It's All Greek to Me

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The airport bus left at 3:30am, so we chose the Festos Youth Hostel, close to the bus stop. Upon our arrival, we discovered it had closed and pointed to Dioskouras as an alternative.

Hotel Dioskouras is located at Thalou and Pittakou, a block west of Amalias street (a main north/south street by Syntagma). It is a five-minute walk from the E95 bus station to the airport, and a seven minute walk to the Syntagma metro. The location itself is quiet, although I cannot say the same for our room. The hotelier took pity on us, as we would only be there eight hours, and offered us his last room for 20€, as a group of students had taken the rest. A Spanish couple came in right after us, and he offered them a room the next night for 50€--though the room did not even contain its own bathroom. He offered us a small, hobbit-like room that was partially underground and right next to the lounge. It was chilly, though the Athens night was warm, and dark, but clean. We found an ancient printer and boxes beneath a table, indicating its partial use as a storage room. I’m only 5’4", and I could almost touch the ceiling with my head. Towels, pillows, sheets and several blankets were included. However, the noise from the adjacent lounge/bar made sleep a bit difficult. The lounge does offer breakfast, snacks and drinks, and had quieted down by 11pm. The owner even politely knocked on our door at 2:30am to make sure we would be awake in time for our bus.

Our room was a short walk across a courtyard from the bathrooms, which were on each floor of the hotel. Each contained two shower stalls and one toilet. I had no problem with hot water, although one shower flooded the floor. I brought my clothes with me to change into, as I didn’t want to walk across the courtyard in just a towel (though the students no doubt would have enjoyed that). I also wore my shower shoes, as the floors looked a little sketchy.

Overall, this hotel was just fine for a night. The double and triple rooms looked large enough, fit with twin beds, but the showers left something to be desired. There are better low-cost options such as the Hostel Aphrodite and the Athens International Youth Hostel, of which we heard rave reviews from a family who stayed there. Our good friend stayed at Zorba’s Hotel in Omonia a week before we arrived and the shower faucet came off in her hands as she tried to turn it on.

Reception is open until noon, and again from 5pm until whenever. We arrived in the afternoon, dropped our bag in the reception, and took a shower. The bathroom and shower facilities are in a separate building, but were very clean and had hot water all the time. There is also a laundry sink and clothesline for your laundry needs.

The reception room has a library, games, and drinks. Once the manager, Chris, returned, I went to check in, only to find “that’s not how things work here.” Chris sat us down to do a cursory interview, explain the legacy of the hostel and its guests. He is very proud of the facility, but he made it sound as if we should be absolutely honored to stay there. Though I had done extensive research on where to stay and had chosen the hostel myself, I was turned off by the speech and it soured my experience there.

The hostel has 60 beds in 10 bungalows. Beds are 7,50€ and sheets were 60 cents, though blankets were free. If it is chilly during the day, it will be freezing overnight so load up. We stayed in room #1, which had its own bathroom but it is connected to reception so it is loud morning and night. I would suggest a different room. During the summer, beds are added on the porches and roof. This is a very popular hostel with backpackers in the summer but it is also populated by several people who live there from its opening in April until October/November when it closes. There were older couples and young travelers alike. Breakfast is provided in the morning, and the other guests can point you to a good taverna or bar in town.

Overall, my sister loved this hostel. We met several other college-aged travelers to hang out with. On the other hand, I thought the manager was very pompous who offered his opinion on everything- what we ate, drank and where we were going next. I had been very excited about Plakias but in the end was severely disappointed. I would still highly recommend this hostel since it is cheap, clean, and well kept. However, because of the length of time it takes to get to Plakias, plan on spending a few days there to make it worth your while.

The hostel is run by a Briton, Brendon, who is more than willing to hang out with you in the courtyard while drinking a beer. The hostel serves breakfast (mainly eggs) for under two euros, and beer for one euro. I think my large bottle of cold water was 50 cents. Good deal!!

The hostel also has a nice shower facility, very similar to the hostel in Plakias. The manager will tell you when you check in that there is hot water in the morning until 10, and again in the evening, and he is telling the truth. The hostel uses rooftop hot water heaters so if it is a very sunny day, you can probably get hot water all day long. The shower and bathroom facilities are nice and clean. You can also do laundry in the wash sink.

