Greece Turkey Egypt port reviews 2/29/08-3/11/08

[mountainmare]

Already I will warn you inspite of intensive editing this may get long. Please ask any questions you have and I'll be happy to give you more detail of our experiences.

We sailed the Costa Concordia from Civitavecchia Feb 29. The ports were Civitavecchia, Savona Italy, Katakolon Greece, Piraeus Greece, Izmir Turkey,

Rhodes Greece, Limassol Cyprus and Alexandria Egypt.

I posted my impressions of the ship on the Costa Board and will post about Egypt on the Africa Board.

Background: DH and I are on either side of 60 and have traveled quite about both in the US and in Europe on land and on a cruise. We usually sail HAL--having sailed Celebrity twice, our only Med cruise was the Millennium in October two years ago. We try to learn polite words of a language but are not fluent in anything other than English. We are very independant travelers and on this trip did everything DIY except for Nejat Incedogan in Turkey and DeCastro Tours in Egypt.

Pre-cruise: Rome Feb 27-29.

We flew USAir non-stop out of Philly leaving the evening of Feb 26. The flight landed a tiny bit early and the luggage was there when we arrived. We packed light--even though DH included his tux. We each had a rolling garment bag coming in at 35 and 37 lbs, For a carry-on I had a Rick Steves backpack half full and DH had a small rolling duffle.

We booked the Residenza Canali Hotel in the center of Rome--because we were off-season we could afford to splurge on the Jr Suite with HUGE top floor terrace. For only 5 euros more than a taxi we had the hotel pick us up at the airport--well worth the money because the hotel is located on a very small pedestrian street around the corner from P. Navona and cabs have trouble finding it. Our driver was waiting for us and the drive into Rome was uneventful--we got to the end of "our street" and had to roll our luggage a little bit to get to the hotel--the driver offered to take it, but that was silly, we didn't have that much.

The hotel was wonderful--just like you dream of when you think of staying in Rome. A tiny street filled with little antique shops and very small cafes was our home for a short while. The hotel has no elevator and we picked a top floor room with terrace. When we went to check in it was only around 9 am and the room was not ready--but we were offered a wonderful breakfast and bottles of water to take with us for our exploring. I told them that if they had a place to put my large bag he did not need to lug it up to the room and I think he was happy with that.

The room was beautiful--decorated in blues and golds and the terrace wonderful with blooming flowers even in Feb.

We have been to Rome and had already done the "check off the sights" routine. This time we wanted to get to know the city. We walked to the TI booth right at the end of our street at P. Novana and decided that the Roma Pass would be the best deal for us. Three days of unlimited in city travel ,two free entries into the city museums (not the Vatican) plus discounts on anything after that--including discounts on the HOHO and Archeo buses and bike rentals. Since we wanted to explore Palantine Hill and probably one other museum we were ahead of the game.

We just strolled the main places, climbed Victor Emanual for amazing views--got lost looking for the Trevi (this became a theme)..hopped a bus back to somewhere close to our neighborhood, grabbed a great slice of pizza and small bottle of wine and realxed on our terrace until evening. Then we went out to see Rome all lit up. We started at St Peters and metroed to the Colosseum, did alot of looking then bussed back to somewhere closer to P Navona and by that time the small back streets were filled with outdoor cafes and people starting their evening meal (us included). Couldn't resist sitting in P Navona listening to music and bobbing over to the Panteon to say goodnight.

The next morning we walked out to a bus stop and got on #40--not realizing that it doesn't just loop but ends at St Peters. So since we were there and there were no lines we decided to go up the dome---and then CLIMB up the dome. It was nice to enjoy the cathedral with no crowds. We then hopped #64 to the Colsseum. We had been before--but our goal was Palentine Hill and since the ticket (inour case Roma Pass) included both --and no line for Roma Pass users we went inside--and was glad we did, again fewer people gave us a better chance to enjoy what we were seeing. We walked over to the forum and basically used the Rick Steves tour of the forum. One thing annoying about Rick Steves--everyone who has the book feels the need to read out loud from the book as they go along, please RS groupies--stop doing this!!! We enjoyed the forum so much more than the first time when we literally ran through it in an effort to get to the next sight. We also had the Visions book with the plastic overlays. Then we went to Palentine Hill-- IMHO one of the most overlooked sites in Rome. I loved the quiet of the gardens with the wind whispering through the umbrella pines. Its an oasis of green and peace in that roaring frantic city. Right before leaving for this trip we watched a DVD about the engineering and construction of Rome--so seeing the humble home of Augustus Ceasar compared with the lavish palaces moved me as I thought about power gone wrong.

