Our 50th Anniversary Greek Land Adventure and 9-Night Best of Greece Cruise Aboard the Infinity, Departing Athens on Sept 19

[Traveling Fools]

My post regarding packing will follow this one.

 

Yesterday, Erika, our surrogate Greek daughter, stopped by to give us some more pointers.

 

For those arriving in Athens early enough to venture the approximately 50 miles south to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, there are two small towns that have tavernas known for their lamb and fish menus.

 

The village of Lavrion is known for its fresh fish.  Erika’s favorite restaurant there is the Pezodromos.

 

The town of Kalyvia Thorikou is known for lamb and meat dishes, and large portions.  Erika’s favorite restaurant is Mourouzis Tavernia.  It has good ratings on Trip Advisor.  She pointed out that unless you order portions (μερίδα) your meat dishes are sold by weight.  When ordering lamb, Erika warned against ordering Provitina (her spelling), or strong-tasting mutton that has a smell and instead ordering young lamb Arvio (her spelling)  or arnáki from on-line Greek translator site).

 

Because of its strong alcohol content, Erika suggests avoiding drinking house wine (κρασί του σπιτιού/ retsina (ρετσίνα)/Hima-her spelling).  She recommended instead ordering bottled wine or beer.

 

In Athens, Erika suggested visiting the Psiri district and eating where the  Greeks eat.  She also recommended the Deporto Restaurant ,

[Traveling Fools]

Packing can be exciting!  You know you are close to beginning your magical journey.  Suitcases, carry-ons, and back packs come out of storage.  Decisions are made about what clothes will be packed and what will go into the suitcase and what goes into the carry-on.  Oh yah, can’t forget about the shoes you have to pack and what clothes you are going to wear on travel day to maximize space in the suitcase.  You know, like am I going to wear the clodhoppers and pack the sport shoes, or am I going to pack or wear that blazer?!?  We know upfront we are taking one suitcase each, but should we take a third or fourth suitcase to accommodate those other pairs of shoes and that blazer I really don’t want to ware on the plane?  And we can’t forget that special bottle of champagne we are going to guzzle on that very special day.  Decisions, decisions!!!

 

Because we will be celebrating our 50^th anniversary our second night at sea, should we pack our fancy duds and go formal that night?  I say YES!  Oh no, that means I have no choice but to wear that blazer I wanted to pack.  It also means I’ll have to pack another pair of shoes.  Do you think they let me board with my carry-on, pack, AND a garment bag, or will the gate agent toe the line and strictly enforce the two carry-on limit?  Maybe, because we are flying business, they will look the other way.  What to do, what to do?!?

 

This just in….DW nixed the garment bag.  She is certain she can pack the dinner jacket without finding completely wrinkled when we board and unpack.  She is Germany and has many talents, packing is one of them.

 

Ok, now that we have agreed to pack our formal duds, it is time to inspect the jacket, pants, and shirt to make sure they are clean AND still fit.  My white dinner jacket fits, but needs to be cleaned, and my trousers are good to go, but I could not find the shirt that goes with it.  Now, how could that be????  What could possibly have happened to my shirt???  Before asking DW if she knew where it was, I performed two thorough searches of the house and still no shirt.  When I asked DW if she knew where it was, she got up and conducted a search for it and came up empty handed.  Not satisfied with the first search, she conducted a couple more throughout the morning.  We concluded the shirt was MIA and not to be found.

 

It being a Monday afternoon, I was off to a small shop that advertised formal wear, alterations, and dry cleaning.  Another errand I had to run was to stop at the jewelers to have the batteries in DW’s watch replaced, but when I got to the aforementioned shop their opening hours sign read Closed Monday and Tuesday.  Well, that wasn’t good. I googled the shop where DW takes our dry cleaning and learned I had enough time to get there before they closed.  Because the picture of the front of their business looks like the façade of the open-air shopping center we use, I just drove in that direction.  Bad move on my part.  After searching for the dry-cleaning store at the shopping center and not finding it, I broke down and, yes, GOGGLED it.  Much to my chagrin, it was in a smaller shopping I passed on my way and OBTW they had closed for the day.

