Traveling through Greece on your own stories of tourists. How to organize an independent holiday in Greece

To have a cheap vacation, you have to go on your own. This does not apply to all resorts in the world, but Greece for sure! In all the details about the rest of the "savage" in the country of legends and myths about the gods of Olympus, she shared with us Anastasia Shatkevich, editor-in-chief of the travel portal Traveling.by.

It is better to study reviews, but at the same time understand that each person has a different perception. For example, we, often communicating with travel agencies, noticed that tours to noisy resorts are bought more often by tourists from small provincial towns - people need movement. But tourists from big cities they want to sleep in silence, hear the surf and it is desirable that there are fewer people around.

- How many euros did you spend per day, what did you eat at the resort?

Our apartments had a small kitchen with all the necessary utensils, so almost every day in the morning we went to the fish shop and bought fresh fish for lunch. Such stores are usually only open until 11-12 am. For two, we gave about 2-3 euros for fish.

Shops bought fruits and vegetables. The most frequent dish on our table was baked fish, Greek salad and fruit. As an addition, they bought olives and sun-dried tomatoes. This dinner cost about 4 euros for two. If you eat in a cafe and restaurant, the amount will be higher - from 8 euros per person.

As for inexpensive street food, in Greece they cook simply amazing gyros. This is an analogue of shawarma, only it is wrapped in a tortilla and french fries are added to the filling. Very tasty and, of course, satisfying and high-calorie. But it's very hard to resist. The cost is 2.5 euros. Gyros often replaced a full meal for us.

Prices practically do not differ from Belarusian ones. Some cheaper, some more expensive. If you eat on your own, you will not feel much difference in the daily budget in Greece and Belarus. But the quality of the products will definitely be higher.

By the way, in Greek cafes there are simply huge portions, you can safely order one for two. Just ask for two clean plates at the time of order. If you can't handle dinner, there's no shame in telling you to pack the rest. Here it is the norm.

How much money do you need for a vacation in Greece?

Again, depending on which one. Independent search and booking of apartments can cost 200 euros for 14 days if desired. Meals on your own - about 10 euros per person per day. Not on your own - 20-30 euros. Travel, car rental for a couple of days to see nearby sights - another 100 for the entire period. This is about the minimum. I don’t undertake to answer for the maximum, here you can’t see the ceiling.

— Do I need to rent a car in Greece and what do I need to drive around the resort?

Renting a car in Greece is a fairly popular service. The reason is the low cost of small small cars. For example, if you want to drive around the surroundings of your resort or go to another city, a rental car will be much more convenient (about punctuality and schedule public transport read above). For the price - a small Chevrolet Aveo cost us about 40 euros per day, excluding gasoline.

Since the four of us went to neighboring cities, the trip cost a penny in general. There are international companies, there are private local ones. We rented a car in a small office - in the end we didn’t leave any deposits or passports, and no one really examined the car upon arrival.

Advice for low cost flights: There is one caveat when traveling with low-cost airlines. As a rule, the time of their departure is not very convenient and often does not fit with public transport, or the airport of arrival / departure is far away. In our situation, the plane left Thessaloniki very early and there was no way to get to the airport. We used a car rental, only with a driver. For the price - about 80 euros for 4. In general, to travel cheaply, look for like-minded people - this can sometimes save significant amounts.

- Should I take luggage on vacation to Greece if you are flying with a low-cost airline?

We spent two weeks in Greece, a period for which we don’t need a lot of things. A swimsuit, a couple of T-shirts, shorts and a summer dress are enough. We flew with one backpack per person. literally words. Nothing extra.

Another thing is that you want to bring souvenirs from there, to take something tasty with you. This already needs space. We, anticipating our future purchases, just flew there with a half-empty backpack. On the way back, many have problems. Nevertheless, if we talk specifically about a budget trip, there is no need to take luggage, in my opinion.

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INTRODUCTION

Once again, I welcome dear travelers!

This time I will tell you about my trip to Greece with my wife, and even to 3 places: to Rhodes, to Kalamata (a city on the southern coast of the Peloponnese peninsula) and to Athens. It turned out to be a difficult trip, not without fatigue associated with moving, of course, but we visited quite a lot of places. In total, we rested from 3.08.14 to 19.08.14.

As usual, a small warning: the report will not be written in a book-newspaper style and will be to a greater or lesser extent (this is how it will turn out) flavored with jargon, incl. invented by myself, but seemingly intuitive (if something is not clear, I will “translate” at the first request). I immediately warn you that not everyone likes this style of presentation, so if someone doesn’t like something, it is recommended that they immediately close this page and move on to more interesting reading. However, anyone probably understands this himself, but for some reason many people forget about it, and then they start squealing like a pig in the comments, they say, why did I read all this. So once again I remind you: to read this opus, especially in its entirety, is your right, but not an obligation, therefore claims to the style of presentation are not accepted. Well, corrections / clarifications / additions in essence, of course, are welcome. For readability, the text will be divided into heading paragraphs so that everyone can read what they are interested in and skip what is not. In general, for those who have not yet closed this page, I propose to proceed to reading the report itself.

INDEPENDENTLY OR THROUGH A TRAVEL AGENCY?

The argument in favor of the turaga (not to be confused with the slammer) was the lack of visas for the period of the trip. But, as practice has shown, obtaining a visa is not such a terrible thing, but the tourists have recently begun to go bankrupt one after another, so we decided: we fly on our own, and only on our own.