More wandering pop into a museum, sitting , gelato, getting lost, pizza and wine and making it back to our terrace.

Dinnerwas at Tre Archi right next to our hotel--very good and very reasonable and very little English--well actually no English, we let the owner decide for us, we still don't know what we ate but it was good and the wine plentiful.Back to Navona to get that chocolate thing and listen to music and slowly back to bed.

The next morning we packed (well with only a back pack thats not hard) and asked the hotel to hold the luggage while we explored a little more. Went to St Peters mailed some postcards, back to the Pantheon and Navona for gelato and then had the hotel call cab to take us to Termini.

 

Sometime in our wandering when we passed through Termini we took the time to buy our train tickets at one of the machines--looked at where the tracks were and where the validation boxes for the tickets were, so we went into Termini prepared. I had done a ton of research here and had discovered the 13:39 train only went to Civitavecchia and then turned around back to Rome. I was HOPING this meant that we would stop on the tracks actually at the station--and I also wanted more time to get the luggage off the train.

About validating tickets--DO IT!!! There is no excuse for you to say you don't know--on one of the buses there was a random check--so don't be silly, just be sure you validate your ticket.

The local train we were on was almost empty so finding a place for luggage was not a problem. Waiting for the train to open its doors we met another couple with lots of luggage so we knew they were on our cruise--turns out they live less than ten miles from us!!

The train ride was efficient and easy--and at 4.5 euros a bargain. Yes we did have to go under the tracks, but now there were four of us and it wasn't a problem. This time of day was so uncrowded that it wouldn't have been an issue anyway. We fully intended to walk to the free shuttle buses, you can see where the castle is from the station, but a cab driver offered to take all four of us for 10 or 15 euros and split between us that was a good plan.

 

Rome final thoughts--I had hoped to go out to the Appian Way but we didn't put ourselves on a must see schedule this time. Last time we tossed our coin in the Trevi and we returned, we tossed coins again and hope it still works.

[mountainmare]

I couldn't find much about Savona--and if you sail Costa you will probably end up here because it is their home port.. I did splurge on a DK Eyewitness Italian Riviera guidebook that has a write up on Savona and Genoa.

Savona: The terminal in Savona is huge and brand new--very beautiful and you dock right in town across from the old clock tower.. We had planned on taking the train to Genoa.

The walk to the train station is pleasant and takes at least 20 min. The train station was under construction and we had a bit of trouble finding the entrance, probably walking a bit out of our way but the ticket window is easy to find. We bought a local to go to Genoa and an IC for the way back--simply for the silly reason that we wanted to sit in the fancy compartments (ok I'm a tourist from the US who thinks trains are neat).The local ticket was 3.3 euro and IC was 6euro.

With a bit of confusion we got on the right train, nice ride by the sea and I thought it was interesting to see the big shipyard where so many of the ships we sail on are born. There was a Carnival ship there when we passed--maybe in drydock.

The Genoa station P. P. is well marked and there is a TI booth there but I already had a map so we didn't find it. I did go into a place that had information and later was glad that I did--because our return train would be labeled on the board as Nice.

Genoa was a wonderful surprise, similar to Naples (which I love--so this is a good thing) in feel--but not as harsh. In other words not overly touristy, you know you are in Italy.

We easily found the Rigi-Zucci funicular and this is a must do. You get wonderful views from the top and the ride up is too cool for words!!

Then we got lost in the maze of the old city--I loved seeing the little produce stands, pasta shops, fish shops and butcher shops--complete with pig heads in the windows.

We ended up eating in a not too good place on the main street--if I go again I will just get something in a little shop or hold out until I find a tiny trattoria in the maze.

