GREECE - 100 Travel Tips
A Light-hearted Booklet For Independent Travelers
By
Helen Ellis
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Published by Helen Ellis at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 Helen Ellis
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Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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The tips, ideas and opinions expressed by the author are entirely her own, gathered through many years of personal travel through Greece.
All photographs are the work of the author and are copyright 2012
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Helen wishes to thank Sue and Ross Turner, fellow Grecophiles; Ifigenia Athanasopoulou, Yiannis and Anastasia Panagiotopoulos, friends; Russell Ellis, husband and martyr; and Timothy Ellis, computer guru. Also, all those wonderful Greek people who have made her trips so memorable.
Website: http://greekpixandwords.com Blog: http://greekpixandwords.com/blog/. Email: helen@greekpixandwords.com
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Chapter 1 - Greece - Home of the Gods - and My Second Home
Blue dome, Santorini
I'm a self-confessed Grecophile tragic. I can't help myself - I keep going back to Greece whenever I can spare the time and money. When I'm not there I spend my waking moments thinking about it and convincing others to visit.
Having traveled extensively on the Mainland, the Peloponnese, Crete, the Ionian Islands, the Saronic Islands and the Cyclades Islands of Greece, and visited the Dodecanese, I’ve come to know the dos and don’ts, the cans and cant's, the diamonds and the pebbles of these parts.
Like all countries, Greece has its good and bad aspects, but fortunately most of it is good - the main problem being that if there is a difficult way of doing things - that will be the Greek way! The Greeks themselves are the first to admit it. The fun part is knowing how to make the difficult things easy, and therefore having a trouble-free trip. This is what I endeavor to explain in this booklet, and I hope my tips will help. If it seems I’m being a little negative in parts, I’m not really. I’m just laying it all on the line for you.
I'm not a travel agent, so I have no intention of trying to sell you a trip, I’m trying to sell you a country! I do have a service in which I can personalize a trip for you, but that’s not what I’m writing about here. GREECE - 100 Travel Tips comes right from my own experiences. I'm sure there will be things I've missed - intrepid travelers can contact me!
> Tip 1 - Here's five good reasons why you should follow in my footsteps and travel to Greece:
1. Because you’ll absolutely love it.
2. Because it’s hugely historical and you do need a culture fix now and then.
3. Because Greece is an experience like no other. (Challenge yourself)
4. Because Greece is beautiful, and stunning, and amazing, and different.
5. Because in Greece you can really unwind. And it’s Seniors friendly, too.
It doesn’t matter whether you loathe ruins, hate beaches, get sea-sick, detest olive oil and are indifferent to moussaká, I guarantee that within one week you will be captivated by this incredible country.
Here's a quote I wrote in my book Make Mine a Moussaka: 'You need to understand that Greece is not a pretty country - rather it’s stunning and at times awesome, and always fascinating. There is a magical quality to Greece - it's a place where you can have a sudden overpowering feeling of belonging on God's earth, where you can discover self-worth and well-being. Rugged mountains rise so high the clouds stick to their shanks like skirts. From pallet-box blue seas, dry rocky islands rear up like dragon’s teeth. Tiny towns, like white sugar cubes, cling precariously, scatter across, spill down, or cower between steep hillsides of gray stone. They pool into cities in the lush valleys, or spread-eagle at the edge of perfect bays.'
I asked two friends of mine what it was that drew them back to Greece not once, but many times. One said, 'It’s the amazing ambience.' The other said, 'It’s a step back in time.'
It's all true.
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Chapter 2 - When Does One Go?
Poppies and Daisies, Sifnos
Greece enjoys a Mediterranean climate- a hot dry summer and a cold rainy winter, very similar to Perth and Adelaide (Australia), South Africa, California (USA), Portugal, Western Spain and the boot of Italy. It has a transition-Spring when it can be changeable, and a calm, warm Autumn/Fall.
The following is an overview of the best times to see Greece.
> Tip 2 -April - Oh to visit Greece in early April and see the wildflowers! Hillsides will be carpeted - poppies, daisies, irises, lilies, thistles and many more. The mountains are magnificent, often still snow-capped. Spring has drifted across Greece, and blossom is floating from the fruit trees. Daytime temperatures will average eighteen - twenty-two degrees (Celsius) so take some comfy socks, and a jacket or two. Some days will be raincoat and umbrella days, and others T-shirts and sun hats. Evenings will be chilly and only very hardy souls in southern Crete will venture into the water. Mountain streams will be cascading over boulders - minor torrents, green and frothy and hungry to reach the sea.
