Traveling to Greece

[DanM]

I'll keep planning , then start official planning once the first stuff for 2009 of later comes, and I'll wait until I can find a great deal.

[DanM]

I hope your enthusiasm will convince your parents that they like to go to Greece as well!

FOrtunatly, I got that done from the start. At first, my sister criticized the plans, but I think she would enjoy it, and she isn't criticizing it anymore. So my sister can really ejoy the trip, does anyone know of anything horse related for her, because she really enjoys horses, I think there's probably some trail rides through the mountains. Wow, this plan is really taking shape. On thursday this was more of a fantasy, it evolved into a slight question of if, and now it's a question of when, and is turning into which hotel,travelling through greece, and how much will it cost. I actually think I'll go to greece in 2009 if I find a lot of spare time, and dedicate almost all of it. However, the school year will slow down my plans, but It definitly won't stop them.

[DanM]

I just came across a new revalation for traveling. Use expedia for hotels in major cities, and use smaller travel sites that can be found through google for smaller cities. My plan went up to $1726 a person, but I got it down to $1591 a person, because I got great deals on hotels 3 stars or better from this site I found called travel bag. I have made this plan

flight......................................................801
eurail pass.............................................175
hotel in athens.......................................330
hotel in delphi.........................................50
hotel in olympia.....................................115
hotel in corinth........................................90
______________________________________
TOTAL $1591 per person



for some reason I put together this hypothetical trip set this november, using real hotel prices and air fares...

11/1-2 Fly from chicago to athens- connecting in madrid on Iberia Airlines
-check in to athens hotel
11/3 - Acropolis
-monuments on the south slope
-agora
11/4 - roman agora
- temple of olympian zeus
- National Archealogical Museum
11/5 - Piraeus
- possible visit to nearby island (Aegina?)
11/6 - Marathon
11/7 - Take a train to Lianokhladion (to get to thermopylae )
- take a bus to thermopylae from Lianokladhion
- take a bus to Delphi
- check in to delphi hotel
11/8 - Delphi
- take a bus to rion
- take a train from rion to Olympia
-check in to Olympia hotel
11/9 - Olympia
11/10 - take a train from Olympia to Pirgos ( Pirgos is just a stop )
- Take a train from Pirgos to Corinth
- Check in to corinth hotel
11/11- Corinth
11/12- take train from corinth to Athens
- Fly back


I know one thing, I'll ask for extra camera memory for my birthday and christmas.

[Jona Lendering]

does anyone know of anything horse related for her, because she really enjoys horses,

She has never seen an equestrian statue until she has seen this one in the Athenian National Museum - the image is rather poor, but, believe me, this is one of the most splendid examples of ancient art:

11/1-2 Fly from chicago to athens- connecting in madrid on Iberia Airlines
-check in to athens hotel
11/3 - Acropolis
-monuments on the south slope
-agora
11/4 - roman agora
- temple of olympian zeus
- National Archealogical Museum
11/5 - Piraeus
- possible visit to nearby island (Aegina?)

So far, nothing impossible; although Piraeus is just a messy suburb - better spend some time at Daphni or Kerameikos.

11/6 - Marathon

Try to combine it with Brauron or Sunion. Marathon itself ain't much: a small hill in an olive grove, that's it. The trees are better than the hill, to be quite honest. There is a museum, admittedly, but it has no objects related to the battle, except for one ugly column. Fortunately, its badly preserved. So, add something else.

11/7 - Take a train to Lianokhladion (to get to thermopylae )
- take a bus to thermopylae from Lianokladhion
- take a bus to Delphi
- check in to delphi hotel

This is too complex and takes too much time. It is easier to skip the train part and take the bus to Lamia. Trains in Greece are incomparable to trains in other countries, which is a eufemism for: don't even think about it. Buses are swifter, cheaper, easier. In Athens, take the bus to Lamia, and say to the driver that you want to leave at Thermopylae. Don't expect too much of that site, although as a lover of the ancient armies, you simply MUST go there. However, you will have to prepare your relatives for a disappointment. It helps, of course, if you read Herodotus to them.

11/8 - Delphi
- take a bus to rion
- take a train from rion to Olympia
-check in to Olympia hotel

This is too optimistic. I suggest two nights in Delphi. You will really need a full day for that beautiful site and its splendid museum. I suggest you leave out Olympia altogether and insert one day rest. Your mum and sister will need it, honestly.

11/9 - Olympia
11/10 - take a train from Olympia to Pirgos ( Pirgos is just a stop )
- Take a train from Pirgos to Corinth
- Check in to corinth hotel
11/11- Corinth
11/12- take train from corinth to Athens
- Fly back

Busses are usually better, but the connection Corinth-Athens is fine.

[DanM]

Ok I added a night in delphi, and waved the eurail pass. THe price went down to $1466 per person. And by athenian national museum, does that mean the national archaeology museum?

[DanM]

Would I be able to see the temple of hephaestos on the same day as the agora?

[Jona Lendering]

Ok I added a night in delphi, and waved the eurail pass. THe price went down to $1466 per person. And by athenian national museum, does that mean the national archaeology museum?

Yes.

Would I be able to see the temple of hephaestos on the same day as the agora?