Of course we had to find the alleged Columbus House by the city gate, then went down to the port area, got gelato and took the metro back to the train station--or so we thought. It seemed like we left ourselves plenty of time, but it was Sat and the metro was a bit limited, and when we got off we couldn't find the train station--it was around the corner. Yelling "station" at anyone on the street I made a mad (yes a bit insane) dash to the station--the train gods had been kind enough to have me get the info to look for Nice on the board and with only 5 min to spare made it to the train.

The IC train is neat--but it seemed "slow" then stopped, there was a small "problem" that would take --5?---15? min I always have trouble with those numbers. Soon we were on our way back--very fast.

We had left a 2 hour cushion to make it back to the ship, so we enjoyed Savona leisurely on the way back. This was saturday and they were having a flea market--sidewalk sale all the way back.

About Savona--its beautiful!!! The streets have painted arcades over the sidewalks, the church looks pretty--there are still those quaint twisting alleyways of old town--plus a castle and a beach--all right there. Right by the old clock tower on the other side of the street is a good grocery store if you need to stock up on wine, water, soda--whatever.

The people we were traveling with had just done the Rome in a day thing before getting on the ship--a family of seven who had not traveled in Europe before. I know they were tired and in retrospect probably should not have attempted Genoa. So my advice is--Genoa is well worth seeing, but it takes planning and you will not find anyone who speaks English, if this is beyond your comfort zone either take a ship tour--or if you know you will be tired, by all means enjoy a "catch-up" leisurely day in Savona.

 

Katakolon:

THANK YOU CRUISE CRITIC!!!! Because of you all I knew to rent a car was easy--because we needed two cars for nine people I did reserve in advance. Once again we were the only ship in port--it was easy to see the rent-a -car sign from the ship as we docked--its right behind the duty free. In from of the duty free there was a rentacar rep and the cars were ready--explained by one of those incredible looking Greek God types that someone of my age has no business even looking at. He told us to just put 6 euros of gas in and gave us directions to Olympia--very easy when its off season and you are the only ship in port. The drive was both beautiful and heartbreaking. You can see the devastation of the fires last summer--when contrasted with the parts that are not burned you can clearly see what a great loss this is.

At this time of year the wild flowers are in full bloom (I forget to mention that this was also true in Italy--and the trees there are filled with oranges and lemons) and the colors are unlike what we see here. There are these brilliant red and bright blue poppies everywhere, this is a great time to travel.

As we approached the town of Olympia you could see that the firs even burned some of the trees in town and approaching the ancient site itself there used to be lots of trees and now they are gone. The actual site itself is untouched by the fires and as I said--at this time of year with the bright green dotted with tons of flowers just plain unbelievable.

I have one of the Visions books for Athens with the plastic overlays that includes Olympia--it was very helpful. The site itself is nice and small, and the biggest thrill is that you can actually run down the original field--and yes this old broad did indeed RUN all the way.

The museum is a little gem!!! So well presented and organized.

A nice-to-know is that children under the age of 18 are free...and students get discounts, so ask!!!

We then spent some time in the town--very touristy shops but they do have a grocery store. Then we dropped the cars back in Katakolon.

This is also a cruise-ship tourist town--but down the street on the left is a gyro place that makes great food!!

Again--a huge thank you to those on this board for the info about the rental car.

[mountainmare]

Piraeus:

This was a return to Athens for us--and of course first time for the other family so we agreed that we would get them to the Acropolis and then we wanted to see other things. As has been repeated many times, the walk to the metro is easy and the metro is very easy to use. Last time we changed trains and got off at Acropoli--this time we got off at Monostrika and took the more scenic climb to the Acropolis up through the hillside village part of the city. I think that that is a much prettier approach and you go right by the Tower of the winds. Again this was off season and the city was not over crowded so I found it much more enjoyable.

Even though we have been to the Acropolis before-- we figured it would be rude to be in town and not pay the Gods a visit---and of course you have to stay awhile--again you don't want them to get angry!!! Actually I think we hung out up there longer than our newbie friends, there is something about the place that we love. Also it was interesting to see the progress on the Parthenon over the last few years. We took a last look at Athena's tree and headed down to the temple of Zeus--something we missed last time. Notice that the 12 euro (free for children--reduced for students) ticket includes several sites. If you happen to start at the Temple of the winds or Agora be sure to get the combo-ticket.