> Tip 3 - May - Listen to the bees on the olive flowers and smell the perfume of the orange blossom. Time to visit the Peloponnese, especially the Mani area, but all areas of Greece will be showing off their Spring colors. Daytime temps will now be twenty - twenty-six degrees, and your chance of striking wet weather less likely, but you’ll still need that jacket. Now is the time for hiking and trekking and discovery.
> Tip 4 - June - Summer is here and the thermometer is averaging twenty-eight degrees, so move the bathing suit, sun hat and sun cream to the top of the case. Gardens are a profusion of marguerites, impatiens and hibiscus, and the scent of jasmine hangs in the evening air. Glorious geraniums color window boxes, patios and doorways. Down in the valleys the oleanders are a riot of color. On hillsides and terraces cling the herbs - the pinky-purple wild thyme is busy with bees. Along the roadsides and in the fields sprays of white wild carrot (I call it Queen Anne’s Lace) are almost a meter high. Business is brisk at the ferry docks in Piraeus. It's tourist time.
Summer Color, Ithaca
> Tip 5 - July - Competition is keen for rooms on the islands and space on the beaches. Average temperatures will be over thirty degrees, the evenings lively with the sounds of revelry and beautifully balmy. Night clubs are geared up and shops are full of goodies. This is the time of the year when the "meltemi" wind begins to blow, usually in the afternoon - a strong, warm, dry, northerly wind, affecting eastern Greece, Athens, and the Aegean islands, especially the Cyclades Islands. Now is the time for ferry trips, to enjoy island-hopping, to seek out the beaches, and to learn the Greek word for water - neró.
> Tip 6 - August - European children have been liberated for the summer holidays. It’s High Season, and high temperatures (can be up and over forty degrees). The meltemi is playing tricks, whipping up the sand, whipping off your hat and whipping the seas to white caps. The heat hammers. Escape to the islands, where the beaches are packed, the tavernas humming and life is good. Time to take things slowly-slowly, sigá-sigá, to sit under the grapevines in sun-dappled tavernas nursing a caffe frappe, listening to music. Time to while away hours under the tamarisk trees with your books, or to nap away the heat of the afternoon, in the way of Greece. The evenings are like hot chocolate. Take in the volta (the evening promenade) and watch the Greeks enjoy themselves, eat out under the stars, wander along the cobblestone streets with an ice-cream. Hills and terraces are dried and brown, but grapes are ripening, pomegranates hang from the trees, figs are ready to eat, olives are swelling, white jasmine is heavy with perfume, and pink bougainvillea hangs over every archway, dropping blossoms into the dust.
> Tip 7 - September - End of school holidays and the exodus from the islands leaves the tourist in peace. Go watch the Greek families take their complete households back to the mainland on the ferries. It's pure theater. The yachties are sailing all over the Aegean and Ionian seas, seeking new islands, and the marinas fill with them in the evenings. Days are becoming milder with the temp hovering around the middle twenties. It's still pleasant on the beach and the water is warm. Calm weather prevails, bays are millponds. Time for walking and exploring, sailing and swimming. The markets fill with fruit, especially the huge peaches from the Peloponnese, dripping with juice. Everywhere great bunches of grapes hang overhead from trellises in terraces and tavernas, and they're picked and trodden for the local brew. Pink heather colors the hillsides, tiny cyclamen carpet the shaded slopes and crocuses peep from nooks and crannies. Occasional rain storms will wash away some of the dust, and nights can be chilly. The jasmine blossoms are falling.
> Tip 8 - October - Like a snail pulling back into its shell, Greece is gradually closing down. Tavernas are deserted, their chairs and tables stacked away. Pensions have closed until next season, tourist shops are empty, postcard spinners are tucked away, museums and sites have reduced their hours, ferry and bus timetables are changed. Temps will be back into the early twenties, and jackets, jumpers and warmer clothes will be necessary. Winter approaches.
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Chapter 3 - What to Take
Airport, Crete
So you’ve tripped hither and yon round the world and are pretty organized when it comes to traveling? Great. Even so, here are a few tips on packing for Greece.
> Tip 9 - Unless you are traveling on a tour or a cruise, be prepared to carry and heft all one’s possessions. In Greece, one is on one's own. It's unlikely that anybody will help you lift your case from the luggage compartment of a bus, pull it down a cobblestone street, tote it up the ramp of a ferry, or drag it up the Metro steps. In some cases, people will take pity on struggling Seniors and help, but don’t bank on it.
