On My Way

In five more days I will be back in my second home - my lovely Greece.

It's very exciting for it's been two years since my last trip. My friend in Athens says that things have changed a little after the financial crisis, but there is one thing you can't change - and that's the special ambience, and the spectacular scenery. And people don't really change, they just soldier on. For times are always a-changing and everyone learns to go with it, good and bad alike.

My itinerary reads like gypsy wanderings - Naxos, Santorini, Milos and Sifnos in the Cyclades; Parga on the West Coast with visits to Corfu, Paxi, Kefalonia and Ithaki in the Ionians; Hydra in the Saronics; then around Crete, back to Athens, and Nafplio, Sparti and Monemvasia in the Peloponnese. And the nice part is I'll be catching up with friends all the way.

So, until my return - Adio!

Booked, and Ready to Go...

It's a very satisfying feeling to know that the airline tickets for your trip are safely tucked away and your major hotels booked. Such it is with me for my coming trip to Greece.

I'm leaving Australia on May 5th with a pretty hectic schedule, and my major task is to make sure that my two companions enjoy the places I've selected for them. They asked to see the 'real' Greece, not just the touristy places. It's getting harder each visit, for one by one the lovely out-of-the-way spots are being glammed up for visitors! However I'm confident that I can fulfill their wish with one or two 'treasures' I've found over the years.

I'm also on a mission to update this website with new and much better pictures and to collect data for a new travel book. And... I have been lucky enough to be invited to the wedding of two dear friends in Athens! This will be so special for me.

So if you're thinking of a trip to Greece this year why not ask me first and I might be able to find some 'treasures' for you too!

Contact me at helen@greekpixandwords.com and let me plan your trip.

Planning a Trip?

YES!

I've been sitting at my desk looking at a photo taken of me with two Dutch travellers and our driver at the edge ( the very edge) of the Vikos Gorge in the North-west province of Epiros, Greece. And wishing I was back there...

That particular day was one of those "some days are diamonds" things. I was staying in the Greek Riviera town of Parga and the tour I had booked for had been cancelled due to bus breakdown. However the nice tour company decided to put on alternative transport, and ours was a driver and car. Consequently we were not tied to the tour itinerary and our driver opted to show us the very best places. Our destination was the Zagoria, sometimes called the Zagorohoria - the mountain hamlets of the Pindos Range, and the stunning Vikos Gorge which is the deepest gorge in the world.

Our journey started along the wonderful new motorway called Egnatia, most of which is hacked out of the very mountains themselves and is a roller coaster ride through tunnels and over stunning viaducts. The secondary road took us up, up and up onto the top of the world to a picture perfect little grey stone town called Monodendrio, where we walked to a very old tiny monastery where the gorge began.

Well! Views to die for! There I stood with nothing for a backdrop except sheer craggy walls of rock. Down below was - well, it was so deep it was hard to tell. Awesome. There was a track about two feet wide along the cliff face with the nothing-drop on the right, and I ventured along it, mesmerised by the stupendous vistas but tremulous with the sheer magnitude of the panorama. They had to drag me away!

That was just the start of that lovely day!

Yes - I'm now planning my return this year. Coming?

Contact me at helen@greekpixandwords.com and let me help you plan your trip!

Helen's 100 Travel Tips for Greece

Yassas!

Yes folks, at last my new mini ebook 'Helen's 100 Travel Tips For Greece' is finished and ready for a good read. It's taken me a while to complete but I'm sure you'll find it entertaining.

Like all countries, Greece has the good, the bad and the ugly, but fortunately most of it is good - the main problem being that if there is a difficult way of doing things - that will be the Greek way! The Greeks themselves are the first to admit it. The fun part is knowing how to make the difficult things easy, and therefore having a trouble-free trip. This is what I’ve tried to explain in this small booklet, and I hope my tips will help. I’m not a travel agent, so I have no intention of trying to sell you a trip, I’m trying to sell you a country!

Here's Tip 1 just to give you a taste of what's to come...

