Meteora is cool, the rock formations are nifty, but the whole hermit thing would be a bit extreme.
Delphi is facinating, and the couple little towns around it are really neat.
Make sure when you are in Athens to do more than just the Parthanon. Spend a good amount of time in the Agora too. There is a really wicked little museum on the eastern edge of it. When you leave the Agora from the southeastern exit, there is a KICK ASS little Gyro shop right on the corner. Everything they make is very tasty! There are also lots of nifty market streets in that area around Monasariki.
Lykivitos hill was disappointing, though the church of St Denis is nice enough, but you will see plenty of other ones that look better elsewhere. The tram ride up is completely enclosed, so you don't see yourself going up, though the view of the city is decent.
Make sure you check out the subway station, particularly the one at Sydagma square! There are lots of way cool things in them from the excavations done to build the new lines. Syndagma station also has a special display area that brings in rotating exhibits. I saw Peruvian mummies in there in January... go figure. Checking this stuff out is 100% free. Not much else is in Athens, though most entrance fees aren't that pricey. The most I think was 6 Euro at the National Archeaological Museum. The ticket for the Acropolis is a multi ticket... I think you get 6 different peices and you can enter a whole wack of different sites around Athens with this ticket, so don't worry if it's more expensive.
It should be gorgeous in Greece by the time you get there, so try to take an island tour. Hydra is positively enchanting. They use donkeys for transport, no motorized vehicles. It's a great place to wander about, though other islands have better beaches. You can get to the closest islands to Athens easily either with a tour or by local ferries. Most hotels can give you info about this.
The absolute best part of Greece for me was the ampitheatre at Epidarus. If you aren't into music, it may not appeal, but the acousitics are absolutely incredible!!!!!!!! I can't praise this place enough. If there happens to be a concert or play or something going on there, GO! The site is incredible. Even if there isn't, practice a soliloqy or a song or something and try out the accoustics. It makes even a mediocre voice sound like a great orator or opera singer. Superb.
Well, that's more or less a summery of my trip to Greece... but it's really the highlights so you'll likely get to do most of the stuff I mentioned anyway. Have fun, and make sure to eat lots of Baklava!
Information overload! Thank you. I've been trying to figure out what we should dedicate our time to, since we'll only be there for a week, and lets face it, there is so much to do! I never would have thought of, say, visiting the subway. I'm really starting to get excited. I think it's finally hitting me that I'm going. Weee ;)
Now I have to go and make more detailed plans! Thanks again.
Delphi is facinating, and the couple little towns around it are really neat.
Make sure when you are in Athens to do more than just the Parthanon. Spend a good amount of time in the Agora too. There is a really wicked little museum on the eastern edge of it. When you leave the Agora from the southeastern exit, there is a KICK ASS little Gyro shop right on the corner. Everything they make is very tasty! There are also lots of nifty market streets in that area around Monasariki.
Lykivitos hill was disappointing, though the church of St Denis is nice enough, but you will see plenty of other ones that look better elsewhere. The tram ride up is completely enclosed, so you don't see yourself going up, though the view of the city is decent.
Make sure you check out the subway station, particularly the one at Sydagma square! There are lots of way cool things in them from the excavations done to build the new lines. Syndagma station also has a special display area that brings in rotating exhibits. I saw Peruvian mummies in there in January... go figure. Checking this stuff out is 100% free. Not much else is in Athens, though most entrance fees aren't that pricey. The most I think was 6 Euro at the National Archeaological Museum. The ticket for the Acropolis is a multi ticket... I think you get 6 different peices and you can enter a whole wack of different sites around Athens with this ticket, so don't worry if it's more expensive.
It should be gorgeous in Greece by the time you get there, so try to take an island tour. Hydra is positively enchanting. They use donkeys for transport, no motorized vehicles. It's a great place to wander about, though other islands have better beaches. You can get to the closest islands to Athens easily either with a tour or by local ferries. Most hotels can give you info about this.
The absolute best part of Greece for me was the ampitheatre at Epidarus. If you aren't into music, it may not appeal, but the acousitics are absolutely incredible!!!!!!!! I can't praise this place enough. If there happens to be a concert or play or something going on there, GO! The site is incredible. Even if there isn't, practice a soliloqy or a song or something and try out the accoustics. It makes even a mediocre voice sound like a great orator or opera singer. Superb.
Well, that's more or less a summery of my trip to Greece... but it's really the highlights so you'll likely get to do most of the stuff I mentioned anyway. Have fun, and make sure to eat lots of Baklava!
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Information overload! Thank you. I've been trying to figure out what we should dedicate our time to, since we'll only be there for a week, and lets face it, there is so much to do! I never would have thought of, say, visiting the subway. I'm really starting to get excited. I think it's finally hitting me that I'm going. Weee ;)
Now I have to go and make more detailed plans! Thanks again.
Reply
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