the car rep met us at the hotel lobby at 9 am (I made the rsvp online months ago) and explained everything to us. Luckily there's free parking near our hotel so nothing to worry about there.

I read somewhere that Greeks don't really eat breakfast the way Americans do and that seems to be true. We were starving so we went to pick up breakfast at the nearby McDonalds because we wanted something fast and easy. I walked in at 10 am and everything on the boards were burgers. I asked if they had a breakfast menu and she said no, just McToast. So I got three grilled chicken McWraps instead and off to the beach we went.

Drove all the way down to Lindos and luckily found parking off the side of the 95 highway at the very top (just past the supermarket and all the buses at the entrance of town). It was packed by the time we arrived at 11:45. There is beach parking closer but when we walked by I saw how narrow the streets down there are and it was pretty full. So you take a risk going down there if you're arriving at prime time. We ate our wraps in the car (which by the way was actually good!!! Much bigger than the American ones, like double the size, and fresh!) then walked down to the beach. I was afraid the walk would be strenuous but it's really not. If you're remotely fit you can make it. It took us about 15 min to walk down to the beachside and we paid 15 euros for three chairs and umbrellas. Hung out here all afternoon and it was very relaxing. The water is super calm and clear.

The beach in front of Lindos town and below the Acropolis

Afterwards we walked inside of town a bit. We had zero desire to walk up to the Acropolis here but that's an option for tourists. It's just like Rhodes Old Town but seems a bit nicer and more modern. Tons of restaurants and shops. I love all the hats here!! So cheap but they look stylish unlike the pricey ones in America. Got myself a new sun hat for $8 euros. The brim waves out, it doesn't sit flat.

Then we went to have pizza somewhere on the way back to the hotel. Not gonna bother mentioning where because although it was run by a lovely family, it was ok. I'm addicted to NYC pizza and so this was just meh to me, although it was freshly made and not greasy. The rest of the evening was spent walking around the newer part of Rhodes Town. Overall a chill day!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 4 (Rhodes)

September 26, 2016

Today was day trip to Symi, which is an island just north of Rhodes. I picked the 2nd day of our trip to do this because we're going to rent a car the rest of the time after today.

So, is Symi worth it? Well, it's not pricey to go. Roundtrip ticket from local boat operator Nikolaos X is just 20 euros. But there's not too much to see/do on the tour itself. It is picturesque though. I would say only come if you need to kill time or if you've never seen other European towns where they have colorful houses stacked on top of each other.

The pick up time is at 9 am from Mandraki Harbor in Rhodes. Get there early (like 8:15-830) if you want prime seats on the boat. The boat is high speed and had good bathroom facilities. The ride was smooth the whole time. The first stop is at Panormitis, which houses a monastery. I'm not a religious person so this was not too interesting to me. The boat arrives there at 10:40 and leaves at 11:40. You can walk around the harbor which is nice to see but not much else going on.

Then after another hour, we finally arrive in the downtown area of Symi. It is very quaint and full of tourist shops and restaurants.

As pretty as it looks, something seems lacking. Maybe it's just too small or quiet? Also the meal we had here for lunch was pricier than the one in Old Town. It was good but not that much better. However if you do choose to come, Taverna Spitiko had friendly service and good souvlaki.

After eating, we walked back and forth a couple of times to kill time til the 4 pm pick up. You can also hike up to the top for an overview of the city but the stairs didn't appeal to us!

Got back to Rhodes at 5:45 pm and then took a shower at the hotel. Afterwards we wandered around to find dinner and came across the #1 rated place on Trip Advisor, Tamam. We saw a line and almost didn't get on it. But because there are NO other restaurants that have a line, we figured lets try it. SO glad we did!!!!! We only waited 30 minutes but the time passed quickly. The owner, who is Greek and used to ice in Astoria, Queens, NY for ten years, offers a glass of wine to everyone on line!!!! And it was delcious. They called it summer wine and it had peaches in it. I liked it so much I ordered one for dinner too.

Anyway the hype for this place is worth it. Best meal we had so far. Not traditional Greek but more modern. I had the BBQ pork ribs which were sooo tasty and juicy. Probably one of the better ribs I've ever had anywhere. We also tried the garlic prawns which were fantastic. I wouldn't mind coming back here for lunch! They don't take rsvps and the place is small so get here early to eat. No foodie pics because we ended up inviting a woman dining alone on line with us and she was Swedish and I didn't want to be rude or weird her out by taking too many pics!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 3 (Rhodes)

September 25, 2016

Off to the islands! Had a 9:55 am flight from Athens to Rhodes through Aegean Airlines. After breakfast at the hotel, took a taxi to the airport. Was annoying because I know the flat rate is 38, you're not expected to tip, and of course the driver said the fare was 40 euros. I wanted to say I know it's 38 and would've probably had him keep the change anyway but it's just annoying that he took advantage because I'm clearly a tourist. Didn't think it was worth having negative energy on departure.