 

The next morning after having my cup of coffee and reached the cleaners just as it was opening.  I asked the owner if he could clean it and make some alterations to the shoulders and was told no to the alterations (cheaper to buy a new one).  The owner asked for my phone number and told me there was no record of an account associated with my number and asked if another phone number might have been used.  I gave him DW’s number he told me bingo and that there was an item she had not picked up.  If you haven’t already guessed, it was the missing formal shirt.  DW and I both got a big laugh out of that!  I wiped my brow realizing I hadn’t lost my shirt after all.

 

OK, lets look back at what we have forgot to pack in the past…..swim suits (no skinny dipping permitted), charging cords (left behind last year), socks (I don’t normally wear them), Flip Flops (useful at the pool), tux accessories (defeats the purpose of bringing fancy duds if you forget the tie, cuff, and cummerbund), lip balm (useful when I recreate that scene from Titanic where I profess my undying love to DW while standing on the bowsprit), handwipes (also a great substitute for TP when that urge hits), what have I left out???  Oh Crap, We almost forgot the Imodium!

[Traveling Fools]

Oh, one item I forgot about listing to bring is Super Glue.  On our last cruise DW had a tooth on one of her front dentures fall off.  The next shore excursion we were on we were able to get some some super glue which she used to to secure the tooth back onto her denture. Ironically when catching a ride on the elevator and laughing about the self implemented denture procedure, a group of ladies over hearing us asked if they could borrow the tube of glue as the same thing had happened to one of them.  Laugh as much as you want , but bring a tube for you or someone else in need!

[peanut head]

What a wonderful trip you are planning!  Happy Anniversary!!

 

So sorry to hear about the cancer diagnoses in the family.  Stay positive and upbeat as you are.

 

I have "terminal" cancer and I am still continuing to go forward.  Our next cruise is in November and we are looking forward to it.  In the meantime, I continue to journey with everyone who posts here so thank you for taking us along.  Hey, I even get a land tour thrown in as a bonus on this post😁

[chemmo]

12 minutes ago, peanut head said:

What a wonderful trip you are planning!  Happy Anniversary!!

 

So sorry to hear about the cancer diagnoses in the family.  Stay positive and upbeat as you are.

 

I have "terminal" cancer and I am still continuing to go forward.  Our next cruise is in November and we are looking forward to it.  In the meantime, I continue to journey with everyone who posts here so thank you for taking us along.  Hey, I even get a land tour thrown in as a bonus on this post😁

So sorry to hear of your health issues, whilst we have never met we seem to regularly comment on the same posts…Sincere best wishes…

 

As I have been ‘cruiseless’ this year, like you I have enjoyed vicarious holidays…Amazing how you can enjoy visits to Norway, Japan and Greece without leaving your armchair.

 

Like you I plan to enjoy this ‘live’, as you say, with the bonus of a land tour.

 

 

 

[Traveling Fools]

4 hours ago, peanut head said:

What a wonderful trip you are planning!  Happy Anniversary!!

 

So sorry to hear about the cancer diagnoses in the family.  Stay positive and upbeat as you are.

 

I have "terminal" cancer and I am still continuing to go forward.  Our next cruise is in November and we are looking forward to it.  In the meantime, I continue to journey with everyone who posts here so thank you for taking us along.  Hey, I even get a land tour thrown in as a bonus on this post😁

 

Thank You and as you advised us you too need to maintain a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).  I'm also 20 years cancer free.

[Traveling Fools]

While she was here, Erika shared some tips on where and what she likes to eat while in Greece.  She enjoys stopping to eat at local tavernas.  She explained there are two basic types of tavernas in Greece; one serves meat and the other fish.  She prefers meat (lamb) over fish, but did say there are three seafood items she really likes.

 

1.      Fresh Sardines

 

 

2.      Sun dried octopus with Ouzo.

 

 

3.      Greek Stuffed Calamari/ Gemisto

 

 

We will try all 3.

 

Erika also told us because tourism is the number one industry in Greece, most menus are printed in Greek and English and that with exception of remote locations English is understood and spoken all most everywhere.  But, then again, she speaks Greek, so I don’t know what metric she used to rate English language skills of Greeks across the board.  I just hope it I doesn’t turn out to be all Greek to me.

[Traveling Fools]

Every trip we take we fail to create a checklist of things to do before leaving the house, and then hours away from home we ask one another did we do” that” before we left.

 

“That” being anything from stopping the mail, locking all the doors activating the alarm system, notifying alarm the landscape chaps show up every Wednesday afternoon and trigger one or more alarms, turning off the water heater, unplugging TVs and computers….the list goes on.

