Packing for Greece

Since we were traveling on our own and by ferry, I carried a backpack. I figured it would be easier to get on and off the ferry if I didn't have to roll on a suitcase. Plus, I could keep my pack with me instead of stowing it in the luggage hold.

Yes, I traveled for 2 weeks in Greece with the small pack on my back plus my travel purse. Everything you see on me is all I brought. The backpack is a Granite Gear Vapor Trail--it is incredibly lightweight. My only complaint is that it had only 1 compartment so I had to pull everything out if something was on the bottom.

I love my Fit travel purse because it has a lot of pockets and is large enough for me to carry a guide book and a bottle of water in the main compartment. It is very old and I'm not sure they even sell it now.

My secret for packing in a backpack was to put each outfit in a ziplock bag. That way, I could easily pull everything out and not have to re-roll everything. I brought a beach towel because I wasn't sure if it would be available at the hotels. Turns out, beach towels were only available at our hotel in Mykonos and so I was glad I had it for the trip. For the first time in my travels, I chose not to bring an umbrella. I had checked the weather report and rain was nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, it did rain on us. I wish I had brought it.

I only brought 2 pairs of shoes. It's a Croc on the left. The sandals took me from beach to dinner without any problems. They were comfortable enough for me to walk all day without getting sore feet. I could rinse them off at the end of the day and they were like new for the next day. The water shoes on the right also worked for hiking. This was my 2nd secret to packing light--limit the number of shoes you bring.

El Rancho Best Western

It was less expensive for us to pay for 1 night's hotel at El Rancho Inn & Suites rather than park in a long-term lot. Our usual standby at the Burlingame Airport Parking even failed us.

El Rancho Inn & Suites is located at 1100 El Camino Real in Millbrae. Cost was $179 and included 14 days of parking. Even though it's only 3 miles from SFO, the drive took 10 minutes. You do have to sign up for the shuttle, which leaves hourly from the hotel.

2015 06 06

Liondi

After 2 weeks in Greece, I still hadn't had pastitsio--a baked pasta dish with Bechamel sauce. We walked down restaurant row, just a few steps from our hotel and near the Acropolis museum. Liondi had pastitsio on their menu and we stopped to have it.

Pastitisio, also known as a Greek lasagne--€8. It has a meat sauce with a hint of cinnamon.

Eggplant Dip--€3.90. Delicious and garlicky.

Complimentary coconut cake.

I also wanted gyros on my last night in Greece. We found a fast food place with pitas to go. This was a pork gyros for €2.10.

2015 06 05

Around Athens

After lunch, we followed Rick Steves' audio tour of the city. You can download it on his website.

The tour started at Syntagma Square--the central square in Athens. The Hotel Grand Bretagne faces the square. This 5-star hotel is part of the Starwood Collection. 

The Parliament Building also faces Syntagma Square.

Traditionally costumed evzones guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament Building. They change every hour.  There is an elaborate ceremony on Sundays at 11 am. 

This is their summer outfit. In the winter, their skirts have 400 pleats, one for each year of Ottoman occupation.

Pom-pom shoes.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

A typical site in Athens--excavated ruins, still in the process of excavation.

We found cherries for €1.49/kilo.

Hadrian's Arch

Temple of Olympian Zeus—the largest temple in Greece. 15 of the 104 Corinthian columns remain. 

The fallen column was blown down in a gale in 1852.

This was a bar along the walk. I've seen this picture in guidebooks.

2015 06 05

Olineas Restaurant

We had lunch at Olineas Restaurant--it was another TripAdvisor find. It was a small place with a few tables inside. There were a few outside tables as well.

Stuffed Grape Leaves--€4.50

Lamb in the Oven with Artichokes & Potatoes--€14. This was one of the specials of the day. Great flavors with tender artichokes and creamy potatoes.

Grilled Octopus--€9.50.  This was tender and delicious.

The owner sent out a plate of fresh fruit when she saw me taking pictures of my meal.

2015 06 05

Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum was opened in 2009 so we did not see it last time. Entrance is €5. It was an incredibly impressive museum. There were limited areas where you could take pictures though.

Five of the six real statues of the Caryatids are housed in the museum. The sixth is at the British Museum in London and they're not about to give it up.

The most impressive part of the museum was on the top floor. It provided a view of the Parthenon. Pediments and Metopes were displayed in relation to the location on the Parthenon. You could walk along the display then look up at the Acropolis to see the location on the real Parthenon.

There was a Lego model of the Acropolis.

It was complete with Gandalf arriving at the Parthenon and a tiny Elton John playing at the Odeon of Herodes. The Greeks do have a sense of humor.

The entrance to the museum shows an excavated Athenian neighborhood.

2015 06 05

The Acropolis

We were last in Greece in 2006. At that time, the Parthenon was under scaffolding. I could see by looking at the Parthenon that there was still scaffolding so we had not planned to see it again. But, when we were at the Tourist Information Center, we found out there was free admission to the Acropolis (normally it's €12) because it was Earth Day. We couldn't pass up free and decided to take a quick trip up to see the Erechtheion, my favorite building on the Acropolis.

Seat at the Theatre of Dionysos--the world's first theatre, found on the south slope of the Acropolis.

Nearby is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Performances are still held here.

Throngs of tourists enter through the Beule Gate, past the Temple of Athena Nike on the right and Monument of Agrippa on the left. The Propylaia with its Doric & Ionic column is straight ahead.

After passing through the Propylaia, you will reach the Parthenon (still under scaffolding 9 years later although the scaffolding did move from the north facade to the west facade).

The Parthenon's Pediments--triangular elements topping the east and west facades of the Parthenon--filled with 3 dimensional statues. The Metopes are square carved panels below the Pediments. We'll see these again in the Acropolis Museum.

My favorite building on the Acropolis--the Erechtheion. The Porch of the Caryatids of the Erechtheion. 

The Acropolis gets very crowded so go early in the morning or late in the day. While we were there, it started to rain, complete with thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, there's not much cover on the Acropolis.



2015 06 05

Mani Mani

Just a short walk from our hotel was Mani Mani. We had a delicious dinner and it was so reasonably priced.

Bread with Olives & Olive Oil--€1.50

Mussels Steamed in a Wild Fennel Sauce with Lemon Grass--€7.50. This had a really nice flavor.

Greek Traditional Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus, Sundried Tomatoes, Zucchini & Fresh Basil--€9.50. This was also delicious. The pasta is like broken pieces of wide fettucini in a nice cream sauce.

Grilled Veal Meatballs on Pita Bread with Smoked Eggplant and Light Spicy Yogurt Cream--€9.50. This was also delicious.

2015 06 04

Hera Hotel

Our hotel in Athens was the Hera Hotel--€144/night for an acropolis-view room.

Hera Hotel is located in the center of Athens, just a short walk from the Acropolis Museum and the Metro station. 

The beds were comfortable.

The marble bathroom was gorgeous.

But, the view was suboptimal. We could only see the acropolis if we went on our balcony and peered around the corner. It wasn't the view I was expecting.

Breakfast was included in the room rate. Breakfast was served in a domed room.

Bacon, sausages, frittata, cold cuts and pastries. It was okay but the best breakfast we had in Greece was still at the Argo in Mykonos.

2015 06 04

Piraeus, Athens

From Sifnos, we took a ferry to Piraeus, the main port near Athens.

Leaving Sifnos.

Port town of Sifnos--Kamares.

The ferry cost €33 and took 5 1/2 hours.

Arriving in Piraeus. It was a mile from where we docked to the Metro station. We just followed the crowd. Cost to the center of Athens--€1.40.

2015 06 04