Check in was smooth, there is no international or domestic terminal. Aegean Airlines was at drop off entrance #4 (the last one). You go in, shop if you want, and then go thru security. Once you pass security there are no shops! Or at least the nice duty free ones. The flight to Rhodes was very quick, less than an hr. I wanted to fly because otherwise it's an 8 hour ferry ride or something. The flight was $88 USD one way. Once we got to Rhodes, the baggage area looked like chaos! A ton of people from other flights waiting for their luggage. Luckily ours came up pretty fast (mine was first! Probably because we also checked in so early, about 1.5 hours before). Another note: try not to use the bathroom at the airports. Athens was ok but the line for Rhodes was long and gross. There are only two stalls in the bathroom. Even at the Athens airport too!

From the Rhodes airport, we grabbed a taxi to our hotel Rodian Gallery Apartments, near the old city. Flat fare of 25 euros. It's not as nice as our hotel in Athens but it was cheap (312 euros for 4 nights for 3 adults) and we got a two bedroom with a kitchen and sitting area. Showers are tiny though. Basically seems like a college dorm. It's about a 15 minute walk from the Old Town, which is really a Medieval city. Everything is intact or at least seems to be.

Since we came on the last weekend of September (European Heritage Days) the museum was free so we took advantage of that and saved 6 euros each. The Old Town is nice, cobble stone and windy narrow streets to get lost in.

For lunch we went to Mama Sofia. It was pretty good. Had mussels (yes, again), Greek salad, fried sardines, and chicken soup (I love their soups). So far at every restaurant we've been to dessert is given complimentary. I love that we got small chocolate ice cream bars here! They taste like the Dove ones back in the US.

For dinner we went to Island Lipsi. Also was decent. Their homemade garlic bread was good, as was the saganaki shrimp (shrimp in sauce), and grilled veggies. We tried the mousaka which was ok (don't think I'm a fan of it, it's like beef lasagna) and stuffed tomato and peppers with rice (local Greek dish, also not my style). For free dessert we were given some ice cream (strawberry and mint) and some cake/pastry.

We didn't do much else but walk around and around the Old City. It's quaint but I personally like Prague a lot better. I guess my point is, so far Greece has been nice, but nothing has wow'ed me yet from a sight-seeing perspective. But it is really great to not be in an office for the next two weeks!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 2 (Athens)

September 24, 2016

Woke up at 7:30 am and had breakfast on the rooftop of Athens Gate Hotel. I really do love how central this hotel seem to be to everything! In addition to the Acropolis, other ruins/attractions are nearby within a 15-20 min. walk as well as windy pedestrian-only streets full of shops and restaurants.

After eating, went to the Acropolis Museum. This weekend is the last weekend in September, and its known as the European Heritage Days so most museums are for free, including the Acropolis (which is 20 euros). However, glad we went to the Acropolis yesterday at 5 pm. It wasn't that crowded at all. Today we saw hordes of tourists heading over at 11 am (though at 9 am it was pretty dead). The museum, which is along the path to the Acropolis, also offers free admission today (Saturday) but only from 5 pm-8 pm and all day tomorrow but we're busy at these time so we paid the 5 euro admission per person to get in. The museum showcases excavations from centuries ago. It was pretty cool and worth checking out for a couple of hours.

Lego replica of the Parthenon. Apparently Gandalf hung out with the Greeks too.

Afterwards we walked around the winding streets of Plaka where there's a ton of touristy shops and restaurants. Had a freshly made juice at Novagea. Loved it!! They blend fruits and veggies into a juice or smoothie for you. If you get a fruit or veggie juice, they hand you a glass to place in front of a tap faucet in front of the juice bar and you watch the juice pour out as they pummel the ingredients into the blender. Highly recommend this place if you're nearby.

I can see why people say two days in Athens is enough. I was pretty done after seeing Acropolis. However we went to check out Ancient Agora of Athens since we knew admission was free due to the holiday. It was nice but when you see one structure with marble columns, you've kind of seen it all.

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Where democracy thrived, at Ancient Agora of Athens

Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

We were done and back at the hotel at 2 pm for a much needed rest. At 4:30 pm, we were then picked up by PK Travel for a private tour to Cape Sounion to see the sunset at the Temple of Poseidon. I chose PK Travel because the price difference between a private hire vs. going on a bus full of people was less than 10 euros. We were picked up in a nice big van with comfortable seats and headed 1 hr and 15 min down to southern Athens. The drive by the coastline was very pretty (didn't get to take pics since I sat on the left side instead of the right) and we stopped for dinner right before reaching the Temple. The driver basically gives you options where to eat and it's not like you can do any research beforehand so we just went along with whatever he suggested. Dinner was decent, have no idea what the name of the place is but we had lovely views of the Temple and the sea.

