Greece - been there recently?
Jan 23rd 2007, 6:05 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Greece - been there recently?
Hi,
I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
May.
Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
of the islands).
If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
Thanks for your input,
Tim.
I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
May.
Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
of the islands).
If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
Thanks for your input,
Tim.
Jan 23rd 2007, 6:22 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On 23 Jan 2007 11:05:35 -0800, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected] arranged some
electrons, so they looked like this:
... Hi,
... I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
... May.
... Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
... of the islands).
... If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad who goes to
Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's frightening.
... I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
... enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
... now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
... Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
... tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
... confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
... I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
... off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
Go to Crete. Everything you may want in the same island - archaeological sites, beaches,
museums, mountains, gorges (try Samaria), great food... BTW, what is it you want?
electrons, so they looked like this:
... Hi,
... I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
... May.
... Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
... of the islands).
... If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad who goes to
Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's frightening.
... I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
... enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
... now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
... Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
... tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
... confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
... I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
... off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
Go to Crete. Everything you may want in the same island - archaeological sites, beaches,
museums, mountains, gorges (try Samaria), great food... BTW, what is it you want?
Jan 23rd 2007, 7:41 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
"Magda" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email protected]...
> On 23 Jan 2007 11:05:35 -0800, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected]
> arranged some
> electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... Hi,
> ... I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
> ... May.
> ... Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> ... of the islands).
> ... If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
>
> Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living
> abroad who goes to
> Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's frightening.
>
> ... I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> ... enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches.
> However,
> ... now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> ... Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> ... tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> ... confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> ... I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two
> weks
> ... off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
>
> Go to Crete. Everything you may want in the same island - archaeological
> sites, beaches,
> museums, mountains, gorges (try Samaria), great food... BTW, what is it
> you want?
>
Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
"Magda" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email protected]...
> On 23 Jan 2007 11:05:35 -0800, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected]
> arranged some
> electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... Hi,
> ... I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
> ... May.
> ... Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> ... of the islands).
> ... If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
>
> Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living
> abroad who goes to
> Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's frightening.
>
> ... I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> ... enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches.
> However,
> ... now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> ... Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> ... tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> ... confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> ... I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two
> weks
> ... off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
>
> Go to Crete. Everything you may want in the same island - archaeological
> sites, beaches,
> museums, mountains, gorges (try Samaria), great food... BTW, what is it
> you want?
>
Jan 23rd 2007, 7:53 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
scRunge wrote:
> How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
Ummm...because they are GREEK and they are visiting GREECE on a regular
basis, scRunge...???
> Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
Then that would not include you, your "answer" (pitiful as it was) was
grossly out of turn...
--
Best
Greg
> "Magda" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de news:
> [email protected]...
> > On 23 Jan 2007 11:05:35 -0800, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected]
> > arranged some
> > electrons, so they looked like this:
> >
> > ... Hi,
> > ... I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning
of
> > ... May.
> > ... Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or
two
> > ... of the islands).
> > ... If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> >
> > Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living
> > abroad who goes to
> > Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
frightening.
> >
> > ... I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> > ... enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches.
> > However,
> > ... now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places
like
> > ... Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> > ... tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> > ... confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> > ... I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two
> > weks
> > ... off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> >
> > Go to Crete. Everything you may want in the same island - archaeological
> > sites, beaches,
> > museums, mountains, gorges (try Samaria), great food... BTW, what is it
> > you want?
> >
>
>
> How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
Ummm...because they are GREEK and they are visiting GREECE on a regular
basis, scRunge...???
> Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
Then that would not include you, your "answer" (pitiful as it was) was
grossly out of turn...
--
Best
Greg
> "Magda" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de news:
> [email protected]...
> > On 23 Jan 2007 11:05:35 -0800, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected]
> > arranged some
> > electrons, so they looked like this:
> >
> > ... Hi,
> > ... I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning
of
> > ... May.
> > ... Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or
two
> > ... of the islands).
> > ... If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> >
> > Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living
> > abroad who goes to
> > Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
frightening.
> >
> > ... I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> > ... enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches.
> > However,
> > ... now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places
like
> > ... Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> > ... tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> > ... confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> > ... I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two
> > weks
> > ... off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> >
> > Go to Crete. Everything you may want in the same island - archaeological
> > sites, beaches,
> > museums, mountains, gorges (try Samaria), great food... BTW, what is it
> > you want?
