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  1. #76
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    There are over 200 islands only in the Aegean, IMO you can get a similar experience , with smaller crowds, and at half the cost elsewhere.
    For instance?

  2. #77
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    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    For instance?
    All the places Lostandfound went too look great, so he might also be able to offer some advice concerning that.

    In the spring when I go there we are planning to stay in region on the Peloponnese called Aegion where my brother has retired. he also has a place in a small island near Piraeus , Salamina, and we will certainly go there but I don't recommend it because it is a place where mostly locals go and is not geared toward tourists as much. , we plan to then go to to Lefkada and Zakynthos on the west side of Greece (Ionian sea) . On the Aegean side that everyone is more familiar with because most everyone arrives in Athens and most Ferry boats leave from Piraeus the port city of Athens and are more easily accessible to the casual tourist.
    I Guess I can start mouthing off islands (Tinos Syros Paros Milos etc)
    If you were planning to visit Greece, IMO the best way is to google a list of aegean , or Ionian islands, then go to Youtube and make a search of that island, I guarantee you there will be 100 videos from people who have visited, spend some time watching them to see if it's for you or what you had in mind. '
    So
    Milos, on my bucket

    Zakynthos and Lefkada that we are planning to go to as soon as we are allowed to travel,.

    Lefkada


    Most who go to Greece , mostly go to the Islands because that's what they know, but don't forget that Greece is surrounded by sea and anywhere you go you will not be very far from a great beach but with many great inland locations.
    Not to far from Agion where I am going is the Kalavrita gorge railway and backpacking trail. The incline i so steep that there is a third rail with teet for the rain at places.


    Lets also not forget Meteora

    or Mount Athos where women are not allowed, if only for that , a great place tom go.

    In greece you can go to e different place every month for the rest of your life, and not go to the same place twice.
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  3. #78
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    One of the travel vloggers that I watch, Gabriel Traveler - I think Greece is one of his fave countries (if not the top fave). He has lots of vids covering Greece. He's now in Turkey and would like to go to Greece. But due to travel restrictions (Greece & many west EU countries not accepting USA citizens), he's exploring Turkey & other countries which allow him to enter.

    @buckaroo - do you have Greek heritage?

    @L&F - thanks for the pics & stories!

  4. #79
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    Greece is best explored slightly off season. April/May or October. Take an easily managed backpack. Rent scooters, cars, visit the small islands not accesible directly from Athens ports. Book accommodation direct.

    This was Crete.

    Fed up with the UK so gone to Greece-5dfb8c3a-a7e4-4a68-bf04-5cb1651992be-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-09ed8694-d3c5-4805-8d9e-4e52a5d7ec08-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-9a44e3da-820b-4489-90d0-7e954b30be9b-jpg

  5. #80
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    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    One of the travel vloggers that I watch, Gabriel Traveler - I think Greece is one of his fave countries (if not the top fave). He has lots of vids covering Greece. He's now in Turkey and would like to go to Greece. But due to travel restrictions (Greece & many west EU countries not accepting USA citizens), he's exploring Turkey & other countries which allow him to enter.

    @buckaroo - do you have Greek heritage?

    @L&F - thanks for the pics & stories!
    I do,
    we came to the US when I was a toddler in 1972. I had a family member who was a driver in the palace 0f king Constantine, my father , as many Greeks at the time was and engineer in the Merchant Marine (worked in the engine room). When the Junda forced the king to flee the country, all those associated with the king or thought to have loyalty were arrested. My dad jumped ship in NYC (if he came back he would be immediately arrested) and applied for political asylum. By 1972 he was able to bring us over. It is a very long story, one that if I had any talent I would write a book about.
    Anyway, I have grown in the US and consider myself a greek American, but my brother who is 10 years older than me and had grown up there, after a while in the US and when the Junda was gone returned. In retrospect, I wish I had also, but that might be a romanticized tendency since I had little connection with Greece other than vacations there. My Older sister ended up in Italy after the coup, where she remained since then , lives a little north of Venetia. As we are getting older and are starting to face our mortality, we are all starting to get Melancholy and emotional about each other, so I have applied to get a Greek passport, and as soon as I am allowed to travel there I plan to buy a small place near the sea, and spend summers there and winters in Thailand.
    More than you ever wanted to know about me LOL
    Apologies to LostandFound for the OFF TOPIC diversion I dont mean to make this about me. I love reading about the places he stayed at and the great pictures, every day I log on to TD it is the first thread I look at.
    Last edited by Buckaroo Banzai; 23-10-2020 at 08:17 PM.

  6. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lostandfound View Post
    Greece is best explored slightly off season. April/May or October. Take an easily managed backpack. Rent scooters, cars, visit the small islands not accesible directly from Athens ports. Book accommodation direct.

    This was Crete.

    Fed up with the UK so gone to Greece-5dfb8c3a-a7e4-4a68-bf04-5cb1651992be-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-09ed8694-d3c5-4805-8d9e-4e52a5d7ec08-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-9a44e3da-820b-4489-90d0-7e954b30be9b-jpg
    I always wanted to go to Crete,
    did you fly there? if not How long was the boat ride from Athens.? Not sure if the wife can be in a boat that long she gets seasick.
    April May is a great time to visit, Greece is blooming, the smell of lavender and jasmine everywhere, in Greece lavender is called "Paschalia" which means easter flower, because it blooms at easter, which is the biggest holiday there.
    But most people experience Greece in the summer and have a tropical impresion of Greece. It gets cold in the winter with skying a couple of hours drive north of Athens. Consequently the water gets to cold for my wimpy ass to swim in May .