Fresh grilled fish (tasty), fried cod (ehh was too salty and dry for me), and fresh mussels (meaty and good)

Sunsets in late September are around 7:20 pm

All in all, this was a quick and easy day trip outside of the city of Athens. Was it worth it? I think so if you love chasing sunsets like I do and the color of the Aegean Sea was a beautiful blue. Our tour cost $160 euros for three people. We tipped the driver $20 so it's about 60 euros pp. I am pretty sure the bus tours charge between 53-58 pp depending on which one you look into. Also, you can skip dinner if you want. It's totally optional since it's not included in the price (our dinner ended up costing about 54 euros total).

By the time we got back to Athens, it was close to 9 pm. Ready to move on to the Greek islands tomorrow!

Greece 2016 Trip Report: Day 1 (Athens)

September 23, 2016

I'm on vacaaaation! After a few super busy weeks of work, I am finally on holiday and trying to soak up every minute that I can. With that being said, I'm also gonna try my best to re-cap my trip experiences while I'm here because I know I'm going to be too lazy to write about a 16 day vacation later after I get home! So here goes:

Arriving into Greece

Flew from JFK on an 8 hr+ overnight flight with Delta. Left at 5:45 pm and arrived closed to 10 am (3 am EDT). The dinner on the plane was surprisingly good (chicken with pesto mashed potatoes and some pasta) and the flight crew even handed out hot wet towels! When did Delta step up their game?? I brought sleeping pills with me and was able to pass out most of the flight but was still tired when the plane landed.

Going thru customs was super easy!!!!! Like what the hell? No immigration forms or questioning at all! Just show your passport, get it stamped and off to baggage claim you go. They don't ask you to declare anything! Even when you leave baggage claim, there are zero people asking anything. Not that I want to be held up with questions but I don't know. With all going on in the world, I expected some more security...

Before leaving baggage claim, I stopped by the ATM to get cash. I heard many places take cash only but so far in Athens, the only thing I've paid cash for is the taxi! But maybe when I'm out of the city it'll be different.

Taxi to the city center is a flat rate of 38 euros. I thought the taxi driver would automatically know where the hotel I'm staying at was but he had no clue. Thank goodness I have international service on my phone and showed him on my GPS. He didn't speak English or have GPS and even after he called his company for directions (since my phone wasn't getting great signals), he dropped me off at the wrong place! But he was off by just a block so I wheeled myself over.

Where to Stay

Since I was only going to be in Athens for two nights, I decided to stay close to where the main attractions are and also at a place that's comfortable but on an upper scale side. The Athens Gate Hotel totally meets this criteria. Located right in the heart of everything, it's a great place to base yourself. And check out the view from my balcony! I don't even need to visit the Temple of Zeus because I think the best view is from my room!

All the hotels around here all seem to have rooftop bars/restaurants as well. This is the one at my hotel:

First of many sunset obsession pictures to come

Where to Eat

Had two good meals today

1) Avocado Cafe. Vegetarian friendly spot near the hotel. Quality fresh food and decent prices. Casual and gives off a hipster vibe. They also offer yoga and Pilates classes. Tried the hummus with avocado (ok), caprese sandwich (good) and the mushroom burger (also good, different than other ones I've had).

2) Oroscopo. About 7 euros away from the hotel by taxi or 4 by Uber (took an Uber back). Food was huge portions and for the most part, delicious! Wasn't a fan of the table bread they give you but the complimentary leek soup and three different pieces of cake for dessert at the end was good. I had the Ionian seabass which was light and tasty with steamed veggies. Travel partners had Greek short ribs (so good) and other had a baked chicken dish, also very tender and flavorful. Would recommend to others.

What to See (on limited time and when jet lagged)

Decided to walk up the Acropolis in the late afternoon to avoid massive tourist crowds and the heat. The hotel is super close to it, by about 5-10 min. to the entrance. Note there are two entrances and you should take the second one for more direct access up to the Parthenon. You'll be missing seeing this theatre but think you'll survive.

Also since we were going up late in the day, we skipped the new Acropolis museum to save it for tomorrow instead. I didn't want to wake up too early and rush thru breakfast to get to the Parthenon so this is why I jammed it into today. Glad I didn't because it's not as big or tough as I thought it was to get up there. There really are marble floors and walkways though so wear shoes with grip on them! Otherwise you might be sliding around.

So I left the hotel at 4 and by the time I walked over, bought entrance fee (20 euros) and got up there, it was close to 5 pm. I think late Sept. is a good time to go because there wasn't as many people as I expected. Finished walking around up there and by the time I was done, it was just after 6 pm. It was enjoyable with wonderful panoramic views of the city all around.