> >
>
>
Jan 23rd 2007, 8:06 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:53:14 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, "Gregory Morrow" <[email protected]>
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
...
... scRunge wrote:
...
... > How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
...
... Ummm...because they are GREEK and they are visiting GREECE on a regular
... basis, scRunge...???
...
... > Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
...
... Then that would not include you, your "answer" (pitiful as it was) was
... grossly out of turn...
Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
...
... scRunge wrote:
...
... > How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
...
... Ummm...because they are GREEK and they are visiting GREECE on a regular
... basis, scRunge...???
...
... > Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
...
... Then that would not include you, your "answer" (pitiful as it was) was
... grossly out of turn...
Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
Jan 23rd 2007, 8:15 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:06:18 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:53:14 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, "Gregory Morrow" <[email protected]>
>arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ...
> ... scRunge wrote:
> ...
> ... > How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
> ...
> ... Ummm...because they are GREEK and they are visiting GREECE on a regular
> ... basis, scRunge...???
> ...
> ... > Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
> ...
> ... Then that would not include you, your "answer" (pitiful as it was) was
> ... grossly out of turn...
>
>Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
Give his ear a smack and give his a good squeeze. He loves pain.
Beware of Greeks baring gRunges.
--
Martin
>On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:53:14 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, "Gregory Morrow" <[email protected]>
>arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ...
> ... scRunge wrote:
> ...
> ... > How could a greek living abroad know that, stupid ?
> ...
> ... Ummm...because they are GREEK and they are visiting GREECE on a regular
> ... basis, scRunge...???
> ...
> ... > Ask the real people, not friends of friends of someone living abroad
> ...
> ... Then that would not include you, your "answer" (pitiful as it was) was
> ... grossly out of turn...
>
>Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
Give his ear a smack and give his a good squeeze. He loves pain.
Beware of Greeks baring gRunges.
--
Martin
Jan 23rd 2007, 8:20 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:15:06 +0100, in rec.travel.europe, Martin <[email protected]>
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:06:18 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
... >
... >Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
...
... Give his ear a smack and give his a good squeeze. He loves pain.
The more the reason not to give it to him. Let him rot.
... Beware of Greeks baring gRunges.
Timeo Danaos et Scrooge ferentes? LOL
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:06:18 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
... >
... >Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
...
... Give his ear a smack and give his a good squeeze. He loves pain.
The more the reason not to give it to him. Let him rot.
... Beware of Greeks baring gRunges.
Timeo Danaos et Scrooge ferentes? LOL
Jan 23rd 2007, 8:22 am
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:20:22 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:15:06 +0100, in rec.travel.europe, Martin <[email protected]>
>arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:06:18 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
> ... >
> ... >Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
> ...
> ... Give his ear a smack and give his a good squeeze. He loves pain.
>
>The more the reason not to give it to him. Let him rot.
>
> ... Beware of Greeks baring gRunges.
>
>Timeo Danaos et Scrooge ferentes? LOL
:-)
--
Martin
>On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:15:06 +0100, in rec.travel.europe, Martin <[email protected]>
>arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:06:18 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
> ... >
> ... >Poor Scrooge is desperate for attention... It's pathetic.
> ...
> ... Give his ear a smack and give his a good squeeze. He loves pain.
>
>The more the reason not to give it to him. Let him rot.
>
> ... Beware of Greeks baring gRunges.
>
>Timeo Danaos et Scrooge ferentes? LOL
:-)
--
Martin
Jan 23rd 2007, 8:27 am
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
[email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
> I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of May.
> Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> of the islands).
> If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
> now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
> off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> Thanks for your input,
> Tim.
Greece is a great country, but Athens is a hole. Don't spend more than
one day in Athens, unless for some reason you're fascinated by vase
fragments. The pollution is about on the level of Los Angeles or
Houston; it's not so bad that it would interfere with your trip unless
you have asthma or something like that. Take the Metro and you won't
have to worry about traffic. The main reason not to spend time there
isn't traffic or pollution, it's just that there's nothing to see there
once you've been up the Acropolis. The only old part of the city, the
Plaka, is basically just a tourist trap of souvenir stores and
overpriced tourist restaurants, and modern Athens has nothing of
interest at all.