 

DW got back from the dentist yesterday afternoon and told me we were taking my Jeep Wrangler to Miami and her quitter Cherokee.  She told me the check engine light came on while she was driving home.  Pulled out my code reader, hooked it up to the Cherokee’s port and found the coolant level was low.  It was an easy fix!

 

So, for this trip we have created a checklist of things to do before we head out.  I betcha halfway to Miami we’ll think of something we should have done and didn’t.

 

A big regret we have when we cruise, and I’m certain other pet owners agree, is leaving Tigger behind.

 

Tigger is a unique cat.2 ½ years ago we sold our house and lived in our motorhome at a local RV Resort while the new was being built.  The lady living in a travel trailer next door to us was feeding and interacting with two cats; one was an older black cat and the other a young tabby.  A closer look at them it was obvious by the lips of one their ears they had been spayed.  We assumed she was their owner and had both spayed.  They were strictly outdoor cats.

 

The larger black cat was the first to warm to us and when she saw us sitting under the canopy would join us to be petted.  The younger Tabby was standoffish and aloof.  While the Tabby did not want to be held or cuddled, he began gradually sticking his head into the Coach.  He would, however, scamper back out if anyone stood up or started walking.

 

Because the construction of our house, thanks to COVID delays, was taking much longer than we had planned for, we had to move to the back of the Resort.  In the days leading up to our move I began getting things sorted out in the basement.  The Tabby decided he was going to supervise and jumped into the basement and watched me.  He also explored around the basement and exited it though the bay doors on the opposite side.  He could sense something was going on and went inside the Coach and stayed.  That is when Tabby became Tigger. 

 

Today Tigger is both an indoor and outdoor cat.  He is friendly with everyone who lives on our cul de sac.  And has even spent nights, even a couple days in several of our neighbor’s garages.  It is not unusual to see him crossing the street to visit with a neighbor.  Everyone who comes in contact with him comments on how special of a cat he is.

 

He has traveled with us 3 times on our annual cross-country RV trip.  While it can be difficult to get him inside the Coach when we leave home, at each overnight stop he ventures out, returning later crying to come back in.  If he is out and about when we take off in the car we tow, he will be laying on one of lawn chairs or sitting on the steps when we return.  He does this everywhere we make a stop for the night.  When in the motorhome his favorite spot is the dashboard where lays and watches the world go by.

 

Therefore, it tugs at our hearts when we leave the house for a cruise.  Fortunately, our daughter, SIL, and grandchildren live very nearby and can come over to feed and comfort him.  Plus, the 2 guys living across the street (surrogate sons and a surrogate brother to our daughter) insist on being Tigger’s caretakers.

 

 

 

 

Packed the carry-ons with a change of clothes, a back-up shaving kit for me and lady stuff for DW, my shoes also went into my carry-on, along with my meds and a bag of Liquid IV packets.  We each have packed our passports in an accessible bag, Have the airlines app as well as X’s downloaded.  Everything needing charging is being charged.

 

We have finished packing and have loaded up the car.  We want to be on the road by 10AM tomorrow.

 

Oh, by the way I didn’t forget to pack that special bottle of bubbly.

 

 

 

 

[catspaw1]

We love Turkish airlines also & have always had great experiences. We went to Turkey over 30 years ago when English was barely spoken. About 10 years ago we wanted to take Turkish airlines to Italy but my employer would not let me transit through Istanbul airport. I was really annoyed as the flight was considerably less expensive.  3 weeks after we would have transited through Istanbul Airport,  the airport was bombed. So glad I listened to my employer! Still love Turkey but they don't like Americans there much these days after 2 Marines were just attacked.  Happy 50th! Its not many people who make it that far these days. Please continue to post on your land portion also. With the price of cruises increasing so much, we might just skip a cruise & just do a land tour. We are reluctant to rent a car because I've heard they drive crazy in Greece so please let us know your observations. So would appreciate your posting on the land & sea portion. Have loved your TR so far.

[Traveling Fools]

1 hour ago, Traveling Fools said:

A closer look at them it was obvious by the lips of one their ears they had been spayed

 Should read CLIPS of their ears

[Traveling Fools]

11 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

3 weeks after we would have transited through Istanbul Airport,  the airport was bombed

 

That was at their old airport.  And the bombings/attacks occurred before the security screening point.  Something that is very difficult to control.  The new airport is much more sophisticated.   Today, you go through at least 3 security checks before you enter the main terminal area and a fourth one in the gate area before you board.  However that doesn't mitigate what can happen before you enter the terminal.