Yes: look here. The red roof to the right is the Stoa of Attalos, the easternmost building on the Agora, the square building to the left is the Temple of Hephaestus/Theseion. It is all one archaeological zone.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Why skip Olympia? Not suggesting you skimp on Delphi either though.
It is as good a place to stay as any, and the site is walking distance from the town center. and the museum is full of interesting things to see.
Mind you, it was shut for renovation when I was there. Olympics were the next year.

Another thing is that some hotels offer a good deal if you stay for three nights! Just a thought!

[DanM]

If I skip anything, It would probably be corinth.

[Jona Lendering]

If I skip anything, It would probably be corinth.

You're probably right that Corinth is less than Olympia.

My real point was not really "against Olympia", but "for a day of rest". It is easy to make an itinerary too crowded with beautiful things. The main result is that in the end, your memories confuse everything, and you walk through Greece like the proverbal tourist, saying "If it's Tuesday, this must be Delphi." :wink: Believe me, Stendhal's Syndrome is not something to laugh about; I suffered from it during my first visit to Greece and had to return earlier than planned.

[DanM]

Here's a trick: go to the library and get a book with many, many photos of pieces of art. In Dutch we use the expression "coffee table book": a book that is not just for reading, but for display when visitors arrive, so that -while you are making coffee- they have something pleasant to look at. Make sure that this book is always somewhere in the room, and no doubt your parents will -when they have nothing to do- leaf through it and be impressed. (That's how I made my father pay a trip to Rome, back in 1984.) :wink:

I moddified that plan because 1. I don't make coffee for my parents 2. My coffee table is in my living room, when everyone is usally in my family room. so here's my modified plan
I'll find a good book about ancient greece at my library, making sure It has a lot of good pictures. THen I'll read it a little, and leave it laying around on my couch, because I noticed that my dad will read something of interest to him, when it is laying on the couch. It happened with my visitors guide to the ancient world. ANd I'll learn greek by taking rosetta stone levels 1 & 2, then I'll buy a greek dictionary, and read greek stuff, and when I find a word I don't understand, I look it up.

[DanM]

If I skip anything, It would probably be corinth.

You're probably right that Corinth is less than Olympia.

My real point was not really "against Olympia", but "for a day of rest". It is easy to make an itinerary too crowded with beautiful things. The main result is that in the end, your memories confuse everything, and you walk through Greece like the proverbal tourist, saying "If it's Tuesday, this must be Delphi." :wink: Believe me, Stendhal's Syndrome is not something to laugh about; I suffered from it during my first visit to Greece and had to return earlier than planned.

but will it really matter when the day of rest exactly is? I would try to have it by leaving out corinth, like spending a second day somewhere, which will be reserved for rest, instead of going to see all the greek stuff, but more common/ everyday stuff. I think I had stendhal syndrome before, although it was probably just a minor case, because I felt dizzy when I was at space camp, and I was exposed to A LOT of space stuff.

[Jona Lendering]

but will it really matter when the day of rest exactly is?

As the schedule now stands, I suggest you break the trip in Delphi. Stay there not two, but three nights, and use the second of your days for a swim at Itea, or a walk in the valley, or a quick trip to Hosios Loukos Monastery. It may also give yourself an opportunity to go back to the ruins and museum, if you have a feeling that you want to investigate it better.

[DanM]

So I add a night in delphi, and wipe out corinth? or use corinth to rest?

[Jona Lendering]

I would suggest this:

11/1-2
- Fly from chicago to athens- connecting in madrid on Iberia Airlines
- check in to athens hotel

11/3
- agora
- acropolis
- theaters on south slope
(start at agora; it is situated in a valley and can become unpleasantly hot; so go there at dawn)

11/4
- roman agora
- arch of Hadrian and temple of olympian zeus
- stadium of Herodes Atticus
- National Archealogical Museum

11/5
- other sights in Athens that your family may like
- or visit to Aegina (not terribly interesting)

11/6*
- Marathon

11/7*
- Bus direction Lamia
- Visit to Thermopylae
- take a bus to Delphi
- check in to delphi hotel

11/8
- Delphi

11/9
- Delphi, rest day
(go to Itea for a swim, make a walk through the olive groves, or something)

11/10**
- take a bus to Patra
- take a bus to Olympia
- check in to Olympia hotel

11/11
- Olympia

11/12-13**
- take direct bus from Olympia to Athens
- Fly back

*
I am trying to imagine what your family will think about these days. You invite them to make detours to battlefields, where nothing is to be seen, except for (in my opinion: ugly) modern monuments and small hills. For the day at Marathon, you can go there for your father, and leave your mother and sister in Athens: no doubt there are museums they will like, or shops they like to visit. (I was there with my best friend last summer, and our ladies forced us to see more shoe shops than we liked - better to go different ways. )

The detour to Thermopylae will be more problematic, although I think they must grant it to you; make it easy for them by explaining its importance well before you go there. I forced my friends to go to the battlefield of Philippi, and there I suddenly produced some Dutch sweeties they like, as a token that I had appreciated their patience.

**
During these days, you will not see very many things: just moving from Delphi to Olympia, and from Olympia to Athens. Fortunately, the rocky coasts and mountains are always spectacular.

You may make things a lot easier for yourself and your relatives if you can manage to rent a car. Visa and Hertz are everywhere in Greece, and as you return to Athens, it is pretty easy. The advantage is that you can make stops at lesser monuments, and can include non-classical things that your relatives may appreciate, or can just stop to gaze at the scenery. It makes the days more pleasant.