Category Archives: Greece

The Trashy Side of the Greek Islands

28 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece, Mykonos, Rant, Santorini

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This is post fifteen of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Visiting the Greek Islands was a dream for Mrs. Selfish and I, and they certainly are beautiful. This is not to say that the trip was perfect, however. Our trips frequently aren’t, and we tend to gloss over some of the crappier parts of traveling: food poisoning, scams, mediocre foods, gross hotels, etc.

I have often found, however, that our experiences are tinged by our expectations and for better or worse my expectations usually match the pictures I see online: a solitary monk visiting Angkor Wat in the morning omitting the tourist hordes just off camera, the perfectly framed cafe in Paris minus the next door McDonald’s, the Great Wall of China at sunset with the silhouetted screaming hawkers pushing their wares.

Stunning… so what’s the catch?

So here, in no particular order, are the many downsides of visiting Santorini and Mykonos. Hopefully they help you make your own informed decisions when traveling to these high profile hot spots.

The crappier side of Donkeys

Donkeys are everywhere in Santorini. Thanks to Oia’s narrow streets, it’s nearly impossible for a car to maneuver, so donkeys are used to haul trash and tourists around.

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A Delightful Day Trip to Delos

27 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece, Mykonos

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This is post fourteen of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Mr. Selfish and I weren’t too overly impressed with Mykonos. We felt that the crowd was too young and drunk for our liking. Nevertheless, if we hadn’t spent two nights in Mykonos, we wouldn’t have taken a day trip to Delos, which was awesome.

Mykonos 01

Delos is known as one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece. According to mythology, it is the birthplace of the gods of Apollo and Artemis. Although Delos is still being excavated, a great deal of excavation has already occurred. Mr. Selfish loves ruins and was in heaven.

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Shots! Shots! ShotsShotsShots! Heading to Mykonos

26 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece, Mykonos

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This is post thirteen of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

While researching the Greek islands, I discovered that Mykonos is known as a huge “party” island. Against our better judgment, particularly since we are not (and never have been) rambunctious party-goers, Mr. Selfish and I still decided to spend two days in Mykonos. It just looked so lovely in all of the photos I saw online.

Well, we were not let down. Mykonos is indeed as pretty as the photos but also full of young, loud, and drunk party-goers as its reputation would have you believe. Mr. Selfish will go over the party side of Mykonos in a later post. This post will focus on all things pretty in Mykonos.

Mykonos 01

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There’s a Meat Town in Naxos!

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Food & Drinks, Greece, Naxos

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This is post twelve of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Fresher is always better when it comes to food. We know this, but at home it’s hard to beat the allure of convenience that a super market promises.

Restaurants have been quick to pounce on the rising foodie trend, however, with phrases like “locally sourced” and from “farm to table.” It’s both annoying that we have to use these phrases and a sad state of affairs that most of our food is actually imported from farms over half a continent away.

This is not the case on islands, where the food is often incredibly fresh since the economics of the island often force them took cook only what they grow there. I first noticed this during our Selfish Year trip to Tasmania, which consistently had some of the tastiest, freshest eats I’ve ever had.

So when I found out that Naxos had a town the locals were describing as a “meat town,” Mrs. Selfish and I immediately jumped in our car and headed there for lunch… and then dinner… actually I kind of want some now.

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It’s All Greek to Me: Heading to Naxos

23 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece, Naxos

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This is post eleven of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

When I was researching which Greek islands to visit, it was clear to me that we should visit the renowned islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Since both of these are very popular islands, I wanted to visit a lesser known island as well. I ended up settling on Naxos because it was easy to travel between Santorini, Naxos, and Mykonos and because it is supposedly the island on which the Greeks vacation.

Naxos ended up being my (and probably Mr. Selfish’s too) favorite island. It was so much less touristy than Santorini and Mykonos but equally beautiful. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t visit Santorini or Mykonos. But if you want to experience a more low-key Greek island, then Naxos should be on your list.

This is the view of Naxos as you’re approaching on the ferry from the water.

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Looking for Santorini’s Best Eats

22 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Food & Drinks, Greece, Santorini

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This is post ten of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Santorini is a major tourist trap – there’s no use mincing words here. Despite that, it is also one of those must-see-before-you-die locations.

Unfortunately, like most tourist traps Santorini (and in particular Oia) is filled with over-priced mediocre restaurants whose main selling point is the view. Fortunately thanks to some local recommendations and the power of the Internet we managed to score a few good meals.

Fresh Squid at Amoudi Fish Tavern

Located at the Western most part of Oia, the Amoudi Fish Tavern can be found right at sea level, which is always a good sign when one is looking for fresh seafood.

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Santorini’s Spectacular Sights: Part 2

21 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece, Santorini

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This is post nine of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

On our way from the airport to our accommodations in Oia, Mr. Selfish and I asked for recommendations from our driver. We were wary of the many tourist traps in Oia and inquired about any less popular restaurants. Our driver informed us that we had to go down to Amoudi Bay, where the hoards from the cruise ships typically didn’t go and the seafood was outstanding. We were glad we listened to him.

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Santorini’s Spectacular Sights: Part 1

20 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece, Santorini

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This is post eight of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Since I’ve been frantically preparing for Baby Selfish, Mr. Selfish has taken on the responsibility of finishing up our 2014 trip reports, which was fine with me. But, then the other day, I heard someone refer to this blog as “Mr. Selfish’s blog.”  So, here I am, back to writing trip reports. There’s no way that this blog is Mr. Selfish’s blog!

The main reason that I wanted to visit Greece was to bask in the views of Santorini. I’ve never seen a bad photo of Santorini, and after having been there, I must admit that it is difficult to take a bad photo of it.