During the day, before our bus to Iraklio, we hung out on the porch listening to the stereo system and playing Euchre or gin. Grab a beer, write some postcards, and chat with the other travelers. What a laid-back, fun environment. It was a bit hard to find, but look for the Happy Traveler and a street filled with seat cushion shops, then search for the little yellow triangular Hostel sign.

Room 5/6 is a huge dorm with 20 beds in the main room, another 12 in an adjoining room, two stuffed back in the hallway, and a small closet-sized room with two beds in it. My sister and I grabbed this one as it looked to be slightly warmer. It was not. To top it off, the blankets, pillows and mattresses smelled like mold (looked like mold too). We did have clean sheets and pillowcases, but that couldn't make up for the extreme chill in the dorm. There were only two toilets and one shower for the 40 beds, and neither was very clean. The shower didn't have a shower curtain and I would definitely have worn shower shoes.

After a cold, fitful night's sleep, we awoke five hours later and checked out immediately. Our traveling companions checked out soon after (check out time 10am), which surprised us as it seemed these kids could sleep anywhere. One friend stayed and was moved into a new room the next day. It seemed they saved 5/6 for the late night arrivals as it is the worst room. She got a small, cleaner, 5-bed room for the same price. The hostel also has double rooms and some triples for about twice the price of a dorm. In the summer, they add beds on the huge roof and veranda. There is also a café, the Blue Note, next door, which awoke us with breakfast chatter in the morning.

While the outside of the hostel is beautiful, it really is not living up to its potential. The rooms have such charm, with beautiful paintings and architecture, but everything is dirty and covered in mosquitoes. The shower facilities are downright disgusting. I would instead recommend any of the pensions or domatia in Fira, which have better facilities, heat, and as much charm for a few dollars more. If you are truly on a tight budget, skip Fira and go to Perissa Beach. You can try to camp on the beach, or try the Perissa Hostel (not listed in any books we had). Our friends who left Thira YH stayed there for 6 euros a night.

We arrived to find a charming whitewashed villa, and a gracious host. Our room had two comfortable twin beds, a TV with satellite, a phone, a hair dryer, private bathroom, and best of all—a balcony!! In addition to clean sheets and maid service, there were three blankets for each of us. We didn’t even need them because the room had heat and AC. We had only planned on staying one night, but after taking one look at our room, we decided to stay another night. We had been quoted a room rate of 30€ a night, but since we stayed two nights, she gave it to us for 25€ a night. That was only four euros more than the despicable YH, and we got so much more!! The waitress was staying at Anemomilos long-term, and she and her roommate were both paying 10€ a night for their room. If you are staying more than one night, bargain for a better rate, especially in the low-season. There are a lot of domatias and pensions around the island, and expect similar conditions and rates elsewhere.

That said, we recommended Anemomilos to all of our friends after the hostel fiasco, and to others we met who were looking for a cheaper place to stay. The hotel has about 25 rooms, most with two twin beds, although some a double bed or three beds. The website http://www.villa-anemomilos.gr/villas/index.html has contact information and some pictures. The hotel even has a small pool with chaise lounges where you can soak up the hot Mediterranean sun. Finally, the hotel owner will pick you up from the port, airport, or anywhere in town. He also gave us a ride to the airport early in the morning, saving us a 10€ cab fare.

Directions From the main square in Fira, walk uphill on the main road, Dekigala. After about five minutes, you will pass the Youth Hostel on your left, and Mama’s House on your right. At the first fork in the road, take the right fork to stay. You will pass a small film/Kodak shop and a pet store. At the second fork, bear to the left. Finally, the road will bear into a driveway. Anemomilos is on the left. It is bright white with a blue sign. I’ve looked online for a map of Fira, but no luck. The important thing is to keep walking uphill. Your best bet is to call ahead and have them pick you up!

Joe, the owner, is quite a character. He moved to California twenty-odd years ago from Plakias to raise his children, but moved back a few years ago to take over the family business. He speaks perfect English, but is glad to teach you about local culture, customs, food and drink. Not only that, but when some of our party got hungry, he called his wife in to bring yogurt since the restaurant was out!!! The restaurant serves typical Greek food and looked reasonably priced, though we didn't try much. We spent a great deal of time playing darts and dancing around to the tunes. I hope this place is hopping in the summer, because it was a great place to hang out. Joe went above and beyond with his service- staying open just for us! He is located on the main street in Plakias and I've included a picture to illustrate. We highly recommend this place for a drink, dancing or dinner.

