The Mani region and the Diros Caves

For those of you who have some extra time in Greece, I recommend renting a car and driving through the southern most tip of the Peloponnessos called "Mani".

"The Mani is no longer quite the remote region that it once was, far away from Athens at the very southern tip of mainland Greece, and visitors have been quick to pick up on its rugged charms. To drive around the peninsula is to discover another very distinctive part of Greece, where tall, tower houses reach into the skies. These fortified houses were built to protect the families because of the feuds that went on in this wild west of a place for centuries. But don’t worry – they’ve calmed down a bit these days." - Taken from "Great Drives in Greece"

One of the highlights in this region are the Diros Caves (which are about an hour drive from Gythio).

"Located at the top of the Mani between the town of Pirgos Dirou and Areopolis the entrance is a few meters above the sea and a beautiful stone beach. When you arrive at the Caves you buy your 15 euro ticket at the booth and continue driving to the parking lot just outside the entrance. Try to get here early especially in the summer. When you enter the cave you will walk down a stairway to an underground lake where there are boats waiting. You are given a life-vest and then each boat gets a guide who uses poles to journey through the caverns and tunnels, which are eerily lit and adorned with stalactites and stalagmites, many with interesting names. You will pass through some sections just wide enough to allow your boat, where you have to duck your head and then enter into an enormous subterranean room where you can hear the voices of people on other boats in the distance. The air is a comfortable seventy degrees at any time of the year (so bring a sweater or light jacket if you tend to get cold)." - Matt Barrett's blog (He's very enthusiastic about the Diros Caves)

In "deep Mani"(interactive map link) you will see the arid, rugged landscape of its reputation. The deserted village, Vathia, is where the famous tower houses remain standing.
This part of Greece was never completely occupied by the Ottoman Empire and the families (clans) that built these houses had a reputation of being tough like the landscape. You can read more about the whole region of Mani and check-out interactive maps at John Chapman's site, "Mani: A Guide and History".
*I would recommend staying at Gythio as a base and exploring the region from there by rental car. There are lots of quiet beaches you can discover following the coast of Mani and great seafood!

MAY 6-Time Change!

So, I got a little too excited when I designed the invites for the Engagement Luncheon on May 6th and put the time at 11 AM. In retrospect, I realize this is a bit too early for most Sunday-morning-sleeper-ins (like myself) so we are going to push back the time to 12 PM (noon). Sorry for the confusion but I'm sure most people will appreciate the extra hour of sleep, right?
Can't Wait!

AND, please if you haven't sent in your RSVP please do that as soon as you can, thank you!

for the birds...

If there are any budding ornithologists out there, you may want to check out one of these Birdwatching Tours while in Greece. Who knew there are over 400 official Greek species! Just think, you could make your own "Winged Migration"!

Know your Traveler's Rights!

Taken from DailyCandy:

Go to airport. Check in. Discover flight has been canceled. (Canceled?)
Notice lines have tripled and agents have disappeared. Wonder how you’ll make it to bro’s wedding tomorrow.
Throw tantrum. Fake seizure. Down three-ounce liquor bottle in carry-on. (Crap. It’s shampoo.)
Then, as everyone else calls unavailable travel agencies, remember to declare Rule 240 — a nifty and little-known airline ordinance that spells out passengers’ rights in the event of delays, cancellations, missed connections, and other issues “within the control” of the airline.
Suddenly, you’re en route to Fresno.

Here’s the deal: If flight troubles are due to mechanical difficulties or airline incompetence, and another airline can get you to your destination sooner, the original airline is obligated to transfer you. No, this doesn’t include weather delays. But once the sky clears, the airline should book you on the next flight. All the big legacy carriers have a Rule 240 provision, but some low-fare flyers do not (like JetBlue, though we love their Bill of Rights).

And though it’s pretty dorky, you should carry a copy of the airline’s 240 rules. It’ll come in handy when employees don’t know — or don’t tell — about the policy. (You snooze, you lose.)
Unless, of course, you’d rather spend the night on the chairs at gate 115.

For more info and links to airline policies, go to mytravelrights.com.

Sparta Hotel Rates

My aunt got back to me, and here are the special rates she quoted me:

Single room.......36 Euros ($47.88)
Double room......48 Euros ($63.84)
Triple................63 Euros ($83.79)
Rates are per room ,taxes and breakfast are included in the rates.
(Breakfast is buffet)

I am really honored that she can give us such an AMAZING deal in August, their busiest month of the year.
Again here is the website for the Hotel Sparta Inn.

And the current exchange for the Euro to Dollar is 1 Euro = 1.33 Dollars.