 

The Temple of Zeus looks ho hum from the Acropolis--but is absolutely magnificent when you are standing right next to it. Also this is a wonderful green space, with the remains of old houses and baths--a nice rest from the crazy city of Athens, good to sit and have a snack and rest. Then we took our lives in our hands and crossed over to the marble Olympic stadium---tracing some history in an Olympic year. We cut through the National Gardens--yes--in full bloom and beautiful to Stymata(sp??) square--arriving right in time for the hourly changing of the guards. Again, off season--no crowds and really a fun thing to watch up close.

I did have two goals for Athen--one to buy sandals at the poet sandal-makers shop and two--to find O Thanasis. Doing homework paid off because I did find the sandal shop and for 21-euros now have a hand made custom fitted beautifully made pair of samdals. And thanks to SusanM we had the lunch we couldn't find last trip.

We then strolled and did some window shopping and made our way back to the ship. I don't think I'll ever get tired of Greece!!

 

Izmir:

A long time ago (almost a year in advance) I booked nejat Incedogan for our stop in Izmir. This was a wonderful choice--once in a while you meet someone who is a national treasure and Nejat is such a person. Our friends joined us and Nejat was wonderful about explaining what we were seeing so that everyone understood. Turkey is wonderful and I would like to return for a longer visit. Its not just the wonders of Ephesus--there is something magical about the whole country--and I think the magic is the people.

I won't go into greart detail about Ephesus--if you are going you already have read about how wonderful it is--the nice thing about Nejat is that he has seen how the site has evolved through the years and could say--well five years ago it looked like this, and I watched them uncover that (or in one case, uncover something and then cover it back up to preserve it), so the combination of the human detail of life in Ephesus in ancient times combined with the modern techniques of exploring and preserving is very rare and we were very lucky.

Now people here sometimes complain about the "shopping" stops. Well we were with a family of shoppers (ok --I was last back to the car because of a pashmina moment and DH bought a handfull of genuine (just made yesterday) ancient Roman coins) and so the stop at the ceramics shop was welcome. They let one of the kids actually make something on the wheel which is something she'll remember forever. The work is wonderful and the craftsmanship amazing--so time was spent at this stop--and I felt it was well-spent and will appreciate the tiles that I see if I go to Istanbul even more because I know the region and tradition behind them.

Then nejat had arranged for us to have a traditional lunch--it was so good. even the picky kids tried things, and Nejat did have an order of fries made just for them.

We met people who had been unable to get a tour to Ephesus and spent a wonderful day in Izmir on their own. They said everyone they met was very friendly and had a fabulous time. Even though I like to DIY I feel that getting a private guide is the best way to explore Ephesus. Again we were the only ship in port and it was off-season, but I felt sorry for those people following the Costa sign through the site.

[mountainmare]

Rhodes:

I don't have much to say about Rhodes. We were the only ship in port and I cannot imagine the town during the season. We did enjoy the street of knights and the museum...and loved walking out to the pillars with the stag and doe (do you really think the Colossus of Rhodes really could have straddled that??) But it really reminded me of a typical tacky Caribbean cruise stop. I know that we probably could have rented a car and explored--but we were only there 8-5 and in my research I couldn't find a reason to do that. I did find some wonderful unusual fabric in a little tailor shop in New Town, but all in all this was a so- so stop for me--oh yes yet another gyro was consumed. Actually in New Town I followed a group of the crew and ate where they ate--and yep--it was good.

 

Cyprus:

Too short a stop for what could be a really neat island. We were there only 8-2.

Someone from a previous cruise gave me alot of information on how to DIY Limassol so I was somewhat prepared. I know that this is really a chance for Egyptian officials to stamp passports and make clearing the ship in Egypt faster--but I would have loved more time.

