myvacation5

Greece

Greece was exactly like I imagined it would be from brochures, movies etc. The Acropolis, Parthenon and all the rest of the ancient ruins are centrally located in and around Athens or Pireus as it is known. Walking around the major sites is almost like watching a cheap dubbed hercules movie but is definitely a must on your tour list. With the hills around the city you can get some fantastic panoramic pictures. Try and visit during an off season period, the crowds are terrible and walking up and down the hilly roadways can be exhausting. A good idea here is hiring a cab for the day. The cabbies are eager to show their city and know the shortcuts and back roads to circumvent the crowds. After seeing the usuals, get out of Athens and hit the countrside. A ride along the countryside is well worth an entire day and the coastline is incredible with rocky out-crops and numerous small islands. If you're into real leisure charter a sailboat and spend a day or two or even a week sailing around the islands.

The local markets and village squares are worth an afternoon or so. Be careful of the "genuine antiquities" that you're tempted to buy. They are not genuine. The Greek government does not allow these treasures to be sold and taken out of the country. Rugs are a pretty good bargain but the sales pressure is high so don't be a wimp. Get your price or walk, there's lots of competition. Haggling is part of the sale and most of the fun in shopping over here. Refusing to play the game can be taken as an insult, just don't lose your temper. Be nice but firm and you can do pretty well.

Grilled lamb, roasted fish, kalamata olives, grilled vegetables with more olive oil, and pastries...they're all great. Yogurt is used alot with the grilled meats and a sauce of yogurt, mint or dill is always on the table. Don't turn your nose up yet. The yogurt they use here is real, not the syrupy, sugary nasty stuff we buy. One of the best lunches we had was a grilled lamb and pepper sandwich with this sauce generously drizzeled over it. Try it, you'll be surprised. Gyro's from street vendors are usually very good. I'm a vegetarian now and writing this kills me. I do it for the health benefits, NOT the social aspects. Pastries are as part of the meal as the meat and fish. Gooey, buttery, honey dripping, warm, flakey Greek pastries with a cup of strong coffee, a fitting end to a great meal. If you are seriously dieting...stay home!

France

St Maxine on the french riviera is a beautiful small town and has all the typical sidewalk cafe's and bistro's making worth a day or so of your time. We met a couple who took us up to their apartment overlooking the bay one night, very continental. The only problem was le toilette was in the bedroom, literally, right next to the bed and no walls or partitions. Real classy eh! Why I'm telling you this I don't know, just thought it was a little odd. We took a tour of the french grand canyon. A mini but very impressive little sister to our Grand Canyon. Beautiful mountain lakes and scenary make it worth the trip. Nice is a good riviera destination with super beaches and great place just to walk around and take pictures. Food was typical french with very little mingling of other cultures culinary goodies. I'm not particularly enamored with our visits to this area. Other people have very different opinions but, as I said, this is my site.

Tunisia

Home of the worlds best coffee and most likely the best rugs. The ancient city of Carthage is situated here and has some pretty neat sites worth seeing. It's right on the shoreline but there isn't really a lot left of the ruins but the historical value is interesting for the scholarly. Kairouan is waaaay out in the desert and takes quite a while to get there but the rugs they weave there more than makes up for any inconvenience. You can go into peoples homes where the women are creating these works of art. Some of the more intricate ones literally take years and years of tedious work to complete. There is a huge beautiful mosque and the town reminds me of an old foreign legion movie or casablanca.

This was the first time I ever had couscous which is very common and is mixed with chicken, vegetables or whatever. Overall the food was pretty good and I think Emeril will be doing a couple of shows there in the near future. The use of dried fruit, meats and various spices makes for very interesting dining and the crockery they cook with makes super stews. If you can manage it bring some back that is if you have any money left from your rampage on rugs.

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