"The Embarkment for the Island of Kythera" (L' Embarquement pour l' ile de Kythere)

By Watteau

The island of Kythera (or Cerigo) is situated in the southeast of Peloponissos and belongs to the Ionian Islands. You can get to the island from Gytheio or Pireaus (Athens). I chose to highlight this island, because it is the closest to Laconia, and in my opinion one of the most beautiful island in all of Greece. I visited the island in 1996 and loved it. It has a pretty good tourist industry but gets overlooked by most tourists in favor of the more popular islands (ie: Santorini, Mykonos and Corfu). This is to your advantage, the island has cheaper rates and it is not so crowded and trampled over as the more popular ones.

Disclaimer: The following myth may not be suitable for children.
Kythera has been known since ancient times as the Isle of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, who, during the Theogony of Hesiodus, was captured on the shores of Kythera, when, Cronus (Saturn) tore off Uranus' genital organs and threw them to her. Today they can be seen as two small rocks rising up out of the water on the Eastern coast of the island…The Goddess emerged in Cyprus where she was worshiped as Aphrodite the Pandemos, Goddess of sex as opposed to Uranus who was worshiped in Kythera as the Goddess of pure, innocent love.

If you take a ferry from/to Gytheio, the port you will arrive in/depart from is called, Agia Pelagia.
If coming from/going to Athens, you will use the port, Diakofti.

Here's a link for a good general website on Kythera: Kythera.net
Here's a link that has good lodging lists and other info for the island: Kythira Kithira Kythera

Dulles to Athens = $820 RT!!!!

Ok, so Iberia Airlines has a deal going on right now (Sunday, 3/4) where you can fly from Dulles (IAD) to Athens, Greece (ATH) for rates as low as $820 + $900. I'm not sure how long this is going to last, but I wanted to spread the news to any stragglers out there still looking for tickets.

Hotels in Athens

So first, I recommend you read Matt Barrett's Athens Guide on Hotels. It is very helpful and tries to explain the absurd rating system. I agree with him about finding a decent C-category hotel (with AC!) in/within walking distance of the Plaka (which is located underneath the Acropolis). Sure the area is touristy and crowded, but everything is accessible and you will be able to get around easiest here.

Here are a couple links to comparing hotels in Athens:
Booking.com
Athens-Greece
As far as hostels in Athens check out these links: HostelsWeb and Hostels.
I would book now, because hotels/hostels fill up fast especially in Athens and in August.

The NYTimes has a whole travel section on Greece and actually, recently, wrote up a really interesting article about a new, ecclectic, artsy, up-and-coming area of Athens: Gazi. I think it sounds worth checking out if you're in Athens for a more than one day.

Bus Travel in Greece: Flashback to the Past!

The best way to get around mainland Greece is by bus...unfortunately. I say this because the buses look like they are from the 50's and they sorta drive that way too. I'm not saying this to discourage anyone, it will get you from point a to point b, but just being honest about what to expect.

The most important thing to remember is that in Athens there are TWO bus stations. One serves the southern part of Greece and the other the northern. You want the southern one, Terminal A (located at Kifissou 100, it's called "Kifissou" for shorthand). I won't even tell you the other station, because that will just confuse you. Buses leave the station for Sparti all day long and tickets are about 12€ (about $15). It says that the ride is about 3.5 hrs (though you can drive the distance in 2 hrs, because of stops and so forth it is longer).

To get to the bus station from the airport take bus #: X93 at door 5 of the Airport. If you want to get to the bust station from downtown Athens, catch bus #: 051 from the corner of Zinonos & Menandrou Sts., Omonia Square. Omonia Sq. is a central area of Athens just north of the Acropolis and Monastiraki (the huge fleamarket at the foot of the Acropolis).

ITALY-GREECE: "una faccia, una raccia"

OK, not so sure about the spelling on that, but I know a lot of you have heard me quote this line before (what can I say, I'm a geek). So I know a few of you are planning on going to Italy before heading over to Greece and are wondering what is the most efficient way to cross the Ionian sea...and of course, there is no easy answer!

There is a super cheap flight from Milan to Athens on EasyJet for £30 (which translates to about $60). Unfortunately, EasyJet does not fly from Rome to Athens, only from Milan (what?!). A quick search on Kayak for flights from Rome to Athens showed an average of $144 one-way cost on Alitalia. Naples to Athens for $115 and Palermo to Athens, at $142.

As far as ferries over, there is a 15 hr ferry ride from Brindisi, Italy (on the heel of Italy) to Patras, Greece (Northern tip of Peloponessos and the European Capital of Culture 2006!). You can book a reservation at GreekFerries. There is also a 28 hour ferry ride from Naples to Patras (yikes! 28 hours!). From the port of Catania, Sicily you can only take a ferry to Naples. From Palermo, ferries only go to the west coast of Italy. Needless to say, getting a ferry from Sicily to Greece is a major hassle (and makes no sense to me).