First--when you get off the ship and go through the arrivals terminal at the far right hand corner there is a great TI booth and they will help you either get a private cab, or mini-van or tell you what else you can do. We were toying with going to Paphos--but decided that since the next day was Egypt--and sooo intense we would just take the bus into town. The local bus is #30 and costs 1.3 euro each way. The bus driver gives change. You get off at Old Port which is the start of the seaside promenade--the TI will give you a very good map of the town. We walked to the castle--and was very disappointed that the roof was closed and they still charged full price. We went into the little mosque and the large church, which is beautiful. then we walked to the central market where I bought spices--saffron was very reasonable. There are alot of touristy shops and here is a little hint. If you are in Cyprus I assume that your next stop is Egypt. We bought a string og six "papyrus" little paintings for 5 euro and some other "Egyptian stuff" just in case things were so crazy in Egypt we would miss out. This was a very very smart thing to do!!! Since we're talking Egypt here--one other thing, when you get back to your ship in Alexandria there will be a row of vendors set up right by the ship. You will still bargain--but in a more controlled way than by the pyramids.

OK--back to Cyprus--we enjoyed the stop. The #30 bus has several advantages over the ship bus. First it is cheaper. Second it is much more convenient, you can pick up the return along the seaside promenade without having to go all the way back to your meeting point.

Now for your other options.

Our friends went out and for 108 euros got a mini-van tour for the 7 of them that took them to the Turkish side of the island and some mountain towns.

Someone on a previous cruise had the TI person arrange a public shared mini-bus to Paphos for something like 8-9 euros. A private taxi for the day is 100 euros for four people, I think a taxi back and forth to Paphos is 42 euros each way.

My advice--have an idea of what you want to do--get off the ship as soon as you can and go to the TI booth. If you just want to explore the town--bus #30 is the way to go!!

[drsb]

Wonderful review. I am not going to all of the same ports, but Rome, Athens and Ephesus through Kusadasai (sp?).

 

I am interested in the last thing you mentioned. We are using EKOL for Ephesus. I thought the stop was always at a rug shop. If I could choose a ceramics shop, that would be better. I would probably buy some pottery or tiles but not a rug. Do we have a choice?

[mountainmare]

I'll review Egypt on the Africa board.

We could not get an late enough flight out of FCO and our ship was due to dock at 8am--so we booked Hotel Traiano in Civitavecchia for one night post-cruiseIf you want a change from Rome or the Rome airport this is a wonderful option--but during the cruise season they have been discovered--so book early!!!

The hotel is in town and although they have free shuttle service to take you to the port you will take a cab post cruise because they don't know when you are getting off. They offer their own transfer to the airport--100 euros for 2-4people.

We convinced a cab to take us to the hotel--the city was mobbed because of a big bike race and the cab driver not happy. The hotel is modern and we were immediately offered breakfast. Our room was huge I think we were upgrades to a suite--it could easily sleep 5 people, there was a large living room with sofa-bed and full kitchen, including a washer. down a little hall was a bedroom with a queen size bed and a twin bed.

We asked where to get the bus for Tarquinia--and were given a bus schedule and told that there was a bus stop down the street--we should ask there. But there was a big bus stop across from the church in the main square. We found out that was where the stop is .

As we started down the street we noticed the sea was ahead, so we walked down to the seaside promenade and headed in the direction of the port and the castle. At the end of the promenade there was a TI booth and weasked about the bus. Up two blocks to your left. Sure enough--big bus stop, but no place to buy tickets!!! We went in a store phrase book in hand to ask. In English was told in the front of the church--well that didn't seem right, but we went in the church--no tickets, pretty church and went back to the bus stop...phrase book in hane to ask about tickets--an English speaking angel told us to go down a block (where we just were) and buy one from the newstand. Tickets are 2 euro each way.

Our English angel told us which bus to take and where to get off --in retrosect it was common sense but after the ticket fiasco we were a bit rattled.

The town of Tarquinia is fabulous. Even if you aren't into the Etruscan stuff this is worth a visit if you have done Rome too many times. It is the way Tuscany was before Tuscany was discovered I think. A little walled gem with one of the most interesting museums tucked in an ancient palace. Then we walked to the Necropolis--and walked and left the gated town--and walked through the burbs to get to it. Absolutely AMAZING!!!! There are aroung 15-20 tombs on this hill. You go in a little door for each one and down a staircase. At the bottom you press a light button and the most vivid paintings are shown--and they are all different!!! These date back to 500BC and everything is still so bright and in such detail. This was definately worth the effort!!!

