Savoy Hotel Piraeus

... Someone printed a bunch of copies of a menu and gave it to each restaurant. Then each restaurant just fills in the prices with a pen next to the items that they actually serve.

We were also surprised to find that “pita” is not common in Greece. From our dining in the Greek Towns of New York City and Detroit assumed that pita was typically Greek. It is actually an Egyptian item and almost never found in Greece.

In Greece and throughout Europe we have been ...

... We were all exhausted after that and ready for our next day. The third day I took a tour of the Soronic Islands, each one was more beautiful that the previous one. The buildings were old and beautiful, the water was crystal clear, and the ice cream was delicious. That took up the whole day, and after being in the sun all day, I just needed sleep. The last day was kind of a lazy day and we just ...

Main port of Greece. Drove through the city of Athens passing famous sites such as the Temple of Zues, Parliament bldg or formerly the Royal Palace & the Panathinion stadium. Highlight of the tour is the Acropolis. We had to walk a winding pathway aprox 150 steps. On top of the hill is the Propylae entrance, the Erechteion, the temple of Nike and the Parthenon.

... from North Carolina (US) - not a typical greek - but informative all the same. we went to 8 or 9 different sights, mostly ruins based around the Acropolis site in the centre of the city. I will not bore you with the names (not that i remember them anyway, i would have to pull out my map and i cant be bothered!) but they were a mix of Greek and Roman ruins of libraries, towers and temples. About midday we started the climb up the hill (or huge mountain as i would ...

... from home. Off the boat to dinner, we couldn't resist the Chinese restaraunt. Mediocre chinese food is the same all over the world! But it was a nice change of pace. Then it was back to the boat to wait for the party to start! This cruise caters to the young, budget-traveling party set and we'd heard all about the epic bon voyage dock party. However, it soon came to our attention that the boat was surprisingly empty. And what ...

... to actually see in Marathon and its getting late, so we just pass through. We should have realised, but with the eastern coast here less than half an hour from Athens, the beaches here are heavily built out and most of what look like small villages on the map are actually sprawling resort areas. And not well signposted either - we take the wrong roads several times, which means its getting dark by the time we arrive at the hotel we've picked to stay at tonite. Its in one of the ...

Sunday, September 23, 2007 The Ship Apologies again about no photos. The Internet system onboard just doesn't allow for uploading photos. I'll have to wait to visit an Internet Cafe in Panama. Meanwhile, I hope you like the descriptions and maybe you can envision what it looks like. Then you can compare it to the photos once they appear! The Scholar Ship's real name is the Mv. Oceanic II. It started life as the Mona Lisa and has been in service since 1966, the ...

Athens was bloody fantastic. It was easily our favourite city so far. Greeks are great people - everyone we met was extremely friendly, always ready with a smile or a helping hand. It really was a great feeling. The food was fantastic - cheap, plentiful and delicious. The only downside we found was that Greece seems to be the cigarette smoking capital of the Universe. Its right up there with breathing and eating in popularity. There were ashtrays and ...

... class hotel in the Monastiriki area, a short walk from the Monastiriki Metro station. The small hotel, called Hotel Attalos, came highly recommended from one of the websites we had come across, and aside from having a nice restaurant on the top floor with a good view of the Acropolis, it had a nice little business centre with wi-fi access and two computer terminals, perfect for the modern-day traveler. Other tourist class hotels can be found to the east in Plaka, and the ...

... and we need to stop and slow inside and out. The crowds in the European summer has been perhaps the greatest challenge for both of us. I have travelled a fair bit and it seems that each time I can see a transformation taking place. Travel has changed. Whilst the tour buses, fast food clones, English signs and mass consumerism of trinket shops is omnipresent, it becomes ever more challenging to find any sense of cultural authenticity from beneath the rubble of the avalanche of tourism ...