Monday, May 24, 2010
On the Road in Europe- part 1 Greece
Following up on my family travel series, I thought I'd share our recent experiences while on the road in Europe. Three weeks ago, we began our latest adventure. We started our trip in Greece, continued through Italy and now 3 weeks later, I am posting this blog from Saltzburg Austria.
It took 24 hours of flight time from Honolulu to Los Angeles, LAX to JFK, then JFK to ATH. Since my husband is a travel industry employee, we took advantage of our pass flying privileges, and successfully made it all the way to Athens without getting bumped off any flights. I was hesitant to book any of our hotels on the exact day our flight was supposed to arrive, so gave a date of arrival to book the hotels 2 days after we actually arrived, just to play it safe if we did end up getting bumped. We reserved a car at the Athens airport for the actual date of our arrival, and had about 3 maybe places we wanted to see upon the earlier arrival. A friend was kind in sharing his GPS with us to take on our trip, which had the map programs for Europe. I think we would not have found our way out of the airport if we didn't have this. We opted to drive to Delphi which was only 2 1/2 hours drive from Athens. We made this decision because we knew we were already going to be 2 days in Athens from our booked reservations we made with a travel agency (Fantasy Travel- found them on the internet and they were good). Delphi also had ruins and ancient history behind it, which interested us, and it was closer then the other places we looked at, so after a 24 hr flight we needed something close! We loved Delphi. I don't know how the other months are, but May was ideal- perfect climate for walking around, uncrowded, and easy to find a hotel without making prior arrangements. We drove through and saw a man, Dimitri, sitting outside a hotel, who invited us in to look at his rooms. It was clean, cosy, and inexpensive! In fact the least expensive we found this entire trip! Well Dimitri and his mom were so hospitable and so nice, he asked us to put in a good word about his hotel, so I will. It is Hotel Orfeas Delfi telephone (2265)082077. Delphi was quaint. I walked into the local church- St. Nicholas and met an elderly woman who spoke no English, but desperately tried to communicate her enthusiasm about that church. From what I understood from her, the icons were over 300 years old and some were given by her grandparents who came to Delphi from the next town after a great earthquake. She also shared the wonderful Pasca (Easter) festivities that take place at the church- free food, dancing. She was very pleased to tell her story and did a great job considering the language barrier. In general, everyone was pretty friendly, laid back and willing to as we say in Hawaii, "talk story".
When we went to Athens my daughters experienced temporary culture shock. Athens is a huge city with a metropolitan population of about 4 million people. It seems like everyone smokes there, and with all the cars you'll probably want to get some fresh air on the islands after 2 days. With that said, my children still appreciated Athens, the delicious food, and glorious history. Takis from Fantasy Travel met us at the airport after we dropped off our rental car, and gave us all of our travel vouchers for the rest of our stay in Greece. It was very easy going through them, because for the rest of our trip we didn't have to think about the hotels, or ferries, yet we had all the flexibility of doing whatever we wanted when we arrived. A half day tour was included in our stay in Athens and it was nice to have a guide, who made every place we went more interesting- especially the acropolis museum. The rest of the time in Athens was spent walking around, shopping for souvenirs, taking pictures, and eating, eating and eating!
We spent the rest of our visit to Greece on 2 islands, Mykonos and Santorini, and even if they are probably the most tourist centered places in Greece, they are beautiful, fun, and because they cater to tourists they have all the comforts a world traveller would look for- good food, shopping, beaches, modern facilities, and internet! Greece has a good ferry system to get around the islands, but sometimes the sea does not cooperate. Everything went fine to Mykonos, but from Mykonos to Santorini the coast guard closed the ports and we ended up staying overnight in Ios. Unfortunately here the communication was not so good, and we were hearing different messages from the people on the ferry to those working on the ferry to the coast guards themselves on our expected departure times, so it was hard to know what exactly was going on. When on the islands we rented cars. Again this gave us flexibility to come and go as we pleased and explore different parts of the islands, and even though the islands are not very big, that GPS was a necessity.
All in all our family loved Greece so much, it would be a place we would choose to return to. People are friendly and helpful, it's a beautiful place where each place you go to offers something unique and interesting, and in spite of it being a country with some harsh terrain and intense politics, it's civilized, and culturally spectacular!