The walk back to the bus was easier--first it was downhill and second we knew where we were going. As we got to the stop the bus pulled up and soon we were back in Civ. We walked back to the hotel--rested until sometime around 7--then asked for a place for dinner. they gave us a flyer--and it said "serving from 6--we speak Englis French and Spanish". Oh great I thought--a tourist place--but we went anyway. Of course we were probably the only cruise people in town--it was off season, but we found it and there were only two other people there. The waiter did not speak English and since they specialize in local food--and I'mallergic to seafood communication was a problem.

All of a sudden this perky blonde Brit comes running over---ENGLISH!!!! YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!!! Turns out its off season--she didn't expect tourists. She suggests food for dinner--and says that they have wood fired pizza and in the National Pizza Competition their pizza guy came in #4--the highest non Naples competitor. DH has the pizza and says that it is even better than DaMichele. Soon the place is mobbed with locals--and I do feel better about the choice. The food is wonderful and for desert we order one thing but the owner tells us the taramisu is homemade and much better--and it was.

The next day we get up early for breakfast and our ride to the airport--very easy. Its off season and I'm used to large airports and found FCO sort of small and easy to get around--but because it is small I imagine that during high season it is crazy.

Flight was good--great pictures of the Italian coast, the alps and pack ice by Canada. Crossed over the Jersey shore around Cape May and were treated to a nice view of Philly as we landed.

And now--finally this report is over. Ask away if you want nuts and bolts details.

[mountainmare]

About the Turkey shop. I had asked Nejat in advance and he had suggested this because it is more than a shop--but a traditional ceramics school and center. I would ask EKOL--I save all my stuff and as I unpack if I find the name I'll tell you, but I'm sure EKOL knows which one it is. The colors and workmanship are amazing, this is not made in China stuff--this is the real deal, but you can still find pieces that are reasonably priced.

[CAT GIRL]

Absolutely fascinating. I'll have to save your review for when I

go back. Now I need to jump over to the Egypt board to see the

rest of your review. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[mountainmare]

I finally got to the Egypt part--its on the Africa board--DeCastro Tour Review

[YoPhilly]

Mountainmare, thanks for the review. I was re-living my cruise from last November. I'll have to read your review of Egypt to see how your impressions compare to mine.

[OHW]

Mountainmare,

 

First of all what a wonderful review! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, especially for a newbie like me. I am going to Katakolon this May and was toying with the idea of taking a train to Olympia but after reading your post, I might just rent a car instead. It will give us more time to explore. What car rental agency did you use? How did you reserve a car ahead of time? Is there a website I can go to? Do yo remember how much the car rental was?

 

Thanks,

Colleen

[Coolcruise02]

THANKS so much for all the great info! What a wonderful review.

 

We are also taking US air from Philly to Rome. How long was the flight? What food did they serve? Did they provide eye masks and ear plugs? Any info about the air flight would be aprreciated.

 

In all my research on taking the train to Civitavecchia, everyone said the train that ends there doesn't have the steps! What is the track number that doesn't have steps. I would be willing to take which ever local train is on that track.

 

Thanks again!

[mountainmare]

OHW-

We used http://www.rentacarkatakolo.gr

It was off season--a small car for 4 people was 40 euro and a slightly larger car for 5 people was 45 euro--this included all taxes etc. Both cars were standard trans. We put in 6 euro of gas as instructed. they have the seasonal prices on the website.

We reserved shortly before we left Feb 26 and it was nice because they had the cars waiting for us all ready to go. While a bit more expensive than the train it gave us flexablilty to explore Olympia and stop and snap some pictures on the way. We parked at the Olympic sight along the entrance road where we saw other people parking and were able to beat the tour buses.

 

CoolCruise2

The flight over was about 7 hours and the flight back 9 hours. The seats are TIGHT!!! The food over was bad chicken or pasta, even though we were not in the back of the plane they ran out of chicken. For "breakfast" was a very stale roll-donut thing. The food back was chicken or pasta and they apologized in advance if they ran out of your choice. there was a small sandwich as a snack.