 

Regarding the recent attack of the sailors, I don't recall reading anything about what might have happened before the assault. 

 

Having worked for the "G" and lived in the ME and travel in Tukey for business and pleasure I'm very sensitive about what could provoke an attack.

 

Certainly the current Turkish administration isn't doing much to shield western visitors to such attacks.

[Traveling Fools]

27 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

We are reluctant to rent a car because I've heard they drive crazy in Greece so please let us know your observations.

 

Will do, Erika has repeatedly cautioned us not to drive after dark.  Situational awareness on the name of the game. 

[Traveling Fools]

29 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

Happy 50th! Its not many people who make it that far these days.

 

Thank You, each of us have had to give and take, and remain friends.

[Traveling Fools]

Yesterday, we received some very unsettling news.  Our son’s condition has taken a serious downturn.  The doctors have told his wife that unless they can get control of his pain and stabilize his blood count he could pass within the next week.

 

This news has produced a scramble to cancel hotel bookings and reschedule flight segments.  The pre-cruise land tour is canceled, and we have been working all afternoon to get our flight schedules modified.  We need to fly into Frankfurt and remain there until Sept 18, 19^th at the very latest depending upon arrival time in Athens.  Because we booked thru a travel agent, Lufthansa can’t help us.

 

After some delays we were finally able to get in contact with the travel agency (our travel agent had the day off thus the delay) they jumped on our request, but after more than 7 hours and close to 2 AM still didn’t produce a solution.

 

Tomorrow morning, we have no choice but to leave for Miami very early in the morning.

 

We are supposed to be departing Miami tonight, the 7^th, and arriving in Frankfurt tomorrow morning.  We will be departing Frankfurt for Athens on Sept 18^th, in time to make the cruise.  After the cruise we will begin our land adventure in Athens and our previously scheduled land tour.  We will depart Athens on the 13^th for home.  All of this is subject to change.

 

We use Miami as our gateway airport only because the airfares from there are less expensive than those out of Ft, Lauderdale and Orlando.  As a disabled Vietnam Vet, I don’t have to pay for parking for up to 45 days making it less expensive to drive our own car to Miami than renting one to drive there and back. 

 

It takes 5 to 6 hours to drive to Miami from Fernandina Beach, and, considering all the pre-departure procedures we would have to go through, about as much time it would take to fly there AND less expensive.

 

On our last cruise (Oceania Amazon Cruise) DW and I hit it off with another couple our age who enjoyed having a good time.  I learned they were divers and had scheduled some dives at the two Island ports of call we were making.  I asked if I could join them on one and they agreed.  I shared with the husband how I learned to dive and mentioned the name of the other guy from my agency who also graduated with me (we were the first two official recognized divers from our agency that graduated from the Navy’s Second-Class Diving School).  I sh** you not, my partner was a member of the same fraternity as my new friend. I could go on and on with examples of these freak encounters, but that a story for other days.  I bet this has happened to many of you too.  Please share your experiences, or should we start a new thread about these types of encounters, if so,,,what should the title be?

[chemmo]

2 minutes ago, Traveling Fools said:

Yesterday, we received some very unsettling news.  Our son’s condition has taken a serious downturn.  The doctors have told his wife that unless they can get control of his pain and stabilize his blood count he could pass within the next week.

 

This news has produced a scramble to cancel hotel bookings and reschedule flight segments.  The pre-cruise land tour is canceled, and we have been working all afternoon to get our flight schedules modified.  We need to fly into Frankfurt and remain there until Sept 18, 19^th at the very latest depending upon arrival time in Athens.  Because we booked thru a travel agent, Lufthansa can’t help us.

 

After some delays we were finally able to get in contact with the travel agency (our travel agent had the day off thus the delay) they jumped on our request, but after more than 7 hours and close to 2 AM still didn’t produce a solution.

 

Tomorrow morning, we have no choice but to leave for Miami very early in the morning.

 

We are supposed to be departing Miami tonight, the 7^th, and arriving in Frankfurt tomorrow morning.  We will be departing Frankfurt for Athens on Sept 18^th, in time to make the cruise.  After the cruise we will begin our land adventure in Athens and our previously scheduled land tour.  We will depart Athens on the 13^th for home.  All of this is subject to change.