It took 24 hours of flight time from Honolulu to Los Angeles, LAX to JFK, then JFK to ATH. Since my husband is a travel industry employee, we took advantage of our pass flying privileges, and successfully made it all the way to Athens without getting bumped off any flights. I was hesitant to book any of our hotels on the exact day our flight was supposed to arrive, so gave a date of arrival to book the hotels 2 days after we actually arrived, just to play it safe if we did end up getting bumped. We reserved a car at the Athens airport for the actual date of our arrival, and had about 3 maybe places we wanted to see upon the earlier arrival. A friend was kind in sharing his GPS with us to take on our trip, which had the map programs for Europe. I think we would not have found our way out of the airport if we didn't have this. We opted to drive to Delphi which was only 2 1/2 hours drive from Athens. We made this decision because we knew we were already going to be 2 days in Athens from our booked reservations we made with a travel agency (Fantasy Travel- found them on the internet and they were good). Delphi also had ruins and ancient history behind it, which interested us, and it was closer then the other places we looked at, so after a 24 hr flight we needed something close! We loved Delphi. I don't know how the other months are, but May was ideal- perfect climate for walking around, uncrowded, and easy to find a hotel without making prior arrangements. We drove through and saw a man, Dimitri, sitting outside a hotel, who invited us in to look at his rooms. It was clean, cosy, and inexpensive! In fact the least expensive we found this entire trip! Well Dimitri and his mom were so hospitable and so nice, he asked us to put in a good word about his hotel, so I will. It is Hotel Orfeas Delfi telephone (2265)082077. Delphi was quaint. I walked into the local church- St. Nicholas and met an elderly woman who spoke no English, but desperately tried to communicate her enthusiasm about that church. From what I understood from her, the icons were over 300 years old and some were given by her grandparents who came to Delphi from the next town after a great earthquake. She also shared the wonderful Pasca (Easter) festivities that take place at the church- free food, dancing. She was very pleased to tell her story and did a great job considering the language barrier. In general, everyone was pretty friendly, laid back and willing to as we say in Hawaii, "talk story".
When we went to Athens my daughters experienced temporary culture shock. Athens is a huge city with a metropolitan population of about 4 million people. It seems like everyone smokes there, and with all the cars you'll probably want to get some fresh air on the islands after 2 days. With that said, my children still appreciated Athens, the delicious food, and glorious history. Takis from Fantasy Travel met us at the airport after we dropped off our rental car, and gave us all of our travel vouchers for the rest of our stay in Greece. It was very easy going through them, because for the rest of our trip we didn't have to think about the hotels, or ferries, yet we had all the flexibility of doing whatever we wanted when we arrived. A half day tour was included in our stay in Athens and it was nice to have a guide, who made every place we went more interesting- especially the acropolis museum. The rest of the time in Athens was spent walking around, shopping for souvenirs, taking pictures, and eating, eating and eating!
We spent the rest of our visit to Greece on 2 islands, Mykonos and Santorini, and even if they are probably the most tourist centered places in Greece, they are beautiful, fun, and because they cater to tourists they have all the comforts a world traveller would look for- good food, shopping, beaches, modern facilities, and internet! Greece has a good ferry system to get around the islands, but sometimes the sea does not cooperate. Everything went fine to Mykonos, but from Mykonos to Santorini the coast guard closed the ports and we ended up staying overnight in Ios. Unfortunately here the communication was not so good, and we were hearing different messages from the people on the ferry to those working on the ferry to the coast guards themselves on our expected departure times, so it was hard to know what exactly was going on. When on the islands we rented cars. Again this gave us flexibility to come and go as we pleased and explore different parts of the islands, and even though the islands are not very big, that GPS was a necessity.
All in all our family loved Greece so much, it would be a place we would choose to return to. People are friendly and helpful, it's a beautiful place where each place you go to offers something unique and interesting, and in spite of it being a country with some harsh terrain and intense politics, it's civilized, and culturally spectacular!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Family Travel Series Part 6
This will be the final post in my Family Travel series. After this I will start a new topic.
As I write this, I am taking a little break from my own vacation preparation. It's getting down to the last wire and in a couple of days we hope to be on a flight to Europe, marking a milestone for our oldest daughter's high school graduation. I always get more excited when a special event in one of my children's life has a trip connected to it, even if is a short one, like the overnight mother-daughter/father-son trips we took on 16th and 13th birthdays.