☼ Tip 1.

Here’s five good reasons why you should follow in my footsteps and travel to Greece:

1. Because you’ll absolutely love it.

2. Because it’s hugely historical and you do need a culture fix now and then.

3. Because Greece is an experience like no other. (Challenge yourself)

4. Because Greece is beautiful, and stunning, and amazing, and different.

5. Because in Greece you can really unwind. And it’s Seniors friendly, too.

It doesn’t matter whether you loathe ruins, hate beaches, get sea-sick, detest olive oil and are indifferent to moussaká, I guarantee that within one week you will be captivated by this incredible country.

Here’s a quote I wrote in my E-book Greece - Gleeful Glimpses: “You need to understand that Greece is not a pretty country - rather it’s stunning and at times awesome, and always fascinating. There is a magical quality to Greece - it's a place where you can have a sudden overpowering feeling of belonging on God's earth, where you can discover self-worth and well-being. Rugged mountains rise so high the clouds stick to their shanks like skirts. From pallet-box blue seas, dry rocky islands rear up like dragon’s teeth. Tiny towns, like spilt sugar cubes, cling precariously, scatter across, spill down, or cower between steep hillsides of grey stone. They pool into cities in the lush valleys, or spreadeagle at the edge of perfect bays.”

I asked two friends of mine what it was that drew them back to Greece not once, but many times. One said “It’s the amazing ambience.” The other said “It’s a step back in time.”

It’s all true...

As 'Helen's 101 Travel Tips For Greece' is not on the website yet you can contact me at helen@greekpixandwords if you want to order a copy. It'll cost you A$7.50 and you can pay through Paypal.

My Recent Newspaper Article

Over 50s Greece - Ancient charms for the young-at-heart

This is the title of my article which appeared in the Australian newspapers last weekend - Brisbane Sunday Mail, Sydney Sunday Telegraph, and Melbourne Sunday Herald-Sun.

I was asked by the Editor to provide 1200 words on why Seniors should travel to Greece, and of course this was right up my alley, so to speak. I've also been able to put into words some of my own reasons for travelling to this lovely country.

Unfortunately there is no web link to it, so I've taken some pics of the article itself which you can print out. I do hope you can read it because newsprint doesn't photograph all that well! If not you can email me at helen@greekpixandwords.com

Ah Greece! I'm going again next summer - coming too?

My Service for Those Planning a Holiday in Greece

Hi there

It’s always a problem when you want to visit a foreign country but don’t know a lot about it and how it works. You can Google until the cows come home but never quite sort out in your mind exactly what you want.

I’ve spent many years travelling in Greece – the mainland, the Peloponnese, the Ionian Islands, the Cyclades Islands, Crete, etc, and have learned the way it ticks. I know the best archeological sites, the most interesting islands, the best places for R&R, relatively unknown spots, excellent beaches, good hikes, and can suggest best Budget accommodations or top-of-the-range resorts.

Do you want to veg-out? See as much as you can? Visit museums and archeological sites? Take tours? Just island-hop? Schmooze with the villagers?

Are you a Senior traveller? Just want to see the countryside as easily as possible, or would like a challenge?

Do you have four days, two weeks, a month, three months?

Do you want to know about the food? Interesting geological sites? The traditions?

Let me help you plan your holiday to take out the angst and make the most of your time doing the things you really want to do.

For $50 you will get:

1. Advice on the best places to visit, according to your particular wishes. As much info as I can supply. How to get there the easiest way possible. How to best spend the time you have.

2. Unlimited emails for one month.

3. My ‘Travel Tips For Greece’ article – the dos and don’ts, the cans and can’ts, and many general helpful hints. This comes as an email, or a DVD, whichever you wish.

4. My E-book ‘Greece – Gleeful Glimpses’ – a memoir of my travels in Greece. This comes as an email or a DVD, whichever you wish.

5. Your choice of four of my photographs emailed to you from my website gallery at http://greekpixandwords.com

Interested? Email me at helen@greekpixandwords.com and relax!