As for drinks...we tried the retsina, a wine stored in pine-tarred barrels, but it wasn't very good. You can order half-litres of wine for less than two euros, so most of the kids drank the red (which I didn't like) or the white (which I thought was ok). All told, my sister and I together spent under seven euros for our meals and drinks combined. A very reasonable place with a lot of food for your dollar.

Nikos is on the same road you take from the bus station to get to the hostel. Turn at the pharmacy and it is just a few doors down, but a travel agency and a mini-mart.

Mama’s Houseis on a hill overlooking the blue, blue ocean to the east side of the island. It has indoor seating; its windows allow the cool breeze to come in, but keep the hot sun out. There are also several patio/outdoor tables on a small courtyard in the back. A nice Australian waitress told us to order anything we wanted- everything was good, the larger bottle of water was a steal, and Mama would bring us some free hashbrowns if we wanted. I had pancakes, my sister had an omelet. We got an enormous amount of wonderful, yummy breakfast. With a bottle of water (and free hash browns), the bill was under 10 euros.

Mama’s House is, of course, named after Mama. Mama is a jolly Greek woman who speaks perfect English and hugs everyone. She very much loves her "babies," the students who travel through here each year, and employs several as wait staff. Not only that, but she found us a place to stay, Hotel Anemomilos. While eating, we asked Mel, the waitress, if she knew of a good hostel since ours was awful. She told us that Mama had actually found her hotel for her and bargained the room rate down to 10euros a night, though she had a roommate and was staying all summer. We agreed to check it out. Mama was so thrilled she called the hotel, arranged our room, but told us to bargain it down even more once we got there.

If you have read my entry on Anemomilos, you will know that we absolutely loved it. We met our friend at Mama’s again the next morning for another fantastic (American) breakfast. Hash browns, scrambled eggs, orange juice…better than anywhere else. As I was paying the bill, Mama offered me a pancake, on the house. I told her I was just leaving to go to the beach. She said, "I wrap it up. Take it with you!" Can you imagine, eating a pancake on the beach? The idea makes me giggle.

Mama’s is on the main road in Fira, at the top of the hill. It is about 20 yards north of the Hotel, on the other side of the street. I highly recommend stopping here for any meal. She serves a full American-style breakfast, as well as lunches and dinners, but there are also several Greek specialties for lunch/dinner. Prices are fantastic, you get free food at each meal, and she’ll even find you a place to stay. A Must-see!

I stumbled across Melissinos because of a
journal entry here at IgoUgo by JulieHB. My father, who lived in Greece in the 1970’s, wanted sandals as a souvenir. At the time, sandals were readily available in Plaka and completely different than anything in the States. Times have changed and now you can buy the same sandals everywhere. However, upon seeing the entry, I knew I had to visit the shop to get sandals. Melissinos has made sandals for the Beatles, for Jackie O., and countless others though he is an accomplished writer, poet and playwright. "The Rubaiyat" is in many curriculums, and his plays have been banned in Athens!

Luckily I stumbled upon Matt Barrett’s website on Athens (www.athensguide.com/poet.html ) in the days before my trip and discovered they had moved to a new location. The shop at 89 Pandrossou Street in Monastiraki had been in their family for over 80 years, as his grandson told me, but recent rent hikes by landlord with Olympian gold in their eyes have forced the shop to move to a new location: 2 Aghias Theklas, just off of Ermou street a block north of the Monastiraki metro station.

As I walked into the store on my last day in Greece, I was greeted by Melissinos’ grandson and his mother, and treated to a conversation on urban sprawl (in the States as well as Athens), the Olympics, etc. He asked how I had come to find the new location- as they had only moved a week before. He was most concerned about how the existing journal entry on IgoUgo now had an obsolete address for the store. I assured him that I would include the new address (2 Aghias Theklas) in my journal entry.

The shop has over a dozen styles of leather sandals, ranging from children’s sizes up through a 45 European (a 47 is available by special order). Prices are determined by the size of the shoe, from 13€ children’s, to 25€ for men’s. Expect to pay 19€ to 23€ for a pair of handmade sandals. I needed a size 13 for my father so they custom made it for me on the spot. How is that for service!

How to Get There:

2 AGHIAS THEKLAS STREET, PSYRRI

Subway: Take the metro from Syntagma Square to Monastiraki Square. Exit the metro and turn left towards McDonald’s and the General Bank of Greece, past Hephaestou Street. Aghias Theklas is located right across from the bank. Cross Ermou Street and the second street on the left is Aghias Theklas. The shop is the second store on the right.