It seems that so much of taking a trip is getting ready to go! Right now I am in the middle of cleaning house so when I come home all I will have to think about is unpacking and washing my clothes. Perhaps coming home to a house that has just been spring cleaned will also allow me time to rest after my trip. We are all mostly packed. I'll probably do a final load of laundry the day we are ready to leave, just to have a extra things I planned to pack but already wore!
We are packing VERY light- between the 5 of us we have 3 overnight shoulder bags and 2 pull style carry on bags, and this is for a 3 week vacation! I hate checking baggage, even before airlines started charging for it. This is because I have had my bag lost or late one too many times, so we have become in the habit of doing with as little as we can. The funny thing about vacations is that I tend to feel more comfortable with rotating a few choices of mix and match outfits than having a big suitcase full of clothing I never end up wearing.
Besides packing the basics of clothing, it seems like electrical/electronic supplies take up more room now than they ever have in the past. I now have the laptop, the laptop charger, the cell phone, the cell phone charger, a gps and charger, my ipod and charger, a set of walkie talkies with chargers (since I don't expect that I will be able to use my cell phone in Europe and had a good experience using walkie talkies in Disney World), and finally the digital camera, charger and usb cable. I think this is what we need the larger carry-on bag with wheels.
My concerned oldest son asked me if we had a safety plan. I guess when you go to another country, it is a good idea to plan for the unexpected. This is another part of why we have the walkie talkies. Some other preparations we made- each of us have copies of each other's passports, and copies left with a family member at home. Of course we had the big talk with the kids on the dangers of wandering in a place that if you get lost no one knows English so you can't ask where mommy is. We also have a notebook with all of our back up lists of contact numbers, confirmation numbers, and other important things like where to eat and what to buy. Back on the home front we have our son house-sitting, taking care of our mail, watering our lawn and plants, and keeping our house lived in to keep away robbers.
Friends who have travelled abroad have also given me some good safety tips, which I thought were very helpful, especially in the case where we will have a car rental for part of our trip. Pack a black sheet to cover anything visible and tempting for cars to be broken into. If you have to go into your trunk, do so in a different place from where you plan to park your car- take out what you need then go and find a place to park. Beware of fake parking attendants collecting money in lots, and use a designated parking garage whenever possible. Beware of pickpockets and opening up your wallet or bag for beggars. Opening your wallet to beggars could put you in the position of being swarmed by more beggars and then pick-pocketed.
I am sure when we travel, American Tourists will be written all over us, but even so I don't want to look like the easy target American tourist, who is unwise and unaware.
Well I hope this travel series has been helpful. If there is any other specific insights I can offer about family travel I'd be happy to hear some ideas on topics.
As I write this, I am taking a little break from my own vacation preparation. It's getting down to the last wire and in a couple of days we hope to be on a flight to Europe, marking a milestone for our oldest daughter's high school graduation. I always get more excited when a special event in one of my children's life has a trip connected to it, even if is a short one, like the overnight mother-daughter/father-son trips we took on 16th and 13th birthdays.
It seems that so much of taking a trip is getting ready to go! Right now I am in the middle of cleaning house so when I come home all I will have to think about is unpacking and washing my clothes. Perhaps coming home to a house that has just been spring cleaned will also allow me time to rest after my trip. We are all mostly packed. I'll probably do a final load of laundry the day we are ready to leave, just to have a extra things I planned to pack but already wore!
We are packing VERY light- between the 5 of us we have 3 overnight shoulder bags and 2 pull style carry on bags, and this is for a 3 week vacation! I hate checking baggage, even before airlines started charging for it. This is because I have had my bag lost or late one too many times, so we have become in the habit of doing with as little as we can. The funny thing about vacations is that I tend to feel more comfortable with rotating a few choices of mix and match outfits than having a big suitcase full of clothing I never end up wearing.
Besides packing the basics of clothing, it seems like electrical/electronic supplies take up more room now than they ever have in the past. I now have the laptop, the laptop charger, the cell phone, the cell phone charger, a gps and charger, my ipod and charger, a set of walkie talkies with chargers (since I don't expect that I will be able to use my cell phone in Europe and had a good experience using walkie talkies in Disney World), and finally the digital camera, charger and usb cable. I think this is what we need the larger carry-on bag with wheels.