Ultimately, I would recommend flying. I apologize that in a previous post I mentioned that there are ferries from Italy to Greece (making it out to be some easy endeavor). I know some of you have travel agents that you are corresponding with and I would discuss this with them further, I'm sure they are privy to way more info regarding ferries, flights and so forth. Good luck!

Monemvasia: Gibralter of the East

The rock that is called Monemvasia sits off the coast of Peloponnese, only connected by a narrow piece of road. (FYI: Monemvasia means single entrance) Again, it's full of history and ruins and if interested please read more HERE.

Monemvasia as a day trip, takes up a good part of the day. So I only recommend this to people who plan on staying longer than a few days in Laconia. Also, for those who plan on exploring other sites around there, such as Neapolis, the island Elafonisos and maybe the island Kythira.

As you can see from the map, Monemvasia sits off the right most coast of the right most finger of the Peloponnese. I think, it's a couple hours (about 95km) from Sparti to Monemvasia (can't be sure since it's been a while since I've been there myself) But I know it would make a nice stop over to stay at one of the hotels on the peninsula before trekking southwards on your journey.

Check out this guy's blog on the Peloponnese, he talks about Monemvasia.

(a pic taken from Monemvasia)

Taygetos: The Daughter of Atlas

Mt. Taygetos shadows Sparta and has the highest peak in Peloponnese. The curiously pyramidical (is that a word?) shaped peak is called Prophetas Elias and there is an "open-air" church at the very top. My Dad, sister and I hiked up to it summer of '96? I think. It took like 2-3 hrs up and then the same down. And was a mildly arduous workout but totally WORTH IT! I will do it again with any interested parties.


(At the peak my family has a marble icon with my great-great-grandfather's name engraved on it.)

Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil in Sparta

I know a bunch of you are not-s0-secret epicureans and will appreciate this museum as much as I do. I have yet to visit, but plan to while I'm there in August! My Aunt, Karen (Penny's mom), got a really pretty olive branch charm from there (I'm keeping my eyes out for one).

Just remember it says it's not open on Tuesdays.

Mystras: medieval ruins

There's a lot of history associated with the palace of Mystras, and you can read about it HERE, so I won't even try to explain it all. It occupies a steep foothill on the side of Mt. Taiyetos and overlooks Sparta down in the valley. It makes for a great day trip/hike and I highly recommend checking it out. There's also a week long festival that happens up there at the very end of August/ beginning of September. I'm not sure of the dates, but it's really fun and worth checking out if anyone will be around. Lots of gypsies selling their crafts and wares!

Gythio: Seaport of Sparta

Gythio is about 27 miles south of Sparta (a half hr ride) and is a great lil town for fresh seafood and picturesque views. It's also a bustling port where you can catch ferries to islands and even boats to Italy. Kythira (an island south of laconia) is also accessible by ferry from Gythio and the port at Neapolis (check out future blogs for more info).


Just south of Gythio is the beach we frequent, Mavrovouni, the shore is about 2 miles long in length and I know there's camping there if anyone is interested. Also there are cafes and ouzeris (ouzo bars with tapa-like snacks) right off the shore if anyone wants a lite bite or drinkie drink. Check out this link for more info: Gythio

Sparta (tough reputation to live up to)

Sparti (as the locals call it) is situated in the Evrotas (the famous river from anitquity... full of gypsy camps in the dried summer riverbed) Valley underneath the Taigetos mountain range (pictured at right). Kinda looks like Pasadena, no? It's a really small town and the historical Sparta actually lies right outside modern Sparta (evidenced in photo). You could probably walk around the whole city in a couple hours, but I highly recommend stopping for some greek coffee (and cheese toast! mmm) at one of the kafenia (cafes) in the kendro (city center), located between Paleologou & Lykourgou streets. It's a great place to sit, relax and people watch. My family's favorite kafenio is called Brazilia (hmmm?) and everytime we go to Sparti for business we stop in for a coffee.

You of course don't have to get the thick sludgy greek coffee (pictured to the left). In the summer most people enjoy a cool, refreshing frappe (the forefather of the frappuchino!) I like ordering mine half sweet with milk (frappe, metreo me yala).

(Frappes are so exciting!)

Some good/interesting blogs covering laconia:

-Matt Barrett's Greece Travel Site
-Where's Mike? trip to Peloponnese 2006

Yiasou!

...means "hello" in Greek, that and "bye" and "godbless".
A word for all occasions! :P


OK, so here we go. I'm going to start posting some stuff about places around Sparta that if you have some extra time you may like to visit. Sparta is located in Laconia and there are a lot of beautiful places to visit there.


Under the "links" section you will find links (surprise, surprise) for flight search engines and the hotel in Sparta that we will be blocking rooms at (owned by my Aunt and Uncle who speak English fluently).

Hopefully, this will be a bit less cluttered than the mass emails I've been sending out (sorry!).