No eye masks or ear plugs. Head phones for the little Tvs are 5UDS or 5euros or 3 English pounds. They are the two-prong type. If your little TV doesn't work right away tell someone and they will reset it.

Flight over came in early--at both ends luggage came out quickly.

 

I also went to alot of trouble to research the trains to avoid the steps--and as you probably already know the 13:39 train is a local that only goes as far as Civitavecchia--but we had steps anyway. I don't think you can predict which track they will be on. In Genoa I asked the train information person which track for our return train and he said they don't know until about 30 min in advance. Even so it was nice to have time to get organized and get off the train--we didn't have much luggage--only one garment bag and one carry-on each, but the other couple we met on the train had alot and they really needed the extra time. Not all local trains end at Civitavecchia--most continue on.

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks, I'll just sleep and skip the meal. :)

[OHW]

OHW-

We used www.rentacarkatakolo.gr

It was off season--a small car for 4 people was 40 euro and a slightly larger car for 5 people was 45 euro--this included all taxes etc. Both cars were standard trans. We put in 6 euro of gas as instructed. they have the seasonal prices on the website.

We reserved shortly before we left Feb 26 and it was nice because they had the cars waiting for us all ready to go. While a bit more expensive than the train it gave us flexablilty to explore Olympia and stop and snap some pictures on the way. We parked at the Olympic sight along the entrance road where we saw other people parking and were able to beat the tour buses.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I just emailed them to get the specifics. Reading the agreement and the info on insurance is a little scary.

 

Colleen

[mikefang]

Mountainmare; thanks for great info. Wife and I will be in

athens for a pre cruise/HAL's Rotterdam in Sept. She is a sandal person. Can you provide any info on that sandal shop please?

Thanks, Mike.

[mountainmare]

OHW--this is the second time we have rented a car in Greece and have had no problems, as opposed to Aruba where we were overcharged for gas--even though we put more than enough in. You do have to go with your comfort level though, if you are warey of renting cars--even at home its not worth the worry.

 

 

mikefang here is the website for the sandals--also google poet-sandal maker of Athens to get even more backgound about the history of the shop.

http://www.melissinos-art.com

Be sure to take a good look at a map of Athens before you go to know where the shop is. I mapquested the address and found it by walking down Ermou Street from Syntagma. Close to Monastirakiou Square on Ermou you come to Athinas Street, then Themidos and a very small Agias Theklas--look to your right and you see the sign for the poet sandal maker.

When we were there the area to the left heading back to Monastrakou Square was all tour up under construction.

[Coolcruise02]

What is the approx cost of simple leather sandals?

[mountainmare]

When you go on the website you'll see the styles. I bought the Thebes style for 21euros--someone in the shop when we came bought the Gladiator Boot sandal for 26 euros. Simpler sandals with less leather are less expensive.

 

This was in line with the cost of other sandals--and less expensive than some places. It is not only the sandals themselves but the experience of finding the shop and buying them from the maker himselve that is priceless.

[YoPhilly]

We are also taking US air from Philly to Rome. How long was the flight? What food did they serve? Did they provide eye masks and ear plugs? Any info about the air flight would be aprreciated.

 

On those aircraft, don't select row 6 unless you REALLY want the bulkhead. Those seats have immovable dividers (containing the tray table) between the seats, which reduce the already-tight seat width, plus your video monitor swings up from below your seat.

 

Be sure to look at www.seatguru.com to make sure you have a relatively decent seat.

 

My nonstop USAirways flight from PHL to FCO last weekend was over 8 hours; the return was almost 10. Very long. Same movies both ways on the personal videos.

[mizteriuz]

Moutainmare & YoPhilly,

 

Do the USAIR flights have a power outlet to plug in a laptop or portable DVD player?

[mountainmare]

I don't know about the power--didn't look.

I feel lucky (not that a little but of time matters) but our flights were shorter, but we left right on time from Philly and somehow jumped the line for take off landing in FCO early. On the way back we actually pulled out early and got to Philly early so had to wait a little to land.

We did have a bit of a luggage scare returning to Philly. The luggage came out very fast and I was sure that as we got to the carousel I saw one of our bags--it didn't come around again, then another bag didn't show--turns out they were pulling all bags off at the other end and putting them on the ground.