Santorini - Sites 2 005

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Room with a View: Staying in Santorini

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Europe, Greece, Santorini

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This is post seven of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

After an activity-packed stay in Athens, Mrs. Selfish and I left the Hilton Athens and headed to the airport. Our destination, Santorini: one of the most beautiful islands in the Aegean Sea.

The flight was brief, and before I knew it we were in a van bound for Oia, the beautiful cliff side village filled with jaw dropping views that have become synonymous with Santorini.

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Athen’s Other Sites

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Greece

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This is post six of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

While the Acropolis is arguably Athen’s main draw, there are plenty of other sites to see if you’re a ruins lover, many of which can be accessed for free with your Acropolis ticket.

Ascending up Mt Lycabettus

Athens Sites-2 002

Rising 200 meters above the rest of the area, Mt. Lycabettus is a great way to get panoramic views of Athens. You can get to the top of the mountain one of two ways – walking, or paying 7 euros to take the funicular up to the top.

Since it was a boiling 88 degrees, Mrs. Selfish and I decided to conserve our energy and take the furnicular.

Athens Sites-2 003Athens Sites-2 004Athens Sites-2 005

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Taking it Indoors: Athen’s Museums

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Greece

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This is post five of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

I have a mixed relationship with museums. I love walking through them, but scarcely read anything. This means that an average museum trip for Mrs. Selfish and I is usually less than 2 hours.

We’ve blazed through the Uffizi in Florence (where we almost missed the Birth of Venus), the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Museum of Natural History in NYC, to name a few. Undoubtedly we missed much.

So when it came to Athens, I was debating whether or not we should even head indoors. With 3 full days in Athens, however, it became clear that we were running out of things to do, so we decided to head to the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine Museum. Good thing too, as both proved to be well worth the trip.

The National Archaeological Museum

Athens Museums 002

Considered (by Wikipedia) to be one of the greatest museums in the world, the National Archaeological Museum has one of the largest collections of ancient artifacts I’ve ever seen.

I love me some Greek statues, so this was well worth the trip. It was also nice to actually see the statues in Greece, as opposed to other European museums where they were “on loan” or had been looted from Greece hundreds of years ago. Entrance to the museum was 7 euros per person. Continue reading →

Oompa! Eating Athens

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Food & Drinks, Greece

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This is post four of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Having recently eaten our way through Taipei, Mrs. Selfish and I were finally getting tired of Asian food, a rare feat in the Selfish Household. Fortunately, we were now in Greece and I was hungering for some Greek food.

Pitas! Gyros! Lamb! Feta! Baklava! Actually, that’s about all the Greek food I knew going in.

Apparently our offerings of Greek food Stateside are very weak and consists almost entirely of gyros, which is like going to a sushi restaurant and declaring you know Japanese food. We just don’t get the breadth of Greek food in the good ol’ USA.

Fortunately, Athens has a wide variety of Greek food types, so we set out to expand our palettes.

Munching down at Manh Manh

Athens Eats 001

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Starting at the Top: The Acropolis

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Greece

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This is post three of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

For our first day in Athens Mrs. Selfish and I headed to the Acropolis. The largest tourist attraction in Athens (and possibly in Greece), the Acropolis is a collection of four ancient buildings that sit on top of a flat rock a few hundred feet above the rest of the city.

Constructed in the 5th century, BC, the Acropolis is most noted for the Parthenon, which dominates the skyline. Since Athens was conquered several times over the last 2000+ years, the Acropolis has been burned and reconstructed many, many times.

Since 1975, however, the Greeks have made a serious effort to restore the Acropolis, which was ravaged by pollution, war, and poor restoration. Most notably, the Venetians (the jerks of the Adriatic, as we would later learn in Dubrovnik) damaged it with artillery fire back in late 1600’s and it never fully recovered.

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Acropolis for Breakfast: Staying at the Hilton Athens

14 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Athens, Europe, Greece, Hilton

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This is post two of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

After a busy night in Taipei, and a trip to the best shaved ice place ever, Ice Monster, Mrs. Selfish and I woke up at 4 in the morning and hopped in a cab to the Taipei airport.

A little groggy, we were awakened by our cab driver’s erratic style – namely using the gas and the brake pedals simultaneously. That takes talent.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Selfish’s was starting to experience morning sickness, so we were more than happy to exit the cab 30 minutes later to start the next leg of our journey: Taipei to Athens by way of Seoul and Frankfurt.

map

Admittedly, I was pretty excited since we were going to get to try out Asiana first class from Seoul to Frankfurt, a 11+ hour flight.

While the seats were a little dated, the service and food was outstanding! I especially enjoyed eating bibimbap at 30,000 feet – though technically this was probably more like fried rice since the bowl was not a sizzling hotpot, so the rice couldn’t achieve the proper level of crispiness.

21+ hours of travel later, we arrived at our next stop: Athens.

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Greece Lightning: Heading to Greece

13 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece

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This is post one of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Man, what a year it’s been! I reported back on the first half of our trip to Taiwan and Greece back in September, and then skipped ahead to our trip to Korea.

Why? Chalk it up to preparing for Baby Selfish, too much traveling, or downright laziness, but the fact of the matter is that I broke up Taiwan and Greece because they felt like two separate trips. I mean, check out this map:triplethejetlagfor120000miles

Finally! A legit round-the-world trip.

So that brings me back to Greece. Mrs. Selfish and I visited Italy back in 2010, and Turkey earlier this year, but Greece had always been high up on our list.

Greece 001

You don’t really need a reason with sites like this. Continue reading →