On Foot: The store is a 10- to 15-minute walk from Syntagma Square. From Syntagma, walk down to Ermou and turn west. You will pass Athenas Street, and the second street on the right is Aghias Theklas.

There are also some beautiful jewelry stores, ranging from high-quality jewlers to individual artist's shops. The necklace I am wearing right now is from Anatoli on Arabatzoglou 3. The shop had a great selection of pendants and bracelets. I bought two for 10 euros each and they are stunning!

To get there from the bus station, walk with the water on your left. You can go around the fortress to pick up the far side by the Venetian Harbor, or you can turn right just before the fortress and walk east.

Old Town also borders the Venetian Harbor, a picturesque sight of colorful buildings, shining lights, and sailboats. This is what is captured on every postcard of Rethymno. Several open-air restaurants, complete with wicker furniture and evan papasans, line the street along the harbor. We found these restaurants to be extremely overpriced with horrible service. You are much better off picking any restaurant in Old Town.

The Apollon looks every bit like a classic theatre, with red velvet chairs, a balcony, and a draping curtain over the screen. The movie was six euros, and we were the only two people in the theater!!! School of Rock was in English with Greek subtitles. The movie did inexplicably stop in the middle, but we think they just had to change the reels. We ran out to tell the manager, who was in the concession stand, and he fixed it right away. You can pick up some popcorn, soda or candy for the flick too (although we snuck in some muffins from the shop across the street). Overall, this was a great diversion for only a couple bucks. Plus, I've always wanted to be the only person in the movie theater!

The theater is located on Melissinou just before Old Town. It is the first major street south of the Fortress, running east-west across the peninsula.

The sunsets in particular were highlighted in our Lonely Planet, as well as several message boards and journals online. We decided to check it out and see what the sunset craze was all about.

There are buses from the bus station in Fira to Oia every hour in the summer time, but only every two hours in the winter. The bus ride is about 30 minutes and is 90 cents. Double check the posted bus schedule before you make the ride up there- it is a LONG walk back. We walked down through the square and onto the streets of Oia. We had a very hard time finding a place to eat. Most places were too expensive, several were not open yet, and many didn’t have chicken on the menu. One restaurant was so new it didn’t even have a menu! We ended up backtracking to the souvlaki/pita place by the bus station (which was out of chicken too!). My sister got a cheap veggie souvlaki for only a few euros. If you are planning to watch the sunset, I would eat in Fira ahead of time, especially if you have any picky eaters.

The sun finally set at about 8pm and I was disappointed. It was not among the best sunsets I have ever seen. I did get some fantastic photographs of the buildings along the cliffs bathed in red light, but overall I thought the "sunset at Oia" phenomenon was overrated. Many, many buses bringing tourists in through the day but only ONE bus to take passengers home after the sunset. I felt like a sardine- every seat was taken and as many people were squished into the aisles, and still people didn’t make the bus. The portly bus driver insisted on pushing through the crowd to get the bus fares, which was great until he fell into my lap! Yikes!

I heard the next day that the view of the caldera from the uppermost streets of Fira was just as good- plus you don’t waste the time or money on a bus ride. Overall, I would not recommend a trip to Oia solely to watch the sunset.

One last note: you CAN hike to Oia from Fira. It will take you about an hour and a half, but is not for beginners. Our friend told us to walk up the main road in Fira and keep walking until you see an old man with a blue hat. Apparently you ask "Oia?" and he will point you in the direction to the path. At parts, the path completely disappears and there is some scrambling over rocks.

We grabbed our towels and sunscreen and headed down to the bus station. My sister and I were already cautious about our bus trip to Perissa- our friend, who had gone the day earlier, relayed an entertaining story about her ride. It seems the bus driver, a short, rotund, gray-haired man, began driving the bus through a field. Glances between riders were exchanged—clearly this was not the way to Perissa! The bus bounced and bumbled into the field when it stopped. The bus driver—humming loudly, mind you—ran into the middle, scooped down, and grabbed a handful of something. He did this a few more times, then sprinted back to the bus. Passengers looked quizzically at him- what was this old man doing? He pointed to his prize, carrots and the like, and said "Dinner." Of course. Dinner!