 

 

Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family…

[catspaw1]

So sorry to hear about your son. Our thoughts & prayers are with you know. I know it's a tough thing to go through & hope for the best for him. 

[Ciaranaman]

My thoughts and prayers will be with you as well.  Miracles happen 🤞

~Bernadette

[Traveling Fools]

9 hours ago, chemmo said:

Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family…

Thank you chemmo

[Traveling Fools]

5 hours ago, catspaw1 said:

So sorry to hear about your son. Our thoughts & prayers are with you know. I know it's a tough thing to go through & hope for the best for him. 

Many thanks catspaw!

[Traveling Fools]

2 hours ago, Ciaranaman said:

My thoughts and prayers will be with you as well.  Miracles happen 🤞

~Bernadette

Thank you so very miuch Bernadette 

[peanut head]

Very sorry to hear of the turn of events.  Continue to stay positive and focused on the here and now.

[Traveling Fools]

Because when I crashed very early this morning, we were supposed to have departed Miami at 4:30 P.M., I drug myself out of bed at 4:30 A.M. to get ready and hit the road as early as we could.

 

A quick check of my Email failed to produce any Email containing confirmation of our flight. Because it was sooo early, I decided to give my agent some time to sort things out.  After 3-hours, I called and emailed him. I received email confirmation.  I then attempted to query my flight using Lufthansa’s App. No luck.  I tried several more times, again with no luck.  I took a closer look at the ticket and noticed the departure time was 9:30 P.M. and the airline we are booked with is Condor, not Lufthansa.  If I had only known, I would have gotten a full night’s sleep.

 

We reached the airport at 1 P.M. and found a place to park right across from the elevator.  Finally something right happened.  Once park and in the airport we scouted around looking for Condor’s check-in counter.  It was a good thing we did, because it isn’t marked until about 3:30 in the afternoon and check-in isn’t until 5:30 (Condor only operates 3 flights a in and out of Miami, all non-stop to and from Frankfurt.)  Fortunately there is a Chili’s right next to the and they let you set there for as long as you want.

 

DW  spent much of her time, working with Delta to get a bereavement airfare for our youngest daughter.  It was a time consuming PITA, but we were able to secure a ticket that has her leaving Jacksonville tomorrow and arriving in Frankfurt Monday morning.

 

After checking in, we cleared TSA rather quickly and went to the Turkish Airline’s lounge.  It is small and can get crowded, but it is a place where one can sit in comfort.  That is where I am writing from.

 

My next post will regard the flight.

[Traveling Fools]

1 hour ago, peanut head said:

Very sorry to hear of the turn of events.  Continue to stay positive and focused on the here and now.

 

Thank You Peanut Head for your thoughts

[Traveling Fools]

Oh, did I mention that my cane was in the car and didn’t find out until we unloaded the car at MIA it wasn’t?  Well, that means I will have to buy a replacement while on the road.

 

[Traveling Fools]

Boarding was a breeze and the Prime seats spacious. The aircraft departed on time and soon thereafter DW was sound asleep.  Once the aircraft reached altitude, the  drink came and adult beverages served.   Following the cocktail hour, the evening meal was served. 

 

A tray of starters was served.  They were very good.  For some it could have constituted a full meal.

 

 

I opted for tenderloin and wasn’t disappointed It was the most tender steak I have ever had on an airplane since the 1970’s.

 

 

 

And following the main course was a very tasty  apple strudel type of dessert was served.

 

 

 

I rated the meal service as excellent.

 

Shortly after dinner and a night cap, it was slumber time.  The bedding included a great blanket and, are you ready, PJ’s.  I didn’t open the sealed bag they came in but did stuff them into my backpack.  The extra leg room and ottoman that comes with “Prime” seat meant I could really lay flat without my feet touching the end of seat capsule.  I took my sleep meds, don’t remember falling asleep, and woke up about 30 minutes before landing in Frankfurt.

 

My rating of Condor’s Business Class is EXCELLENT!

 

Deplaning was quick and the line to clear Immigration and Customs was tolerable.  For reasons I don’t understand, passengers recover their checked luggage AFTER completing government formalities.   Strange.

 

After getting our suitcases, and renting a car we were off to our son’s house.

 

Next, the following five days.