There are some Cancun/Mallorca-type resorts on the islands, but they
are easy to avoid with a little research, and there are a lot of
beautiful and historic places also. Even if an island (e.g. Corfu) has
a cheesy resort (e.g. the Pink Palace), you won't be affected by that
at all if you just stay on a different part of the island.
> Hi,
> I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of May.
> Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> of the islands).
> If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
> now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
> off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> Thanks for your input,
> Tim.
Greece is a great country, but Athens is a hole. Don't spend more than
one day in Athens, unless for some reason you're fascinated by vase
fragments. The pollution is about on the level of Los Angeles or
Houston; it's not so bad that it would interfere with your trip unless
you have asthma or something like that. Take the Metro and you won't
have to worry about traffic. The main reason not to spend time there
isn't traffic or pollution, it's just that there's nothing to see there
once you've been up the Acropolis. The only old part of the city, the
Plaka, is basically just a tourist trap of souvenir stores and
overpriced tourist restaurants, and modern Athens has nothing of
interest at all.
There are some Cancun/Mallorca-type resorts on the islands, but they
are easy to avoid with a little research, and there are a lot of
beautiful and historic places also. Even if an island (e.g. Corfu) has
a cheesy resort (e.g. the Pink Palace), you won't be affected by that
at all if you just stay on a different part of the island.
Jan 23rd 2007, 7:28 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:22:29 +0000, Magda wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):
> Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad
> who goes to Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
> frightening.
This is very misleading. Your Greek friend is comparing the cost of
living now in Greece with what it was in the past.
Up till about five years Greece was virtually a third world country
with a relatively low standard of living and a dodgy currency that was
being constantly devalued in relation to hard currencies in western
Europe. Then it was a ridiculously cheap country for tourists with
francs, dollars or pounds in their pockets. I used to find I could have
a virtually free holiday in Greece with the cost of living so low.
Now the costs of food and accommodation are comparable with the rest of
Europe, but I find it still noticeably cheaper than Italy for example.
--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane
(in article <[email protected]>):
> Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad
> who goes to Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
> frightening.
This is very misleading. Your Greek friend is comparing the cost of
living now in Greece with what it was in the past.
Up till about five years Greece was virtually a third world country
with a relatively low standard of living and a dodgy currency that was
being constantly devalued in relation to hard currencies in western
Europe. Then it was a ridiculously cheap country for tourists with
francs, dollars or pounds in their pockets. I used to find I could have
a virtually free holiday in Greece with the cost of living so low.
Now the costs of food and accommodation are comparable with the rest of
Europe, but I find it still noticeably cheaper than Italy for example.
--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane
Jan 23rd 2007, 8:38 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On 23 jan, 22:27, "Iceman" <[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of May.
> > Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> > of the islands).
> > Tim.Greece is a great country, but Athens is a hole. Don't spend more than
> one day in Athens, unless for some reason you're fascinated by vase
> fragments. The pollution is about on the level of Los Angeles or
> Houston; it's not so bad that it would interfere with your trip unless
> you have asthma or something like that. Take the Metro and you won't
> have to worry about traffic. The main reason not to spend time there
> isn't traffic or pollution, it's just that there's nothing to see there
> once you've been up the Acropolis. The only old part of the city, the
> Plaka, is basically just a tourist trap of souvenir stores and
> overpriced tourist restaurants, and modern Athens has nothing of
> interest at all.
The OP should beaware that Iceman always comes up with this rubbish
whenever Athens is mentioned. It does contain an element of truth - the
visitor with no interest in the 10,000 years of western history BC may
not appreciate Athens. Also - summer is not a good time to visit, not
so much for the pollution, but for the heat, which makes wandering
round the various museums and archeological sites rather tiring - as it
does anywhere.
B;
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of May.
> > Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> > of the islands).
> > Tim.Greece is a great country, but Athens is a hole. Don't spend more than
> one day in Athens, unless for some reason you're fascinated by vase
> fragments. The pollution is about on the level of Los Angeles or
> Houston; it's not so bad that it would interfere with your trip unless
> you have asthma or something like that. Take the Metro and you won't
> have to worry about traffic. The main reason not to spend time there
> isn't traffic or pollution, it's just that there's nothing to see there
> once you've been up the Acropolis. The only old part of the city, the
> Plaka, is basically just a tourist trap of souvenir stores and
> overpriced tourist restaurants, and modern Athens has nothing of
> interest at all.