Just a nice to know about Philly so you don't just stand there and wait.

[mountainmare]

Here is the report--if you need more info feel free to ask, Also the beach at Lido Tarquinia looked like it was nice.

[Susan-M]

Fantastic review .... I thoroughly enjoyed it! It took me a while to sit down and read through it slowly so I could absorb all of the details...but the wait was worth it! :)

 

I think I will copy what you did in Rome as it sounds exactly how I would like to spend our pre-cruise days there, with the addition of the Borghese Gallery (do you know if your Roma Passes include admission to it? I'll need to make reservations in advance.) I thought I was all set with accommodations, but your description of Residenza Canali prompted me to send off an inquiry to them. Also looking forward to lingering at the Forum and going inside the Colosseum this time....and seeing Palatine Hill.

 

Did you have a desire to go back to the Vatican? We'll be there for 3 days pre-cruise and as much as I would like to go back, there are so many other sites to fit in, and I don't want it to be the rush that it was last time.

 

I would like to watch the DVD that you mentioned ... do you recall the name of it?

 

Good info on the train....we are planning on taking it and having done it without luggage, I felt we could manage with luggage this time... the info that you provided helps. We'll be travelling light as there are no formal nights on this cruise. Did the taxi take you right to the ship or to the port entrance?

 

Glad to hear that you found OThanasis ... hope you enjoyed it! Another visit is in order so that you can get up Lykabettus Hill! I've been doing some Athens planning this week .... found a hotel in the Acropolis/Plaka area & I think we'll do Sounion by local bus one day. The Acropolis is definitely a 'return-to' site for us as well. I think the new museum is close to being finished... hopefully by October.

 

The Limassol info is a help.... esp. since I haven't given that port much thought yet. Egypt is the other port in common with our cruise, and I really enjoyed reading about your day there.

 

I know I will have more questions as my trip planning progresses ... but for now, many thanks for the entertaining and informative review!

 

Good suggestion (a while back) re doing a cruise together... imagine how organized we would be!:) Any plans for your next cruise yet? I'm interested in Norwegian Fjords/Iceland....just waiting for the new itineraries to come out for '09.

[mountainmare]

SusanM

The Borghese admission is covered by the Rome Pass--but the advance fee is not. RS has the advice that you use your two free admissions for the most expensive museums--and that would be the Forum/Colosseum/Palentine and the Borghese.

Our hotel was very close to St Peters. Last time we had a bad guide for the Vatican Museums and had very little time for St Peters itself. This time we just went in and climbed the dome--there were no lines, and spent some time in the church. I'm glad we did climb the dome and the stroll over the bridge with the angels at dusk is wonderful, but I personally didn't feel the need to go back into the Vatican Museums.

Things on the potenetial list that we didn't get to---DH sort of wanted to walk down in Circus Maximus, I wanted to go to the Secret Keyhole and Mouth of Truth (all in the same general area). We missed St Peter in Chains were never there when it was open. We planned on Appian Way and the Aquiducts and EUR. NEXT TIME!!!!

On paper it looks like we didn't do alot this time--and we didn't. All we did was get to enjoy Rome.

As you know the train is easy. The taxi took us right to the ship entrance--even closer than the bus.

I can hardly wait to here about your days in Athens. To me the Temple of Zeus was the biggest surprise. The park is peaceful and the temple amazing.

There was alot of construction around the metro station so that portion of the square was torn up, making the area arounf OThansis even more conjested--and it being Greece--will probably be that way when you are there too. The new museum has a "teaser" open at some secret times, I hope it's open when you go.

You have time to think about Cyprus. How long are you there? The person who went to Pathmos DIY is T-2. When you can do a search, I think she posted a report on one of the Costa rollcalls. She was on the Jan 16 sailing of the Concordia and we were all trading info because our individual rollcalls were slow so it might be there or one of the later sailings. I'll ask her --shes another super planner who does things DIY.

 

That's it--we should form the DIY club. I would like to do the trip you are planning now. I still haven't been to Istanbul and would like an overnight in Egypt and of course return to Greece.

Although the Fjords sound nice.....