We had no such luck on our trip. We boarded a bus for Akrotiri- it stops at Perissa after Akrotiri- and enjoyed the thirty minute ride along the coast. The trip is only a few euros each way, and a short ride in an air-conditioned bus. The bus lets off only a few metres from the beach. The beach itself was mainly deserted, since it was a bit cool outside, but it is packed in the summer. Only three of a long string of restaurants were open, and no brave souls were even close to the cold, cold water. Perissa Beach is a black sand beach, composed of pebbles and volcanic rock with very little "sand" as we know it. The black sand attracted a lot of heat so even though it was breezy, we stayed very warm on our towels. By noon, the ground was too hot to walk on without sandals, although I wouldn’t have wanted to. The terrain is very rocky, slippery, and even with my sandals, I could barely walk fifty yards in it. We had no chance of playing with the Frisbee we brought.

Overall, I really enjoyed Perissa Beach. It was quiet and peaceful, and the black sand allowed us to lay out comfortably. However, if you have children, want to play on the beach or in the water, I would recommend finding another spot. Santorini also has some red sand beaches, but mostly cliffs, so perhaps another island may suit you better. If you want to lay out, have some good food, and enjoy a leisurely day, this is a fantastic spot for you. One recommendation: Bring sunscreen!!! The dark ground attracts a lot of sunlight. We all got sunburned, even with a lot of sunblock on.

Be sure not to lose your ticket! General metro tickets cost 70 cents, with bus fares approximate 45 cents. If you are doing many touristy things in your first day there, you will easily spend more than three euros on tickets. Just be sure to stamp your ticket in the red machine when you first get on the airport bus. You do not need to stamp it on future bus or metro rides. If you don’t stamp it, or don’t have a ticket, you can be fined up to 17€ if a transportation official catches you without a valid ticket.

On a side note, the new Athens airport is extremely clean and easy to get around. It also offers FREE internet access at Internet Point terminals. There are two downstairs, in the arrivals hall, and five upstairs in Departures. There is a suggested time limit of 10 minutes, but if it is not crowded you can certainly stay on longer. I had trouble writing emails in Yahoo!, but was able to check news websites in English easily. Most don’t seem to realize these are free terminals, and so they were relatively empty.

Ferries from Athens to the Greek Islands do not leave directly from Athens, but rather, from the port of Piraeus 10 kilometers southwest of Athens. The distance is too far to walk, but there are several bus and metro options. I would suggest catching a ferry to the Greek Islands as soon as possible after your flight lands, saving Athenian sightseeing for the last day of your trip after your ferry returns. Ferries among the islands are notoriously late or delayed, especially when bad weather is about, and you will want to give yourself some extra time when returning to the island. The E96 bus travels directly between the airport and the port. Tickets are 2,90 €.

If you are already in Athens, the best route to Piraeus is the metro station - only a 25-minute ride. For 70 cents, you can catch the metro from Monastiraki station directly to the Pireaeus metro station, right across from the docks. The Athens metro system has a rather complicated method of pricing - if you are traveling from any stops north of Monastiraki, or from Syntagma Square, tickets are about 10 cents more expensive. Buy tickets at the vending terminals within each station, or ask the information booth for help. Or better yet, if you are traveling within 24 hours of your trip from the airport, use your airport bus ticket and travel for free!

On our trip, the metro to Piraeus was mysteriously closed for the day, so we were forced to find an alternate route. Bus 040 leaves from Syntagma Square to Piraeus, though it does not go directly to the port. It becomes a Piraeus city bus, stopping at many points within the city, and is about a 45-minute ride. The bus does not leave directly on Syntagma Square, but rather on the south of it on the west side of Filellinon Street. It lets off on the southwest side of the port, between streets Akti Xaveriou and Akti Miaouli. If you are unsure of where to get off, look for a sailor or a younger Greek person who may speak English. We lucked out to find a Greek student who walked us to the port to make sure we got there safely.

If you need to buy ferry tickets portside, there are dozens of travel agencies lining the streets. Choose one, and check ferry options. Deck tickets are rather inexpensive. We chose a cabin to Crete on Anek Lines for 100 € total. It had two small beds and a shower, but we were able to sleep away our nine-hour overnight ferry.

There are some food options nearby, notably a McDonald’s, Goody’s and other fast-food places. There is a market on Demosthenous. There is no reason to stay overnight in Piraeus, and there are few low-cost options.