The OP should beaware that Iceman always comes up with this rubbish
whenever Athens is mentioned. It does contain an element of truth - the
visitor with no interest in the 10,000 years of western history BC may
not appreciate Athens. Also - summer is not a good time to visit, not
so much for the pollution, but for the heat, which makes wandering
round the various museums and archeological sites rather tiring - as it
does anywhere.
B;
Jan 23rd 2007, 10:30 pm
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
> Hi,
> I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
> May.
> Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> of the islands).
> If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
> now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
> off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> Thanks for your input,
> Tim.
We went to the southern Peloponnese last year-it was brilliant
Crete is also really nice.
Never been to Athens....jenny
news:[email protected] ups.com...
> Hi,
> I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
> May.
> Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> of the islands).
> If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
> now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
> off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> Thanks for your input,
> Tim.
We went to the southern Peloponnese last year-it was brilliant
Crete is also really nice.
Never been to Athens....jenny
Jan 23rd 2007, 10:41 pm
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:28:02 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, Mike Lane <[email protected]>
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:22:29 +0000, Magda wrote
... (in article <[email protected]>):
...
... > Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad
... > who goes to Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
... > frightening.
...
... This is very misleading. Your Greek friend is comparing the cost of
... living now in Greece with what it was in the past.
...
... Up till about five years Greece was virtually a third world country
... with a relatively low standard of living and a dodgy currency that was
... being constantly devalued in relation to hard currencies in western
... Europe. Then it was a ridiculously cheap country for tourists with
... francs, dollars or pounds in their pockets. I used to find I could have
... a virtually free holiday in Greece with the cost of living so low.
... Now the costs of food and accommodation are comparable with the rest of
... Europe, but I find it still noticeably cheaper than Italy for example.
I know, I've been going to Greece more or less regularly since 1989. At the time, for the
same price of one week holiday anywhere in Europe I could spend three weeks in Greece.
It seems that the cost of the Olympic Games made the cost of living rocket. But then, IME,
Italy was never "cheap", either.
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:22:29 +0000, Magda wrote
... (in article <[email protected]>):
...
... > Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad
... > who goes to Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
... > frightening.
...
... This is very misleading. Your Greek friend is comparing the cost of
... living now in Greece with what it was in the past.
...
... Up till about five years Greece was virtually a third world country
... with a relatively low standard of living and a dodgy currency that was
... being constantly devalued in relation to hard currencies in western
... Europe. Then it was a ridiculously cheap country for tourists with
... francs, dollars or pounds in their pockets. I used to find I could have
... a virtually free holiday in Greece with the cost of living so low.
... Now the costs of food and accommodation are comparable with the rest of
... Europe, but I find it still noticeably cheaper than Italy for example.
I know, I've been going to Greece more or less regularly since 1989. At the time, for the
same price of one week holiday anywhere in Europe I could spend three weeks in Greece.
It seems that the cost of the Olympic Games made the cost of living rocket. But then, IME,
Italy was never "cheap", either.
Jan 23rd 2007, 10:53 pm
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
"JennyC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] ups.com...
> > Hi,
> > I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
> > May.
> > Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> > of the islands).
> > If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> > I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> > enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
> > now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> > Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> > tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> > confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> > I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
> > off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> > Thanks for your input,
> > Tim.
>
> We went to the southern Peloponnese last year-it was brilliant
> Crete is also really nice.
> Never been to Athens....jenny
>
>
Just stay away from the acknowledged lout areas.
In Crete, for instance, west of Heraklion, not east, etc.
Surreyman
news:[email protected]...
>
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] ups.com...
> > Hi,
> > I am currently planning a two week trip to Europe for the beginning of
> > May.
> > Among the places we were considering was Greece (Athens and one or two
> > of the islands).
> > If you've been there recently, would you recommend it?
> > I myself have been to Greece many (>20y) years ago, and I really
> > enjoyed the combination of ancient culture, food, and beaches. However,
> > now I hear horror stories about the "Mallorca-fication" of places like
> > Rhodes or Corfu, with cheap airfares bringing in even more (fellow)
> > tourists than ever before. And what about Athens? Again, I hear
> > confusing reports about traffic chaos, air pollution etc.