My concerned oldest son asked me if we had a safety plan. I guess when you go to another country, it is a good idea to plan for the unexpected. This is another part of why we have the walkie talkies. Some other preparations we made- each of us have copies of each other's passports, and copies left with a family member at home. Of course we had the big talk with the kids on the dangers of wandering in a place that if you get lost no one knows English so you can't ask where mommy is. We also have a notebook with all of our back up lists of contact numbers, confirmation numbers, and other important things like where to eat and what to buy. Back on the home front we have our son house-sitting, taking care of our mail, watering our lawn and plants, and keeping our house lived in to keep away robbers.
Friends who have travelled abroad have also given me some good safety tips, which I thought were very helpful, especially in the case where we will have a car rental for part of our trip. Pack a black sheet to cover anything visible and tempting for cars to be broken into. If you have to go into your trunk, do so in a different place from where you plan to park your car- take out what you need then go and find a place to park. Beware of fake parking attendants collecting money in lots, and use a designated parking garage whenever possible. Beware of pickpockets and opening up your wallet or bag for beggars. Opening your wallet to beggars could put you in the position of being swarmed by more beggars and then pick-pocketed.
I am sure when we travel, American Tourists will be written all over us, but even so I don't want to look like the easy target American tourist, who is unwise and unaware.
Well I hope this travel series has been helpful. If there is any other specific insights I can offer about family travel I'd be happy to hear some ideas on topics.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Family Travel Series Part 5
Today I want to share some important character building values that we can all learn if we make a point to stay aware while we are on vacation. It's easy to take a vacation and stay completely unaware of what I call open windows of opportunity. We become so engrossed in the activity, and so consumer oriented, that we overlook those subtle moments that can be used for character building.
Open windows of opportunity happen daily in our lives but they are easy to miss. These are the short moments when someone gives you a small piece of their heart or lets you into their world. It is the perfect time to build relationships and grow character. Often we are so involved and into ourselves that we are unaware when a window has been opened. If these windows are hard to find in our daily lives, how can taking a vacation help us to more aware of when they are open?
While it is true that the vacation itself is the topic of the moment, it is also true that you are in an ideal moment to be relationship building with your spouse or children. Stop and listen. Sometimes when someone is away from their daily routine, they can be more open to self expression. They are more relaxed, more contemplative, more observant.
If you or your family member have never kept a journal, vacations are perfect times to start. Get a travel journal and express your thoughts and experiences. Talk about them too. If you are vacationing to visit friends or family share your stories with your spouse and children. Prompt them about what will be expected of them. If you are vacationing with extended family how will everyone be able to pitch in to cooperate in harmony? If you are vacationing abroad, be aware of cultural differences and how you and your family can be a respectful guest in someone else's country. If you are traveling with children listen to their queues as they are learning about the world around them, and be ready to help them find answers to their questions- all the whys and all the whats.
Listen, write, talk, grow, and guide. New adventures to experience together, the chance to build more virtuous character as you look for those open windows, this is the hidden surprise of your vacation!
Open windows of opportunity happen daily in our lives but they are easy to miss. These are the short moments when someone gives you a small piece of their heart or lets you into their world. It is the perfect time to build relationships and grow character. Often we are so involved and into ourselves that we are unaware when a window has been opened. If these windows are hard to find in our daily lives, how can taking a vacation help us to more aware of when they are open?
While it is true that the vacation itself is the topic of the moment, it is also true that you are in an ideal moment to be relationship building with your spouse or children. Stop and listen. Sometimes when someone is away from their daily routine, they can be more open to self expression. They are more relaxed, more contemplative, more observant.
If you or your family member have never kept a journal, vacations are perfect times to start. Get a travel journal and express your thoughts and experiences. Talk about them too. If you are vacationing to visit friends or family share your stories with your spouse and children. Prompt them about what will be expected of them. If you are vacationing with extended family how will everyone be able to pitch in to cooperate in harmony? If you are vacationing abroad, be aware of cultural differences and how you and your family can be a respectful guest in someone else's country. If you are traveling with children listen to their queues as they are learning about the world around them, and be ready to help them find answers to their questions- all the whys and all the whats.
Listen, write, talk, grow, and guide. New adventures to experience together, the chance to build more virtuous character as you look for those open windows, this is the hidden surprise of your vacation!
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