GREEK TRAVELS

Three months in Greece? Most of my family and friends want to know why.

To be honest I can’t answer that. I’m not a backpacker, nor am I a jet-setter (I wish), I just go there because I love it. Each time I discover a new place, meet new friends, try different food, challenge myself.

However this trip was a little different in as much that I was checking my favourite places for details, like the best way to get there, where to stay, things to do, what to eat etc. Of course you can always Google for information, but I do find that many of the Greek websites are a little light on detail. Travel guides are always good, however I’ve been able to pick up a few mistakes in the best of them, and of course nobody can do everything.

In three months this is where I went. Note, I don’t hire cars as I find driving difficult. I catch local transport.

Athens to Crete. I stayed in Chania Old Town, preferring to catch the excellent buses everywhere rather than stay in busy Heraklion. I also went to Chora Sfakion and Agia Roumeli where I walked up the Gorge of Samaria.

Crete to Nafplio. In the old town of course. Checked all three castles and bused out to Mycenae and King Agamemnon’s Palace, Epidavros and Tiryns

Nafplio to Sparti. Wandered in the old olive grove hiding the ruins of ancient Sparta. Visited my favourite Byzantine ruin, Mystras.

Sparti to Monemvasia. A wonderful experience inside real castle walls.

Monemvasia to Pylos. An amazing trip through the Langada Pass to Kalamata, thence to Pylos. A visit here to King Nestor’s Palace.

Pylos to Patras to Sami on the Ionian island of Kefalonia. An all day adventure by bus, train and ferry. Sami is of course the home of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Lovely jump-off spot for discovering Kefalonia and the neighbouring island of Ithaka – home of Ulysses (Odysseus).

Ithaka (Greeks call it Ithaki). I did the full tour staying at Vathy, Kioni and Frikes. Beautiful island, no wonder Ulysses spent 20 years trying to find his way back.

Ithaka to Lefkada, staying at Vassiliki, home of windsurfers.

Lefkada to Parga. Parga, on the west coast, is Greece’s best kept secret. A perfect spot with everything. A marvellous base to discover the Zagoria country, the Pindos Mountains and the Vikos Gorge, deepest gorge in the world. Boats also trip to Corfu and Paxi.

Parga to Athens to Piraeus to Hydra. Hydra, one of the Saronic Islands is heritage listed, a huge tourist mecca, but retains it’s amazing ambience. No cars allowed, only donkeys.

Hydra to Piraeus to Naxos. Out to the Cyclades Islands. Naxos is the biggest island and full of surprises. Stayed in the old town of course, right up in the castle, but caught buses to the picturesque hinterland and awesome mountains. From here a day trip to Paros. I am not enamoured with Paros, but I checked it out, enjoying the castle environs and the harbour at Naoussa.

Naxos to Santorini (Greeks call it Thira). Utterly magnificent views over the volcanic caldera, mystical ambience and party atmosphere. Even the hordes of tourists don’t put me off staying here.

Santorini to Folegandros. If you want a complete contrast, this is it. Pure R&R, but tucked in the hills is a perfect whitewashed chora (town). There’s a ‘surf’ beach and a delightful harbour complete with fishing boats and laid-back tavernas.

Folegandros to Milos. Milos is another overlooked gem with a history back to Minoan times. Take the round-the-island boat tour and see the most amazing rock formations ever.

Milos to Sifnos. Sifnos has everything. Whitewashed villages, good hiking, lazy beaches, lovely scenery, excellent food, night life, all kinds of accommodation. Village life still goes on around the tourists.

Sifnos to Athens. An obligatory climb of the Acropolis, a schmooze of the Temple of Olympic Zeus – and all the other attractions. The new Acropolis Museum is awesome. Visit the flea market, then spend the evening in the Plaka and eat out under the stars.

Sound good? Just writing about it makes me want to go back. Visit my website http://greekpixandwords.com and look at the photos. Need help with your plans to visit Greece? Email me at helen@greekpixandwords.com

Yassou, Helen