> > I do not want to be detered by that, but then again, with only two weks
> > off, I'd rather spend them in as nice a place as possible.
> > Thanks for your input,
> > Tim.
>
> We went to the southern Peloponnese last year-it was brilliant
> Crete is also really nice.
> Never been to Athens....jenny
>
>
Just stay away from the acknowledged lout areas.
In Crete, for instance, west of Heraklion, not east, etc.
Surreyman
Jan 23rd 2007, 10:59 pm
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Greece - been there recently?
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:41:48 +0100, Magda <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:28:02 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, Mike Lane <[email protected]>
>arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:22:29 +0000, Magda wrote
> ... (in article <[email protected]>):
> ...
> ... > Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad
> ... > who goes to Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
> ... > frightening.
> ...
> ... This is very misleading. Your Greek friend is comparing the cost of
> ... living now in Greece with what it was in the past.
> ...
> ... Up till about five years Greece was virtually a third world country
> ... with a relatively low standard of living and a dodgy currency that was
> ... being constantly devalued in relation to hard currencies in western
> ... Europe. Then it was a ridiculously cheap country for tourists with
> ... francs, dollars or pounds in their pockets. I used to find I could have
> ... a virtually free holiday in Greece with the cost of living so low.
> ... Now the costs of food and accommodation are comparable with the rest of
> ... Europe, but I find it still noticeably cheaper than Italy for example.
>
>I know, I've been going to Greece more or less regularly since 1989. At the time, for the
>same price of one week holiday anywhere in Europe I could spend three weeks in Greece.
We started in 1979, in those days it was cheaper to have three weeks in Greece
than to stay at home and do nothing. At the time people said that we should have
gone 10 years before when it was really cheap. Unemployed Germans used to live
well in Greece on their German unemployment benefits.
>
>It seems that the cost of the Olympic Games made the cost of living rocket.
It predated that. When a country joins the EU, on average, in 7 years prices in
the country will match elsewhere in the EU. We already paid German hotel rates
in 1996 in Greece, but the food was still cheap.
> But then, IME,
>Italy was never "cheap", either.
Italy was relatively cheap at the time the Lira wasn't worth a lot in the early
1990s, except for those who had pounds that weren't worth a lot.
--
Martin
>On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:28:02 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, Mike Lane <[email protected]>
>arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:22:29 +0000, Magda wrote
> ... (in article <[email protected]>):
> ...
> ... > Sure! But have your bank account well provided. A Greek friend living abroad
> ... > who goes to Greece 4-5 times a year says it is getting so expensive it's
> ... > frightening.
> ...
> ... This is very misleading. Your Greek friend is comparing the cost of
> ... living now in Greece with what it was in the past.
> ...
> ... Up till about five years Greece was virtually a third world country
> ... with a relatively low standard of living and a dodgy currency that was
> ... being constantly devalued in relation to hard currencies in western
> ... Europe. Then it was a ridiculously cheap country for tourists with
> ... francs, dollars or pounds in their pockets. I used to find I could have
> ... a virtually free holiday in Greece with the cost of living so low.
> ... Now the costs of food and accommodation are comparable with the rest of
> ... Europe, but I find it still noticeably cheaper than Italy for example.
>
>I know, I've been going to Greece more or less regularly since 1989. At the time, for the
>same price of one week holiday anywhere in Europe I could spend three weeks in Greece.
We started in 1979, in those days it was cheaper to have three weeks in Greece
than to stay at home and do nothing. At the time people said that we should have
gone 10 years before when it was really cheap. Unemployed Germans used to live
well in Greece on their German unemployment benefits.
>
>It seems that the cost of the Olympic Games made the cost of living rocket.
It predated that. When a country joins the EU, on average, in 7 years prices in
the country will match elsewhere in the EU. We already paid German hotel rates
in 1996 in Greece, but the food was still cheap.
> But then, IME,
>Italy was never "cheap", either.
Italy was relatively cheap at the time the Lira wasn't worth a lot in the early
1990s, except for those who had pounds that weren't worth a lot.
--
Martin