Hefting one's luggage at any age can be daunting, but it doesn't mean you give up and stay home. Oh no. It means that the expression "travel light" takes on a new meaning. One goes on some retail therapy and buys a light, small to medium sized case (this is assuming you aren’t backpacking) - one with the extending handle for ease of pulling, making sure that the wheels are as large as you can get them (for pulling over ancient flagstone paths and cobblestone streets). I always take a small light backpack as well, and find it very useful. Lately, of course, you can take small backpacks on wheels as cabin baggage. But remember, you’ll have to carry everything once you get there.
> Tip 10 - Ladies - forget the sequins and tiara, pack the bare minimum you think you can tolerate, heft the case twice around the block on a hot day to gauge how you'll go. If, when home again, a brandy and a lie down seems a good idea, reduction is necessary. Don’t rely on a reasonably fit partner to help you tote your extra bag - it won’t happen. I’ve seen many a relationship deteriorate over too much luggage on a steep, cobblestone hillside path with no vehicle access. And to see the real Greece, you might just find yourself struggling up that same path.
Forget the hair dryer and/or curling wand - everyone in Greece looks a little wild and woolly after a couple of days, and you’ll be excused if you don’t look your usual pristine self. Another day out on the water in the meltemi wind will unravel most hair-dos - windblown frizz is cool. Just take a strong comb or brush and pray nobody of note is there to meet you at the airport on your return home. I have a wonderful photo of self, posing languorously at the rail of a ferry, dressed in creased New Yorker pants and crumpled T-shirt, staring into the distance like Kate Moss on a photo shoot - with hair like a wig just out of a tumble dryer! Also leave behind the portable iron - the wrinkled T-shirt is a-la-mode in Greece.
Don't take your expensive jewelry - you’ll only worry about it - and besides there's lots of fun stuff to buy as you go. And fancy gear? Dressing up is not an issue, so just pack one reasonable ensemble as a concession to the evening. Sunblock, good sun-glasses, a shady hat and stout walking shoes are the wardrobe necessities.
> Tip 11 - Take a small quantity of zip-lock plastic food bags- these are great for storage of awkward small stuff. A small quantity of soap powder in one of these bags helps when self-laundering (you'll find very few Laundromats, and only the expensive hotels have a laundry service). I take a small cake of soap, as some pensions don't supply it and if they do it's often as hard as grandma's lye soap. Don’t laugh, but it's an idea to take along a universal wash-basin plug, as many wash-basins in Greece don’t have plugs supplied. If you forget, you can always line the basin with a plastic bag and wash your clothes in that.
> Tip 12 - Put all your medications into marked zip-lock plastic bags. Much lighter to carry. Take all your needed medication with you in your hand luggage, in case of suitcase loss. The Greek pharmacies are good, but expensive. Most pharmacists speak English, but it's unlikely you can get the exact product you need at the time you need it. Make sure you pack all the toiletries you need too; once again replacements can be expensive. It's advisable to take with you a doctor’s letter explaining your need for the prescription medication you carry, in case of misunderstandings with authority. People with disabilities may find Greece difficult. There are lots of steps, uneven paths and steep inclines, so you will need to be prepared.
> Tip 13 - If you're an avid photographer like me, you can be sure you'll take far more pictures than you think, because Greece is one big photographic paradise. For your digital camera take a large memory card (I took a 32GB last time and filled it!). Also make sure you have a second battery and your charger with you. Digital photography is now the norm in Greece, as are internet cafes, and you will be able to download pix in most large centers, but I wouldn't rely on it, because sure as God made little green apples you’ll run out of memory just when there’s not an internet café anywhere.
If you want to lug your laptop, fine. Make sure you have wifi capability for the wifi hot spots. Wifi is free in most places but there will be spots where connection is difficult and internet a struggle. Most large towns and even some of the smaller islands have internet cafés, or shops where a few computers can be used, but often the connection is slow and time is expensive. They can also be noisy places where the kids play games.
Take your cell phone. They are hugely popular in Greece and readily available. Check TravelSim for info on the correct sim card, or buy one there. If you can't do without your music take your iPod too.
> Tip 14 - Just a word about books: I read a huge amount when on holiday and up till now have lugged all my books with me. You can check the hotel lobbies for exchange books left behind by other guests - many hotels are doing this, just piling up the unwanted novels for new guests to peruse. However, now there's Kindle. Download your holiday reading before you leave and bring all your books in one small device! I also recommend that before you leave you read an overview of Greek history, and even perhaps some Greek mythology. You'll find a little fore-knowledge will help you to understand the archaeological sites and museums.