Places you simply must visit are: the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the temple of Athena Nike and the Odeon of Herod Atticus. Then there are many highly-stocked and well-presented museums housing so many artefacts from Athen’s golden age.
Olive oil and honey Make wonderful gifts. Look out for local blue and white tiles and pottery which are always welcome at home.
Squid and octopus – but only if they are fresh fried to order, not if they are already fried and sitting on a hotplate. Tsadziki – yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and salt, tart and refreshing. Keftedes – deep-fried meatballs. And always, always, olives….
Greek is difficult, and locals don’t expect you to have a mastery of it, although attempts are always welcomed:
Please - Pa-ra-ka-lo
Thank you - Ef-hari-sto
Yes - Neh
No - O-hee
Hello - Ya-sou (also goodbye, confusingly!)
Good morning - Kali-mera
Good evening - Kali-spera
Good night - Kali-neek-ta
My name is - Me lene ….
Water - Ne-rho
Be on your guard against
• Siestas: which run to their own timetable, beginning at 14:00 or 15:00 and many shops will close then and reopen for a couple of hours at 17:30.
• Pickpockets and muggers: both of which are a real problem around the big tourist centres – don’t carry all your money in one place, don’t flash it around in public and be cautious about wandering the streets of Athens at night. The same as any big city, really.
Cruise ships dock at the Port of Piraeus, about seven miles from Athens. This means it doesn’t much matter how you get to central Athens, bus, taxi, train … the cost is reasonable. Don’t neglect the port itself though, it has a very good marina that was built for the Olympics and you can get good meals there.