  7. #82
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    @buckaroo - no problem, thanks for the explanation. I'm interested in people's backgrounds and how they came to be where they are. My parents come from different countries, so I guess part of my interest comes from that.

    Re: your having Greek heritage, I thought so. From your pics, you had this "Mediterranean look" (no offence meant). You also mentioned having applied for Greek passport, and that's usually a "jus sanguinis" thing (that was my guess).

    During the past few months of lockdown, I've watched several docus re: the royal families of Europe. They're all interconnected! Queen Victoria was the grandma of Europe, while King Christian of Denmark was the father-in-law of Europe.

    I like watching The Crown and medieval/ fictional series like GOT, Merlin, White Queen, etc. So your family having had a connection to King Constantine is a fascinating.

    Good luck in your future plans, esp re: property acquisition in Greece.

    Sorry for the derail... back to L&F's pic thread...

    Btw, if anyone's interested in King Constantine


  8. #83
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    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    From your pics, you had this "Mediterranean look"
    I do what I can to make the world a prettier place
    Though lately as I approach 64 and do to many reasons, but primarily attributed to the great hair migration and the mid belly fat accumulation , I find the task increasingly difficult. On the Bright side as my sense of smell diminishes it seems that my body is compensating by making my nose bigger

  9. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lostandfound View Post
    This was Crete.
    When in Crete, visit the Palace of Knossos. Unbelievable what did they have there 3,000 years ago. I had to laugh when the guide presented toilets with running water, saying that in France they did not have it 100 years ago ...

    Memorable is Xania, main location of the German-British battle during WW2, not very good results for the British.

    My first close knowledge about Crete many many years ago was from famous film ZXorba the Greek, with unforgettable acting of Anthony Quinn.

    However, in the main season, the Crete is usually very crowded...

  10. #85
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    More Crete

    Fed up with the UK so gone to Greece-979a7cc4-7d08-41fd-97bf-cfa0baa4094d-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-5759f43a-13c3-4063-a8ed-0a03a3e680cf-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-b669b091-8db9-414a-b041-ce94ba072a12-jpg

  11. #86
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    MarilynMonroe's Avatar
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    ^Crete looks really worth the visit.

    Cool vids, Buckaroo! None of us are getting any younger, but we have to travel while we still can.. post Covid of course.

    I've been looking at Santorini and Mykonos to visit in the future.


  12. #87
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  13. #88
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    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MarilynMonroe View Post
    Just the girl in the video is worth the visit.
    Do you think I have a chance with her?

  14. #89
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    ^That's my twin lol.. you can follow her on instagram as well. She is a travel vlogger.

  15. #90
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    Lostandfound ,stop slacking,lay off the Ouzo , and post some more pictures, I am experiencing Greece withdrawal symptoms. But please no more pictures of your feet,
    I think I am developing a fetish.

  16. #91
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    Quite an experience to be invited by Greek colleagues on a late dinner after a hard day's work, the choice of food and drinks and the warm atmosphere at the Greek restaurant...

  17. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    Quite an experience to be invited by Greek colleagues on a late dinner after a hard day's work, the choice of food and drinks and the warm atmosphere at the Greek restaurant...
    Indeed. I love Greek food - contrary to LaF, I think feta is cheese from the Gods - and the people are so friendly. They do genuinely seem to appreciate your tourism, which quite often isn't the case in Thailand...

  18. #93
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    Get's flight and hotel for free. Complains.

  19. #94
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah View Post
    to appreciate your tourism, which quite often isn't the case in Thailand...
    Care to elaborate?

  20. #95
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    Care to elaborate?
    Not really, no.

  21. #96
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    ^So, you did not disappoint us...

  22. #97
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    I always wanted to go to Crete,
    did you fly there? if not How long was the boat ride from Athens.? Not sure if the wife can be in a boat that long she gets seasick.
    April May is a great time to visit, Greece is blooming, the smell of lavender and jasmine everywhere, in Greece lavender is called "Paschalia" which means easter flower, because it blooms at easter, which is the biggest holiday there.
    But most people experience Greece in the summer and have a tropical impresion of Greece. It gets cold in the winter with skying a couple of hours drive north of Athens. Consequently the water gets to cold for my wimpy ass to swim in May .
    Ferry from Piraeus, Athens - 9 hours with several departures all around 21h. A private cabin at 90e. You can get mor deluxe cabins but the inside cabins in the centre of the ship have least roll and are v quiet.

  23. #98
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    October in Crete. 24c today. Morning coffee down in harbour.

    Fed up with the UK so gone to Greece-6bfbebbe-655b-4851-b728-1e36c7861e8e-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-e68d7611-ed48-481a-9c42-4a1c3c4081bc-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-8f793444-0e62-4d08-9aaf-332026bc0101-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-be8a0ffa-10cc-483b-86b4-c9d96bde3b6a-jpgFed up with the UK so gone to Greece-6fdbc932-b978-4544-b6ad-3dcc237fef91-jpg

  24. #99
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    There's a couple of small islands just south of here. One has a hippy type beach apparently and a population of c 500.

    I've found the smaller islands are the best, ie those without a direct ferry from Athens. I guess it all depends what you are looking for.

    My recommendation is to travel with lots of time, a smallish backpack and a healthy amount of cash in euros and hop around to see what takes your fancy. Avoid Mid June to Mid September. It's too hot and there's too many people.

    Try to book all hotels direct. The Greeks seem to add 25% or for OTA bookings.

  25. #100
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    Check out the castle in the capitol, visited 20 years ago.

    Not my pic but i do have one similar somewhere..


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