As a child, Greece was synonymous with another boring history lesson in school. It made me think of temples, temples and more temples. Little did I know I wasn’t too far away from the truth. Up to the early 1990’s it was mostly campers and history fanatics that visited this country in southeast Europe. The streets were small, the accommodations poor, and the big capital, Athens, was known to be a crowded, noisy and dirty city.
But today’s Greece is different. When I revisited Greece in 1999 I noticed the many new roads that made it comfortable to travel in the countryside. Then, when I came in 2004, for the Olympic Games, I noticed that pollution had been minimized in Athens. The city centre, for example, had been changed into a spacious walking area. I kept coming back after that, and I am only one of the many who are fascinated by Greece. Today, the country is starting to make its way to being one of the top tourist destinations in Europe and now every year the eight million Greeks welcome more than eleven million tourists.
If I go to Athens, I like to stay at the O&B Boutique Hotel (7 Leokoriou St., Psiri, Athens). The very sincere and attentive staff start their service by sending emails before you arrive to arrange airport transfers and such, and they go the extra mile by giving you special insiders’ tips to help you fully enjoy your Greek experience. The hotel is on a quiet side-street in the middle of some of Athens’s most interesting neighbourhoods. It´s very close to the main attraction, the Acropolis, the famous Plaka district and the important shopping streets. You push open the hotel doors and walk out into a street filled with quirky little shops and people walking by - just life and movement everywhere. The location is very convenient. Just around the corner is a train station and the surrounding area has several restaurants and bars to suit all tastes. For a weekend night out, the area has plenty of clubs and theatres to choose from.
A must-go is historic Delphi. If you go there, stay at least one night at Hotel Varonos (Pavlou 25 and Frederikis, Delphi), only a five-minute stroll from the Delphi archaeological site. This hotel is strategically located in the centre of the town and a mere walking distance from many good Greek restaurants. Try to ask for a room with a stunning view of the mountains towards the Gulf of Corinth and be sure to make time to enjoy chatting to the very pleasant and informative owners.
If you have more time to spare, take a trip to the big island of Peloponnese. You will find a magnificent combination of breath-taking landscapes, secluded beaches, romantic towns and great food offered at traditional taverns. I suggest renting a car so that you can enjoy a leisurely drive along the winding roads high over the cliffs near the sea. The motorway from Athens crosses the famous channel of Corinth – a great photo op location. Stopover at one of the world’s biggest ancient theatres, Epidaurus, with its famous acoustics. You can test it yourself. Take a seat in the highest row and you will hear the striking of a match from all the way down on the stage.
Your trip to the past should end with a stay at Monemvassia´s Hotel Pramataris. It’s situated on a giant rock in the sea. No cars are allowed in this historic town. You must also visit an area called Mani that has the most beautiful landscape in Peloponnese. Mani is filled with quaint little taverns where they hold “tourist time” at around six or seven every evening. Take the English menu and order the strangest sounding things (or instead of words just point to photos of the food). At around nine to ten o’clock, the last tourist is gone, and the locals start filing in. Suddenly there is no more menu and you will see a stove with lots of burning coals. The service then becomes more personal as the waiter comes to your table and suggests everything he personally thinks is the best. Very likely you will also be invited to enter the kitchen and have a look in the pots to decide what you want from among the dishes the chef has prepared. Try Vasili´s Ouzeria (Ageranos) or one of the restaurants around the port of Gythio.
Before heading back to Athens, you can make a stopover at ancient Olympia. The town of Olympia itself is a sad place with hundreds of low budget tour groups who stay in overpriced hotels. An exception is the Best Western Europa Hotel (Drouva 1, Olympia 270 65) where you will find real Greek hospitality in great surroundings. From Olympia, the motorway will lead you back to the ferry-port of Patra or Athens.
When I came to Greece for the first time, I remember an old woman telling me, “If you have been here once you will come again and again!” I just smiled at her and didn’t think much of it at the time, but true enough, I have been back six times for holidays lasting weeks. And all in the last seven years!