HOTEL BOOKING

Hotels were booked on the well-known Booking. In Rhodes, we booked the Best Western Rodian Gallery 3 * hotel (850 Jews for a night without food), and in Kalamata - Pharae Palace (570 for 6 nights with breakfast). Those. the first rooming house turned out to be 85 Jews per night (by the way, it is in this currency that all prices will be indicated in the future, unless otherwise specified), and the second - 95. currency will be at the state level, and then the poor hotel suffers

BOOKING AIR TICKETS

Tickets were booked on February 17, 2014 on the website of my bank. Tickets Moscow - Rhodes then cost us 17.128 rubles, a ticket Rhodes - Kalamata only for the wife - 1482.60 rubles, and finally tickets Athens - Moscow - 17.373.60 rubles. As for the ticket Rhodes - Kalamata for myself, I bought it for miles, which turned out to be enough for this. Still, however, I had to pay extra for Pyatnarik through the Aegean Airlines website for one piece of luggage, because. it is not provided for free transportation on the flight Rhodes - Kalamata. Well, if we hadn’t paid this pyatnik through the site, then we would have had to lay out a quarter already on the spot.

REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL INSURANCE

We go to the website of Rosgosstrakh, Tinkov or some other company that provides for online insurance, select the option you like, pay for it by credit card, print the insurance in the required number of copies, and it's done. Just in case, you can order a medical insurance and soap.

OBTAINING VISAS

My dear wife came to the visa center and submitted pre-assembled documents for visas, one might say, without a queue (well, maybe there were 3-4 people in front of her, but is it really a queue, given that this queue is electronic, and the windows are there so many?). Because her passport expires in April next year, we were given multiple visas for only 3 months. By the way, they offered me a visa for a longer period (which one, history is silent), but my wife refused. On the one hand, maybe right, because. anyway, then go to the docks to apply for visas, but on the other hand, then another time I would have to make fewer gestures, this is firstly, and secondly, it would be possible to save on visa fees. Well, okay, it's all the little things. What worries me more is that recently the Greek embassy has a requirement to provide hotel reservations at least 30% prepaid, which entails quite serious inconvenience. Well, nothing, I think, in connection with this, the flow of tourists to Greece will subside, and the Greeks will understand that to introduce such a rule - that against the wind ... well, in general, you understand. Someone even made such an argument in defense of this innovation that, they say, some dishonest people book hotels just for the sake of obtaining a visa, and then the reservation is canceled, and poor hotels then suffer, but I don’t think they suffer, since they give them the opportunity to cancel booking 2 - 5 days before arrival. If hotels really suffered, they would choose a policy, like the vast majority of Estonian hotels, where bookings are made without the possibility of cancellation at all. Or at least introduced the same non-refundable prepayment in the amount of a certain share. In general, such problems should be solved at the level of a single hotel, but not at the state level.

PartI - RHODES

Day 1, Sunday, 3.08.14

CHECK-IN

flew out Aegean Airlines(Aegean Airlines) from Domik. I like this company with Greek-speaking flight attendants, comfortable seats in planes and monitors that show the path of the plane. You can register for a flight on their website as early as 48 hours before departure (and if necessary, pay for luggage, this can be done at least immediately after booking a ticket, and it’s quite profitable - see to the north), which we did, grabbing our trump spots. But the places in the toilet, to our surprise, were already occupied: apparently, some kind of turaga booked them among others. By the way, about one turaga. At the check-in desk at the airport, there was an announcement that, due to the ruin of the Labyrinth turagi (the name is good, not Ivan Susanin! :))))), its clients will have to organize a transfer from the airport upon arrival to the resort and back upon returning from there, its clients will have to independently , and pay for overnight stays out of your own pocket. But it's true, lyrics. In general, we quickly checked in our luggage, went through customs, border control and pre-flight search, and without any delay headed for Rhodes.

The flight went just fine: polite flight attendants, comfortable seats, a fairly large distance between them. When the flight attendants served drinks, I saw only juices, water and other meaningless drinks on the cart, but I wanted something meaningful. Therefore, when the stewardesses with the cart reached me, I asked them in Greek if they, by chance, had a wine. They answered me that yes, of course, there is, and asked which one I prefer, white or red. I chose the second. I was given a small bottle of 187 ml and glasses. If someone is interested in the route of the aircraft in connection with the events in Ukraine, then we flew by its side - through Georgia and Turkey.

ARRIVAL TO RHODES

We went through the passport control pretty quickly (I really had to “turn on my legs”), they also received the luggage, they also wanted to synchronize the time via Wi-Fi, but he worked badly there, so I had to do it later - already in the rooming house where he worked great throughout.

MOVING FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE CAPITAL

We decided to go to the capital, which, like the island itself, is also called Rhodes, by bus, which stops to the left of the exit from the airport. The bus driver, I must say, is of a cattle-like type. Not a soviet LiAZ, of course, but not a comfortable intercity bus either. The fare is 2.30 per person, the ticket is purchased directly from the driver. We drove for about 30 minutes. While driving, along the way, I copied the label of my favorite Franciscanner at one of the establishments. As it turned out later, it was about 8 km from our hotel, but more on that to the south. We got off at the final station, but it was still far from the very cape of the island, where our hotel was located.

HOTEL SEARCH BEST WESTERN RODIAN GALLERY

Finding a hotel was no easy task. Of course, I asked in Greek local residents where he is, but they either did not know, or they misinformed me, because. there are hotels with similar names. In general, I had to walk around with suitcases a bit. It would be better if they took a taxi driver. And in a good way, the taxi driver had to be taken from the airport in general: without any hemorrhoids, they would have got there for some quarter, if not cheaper.

CHECK IN HOTEL

We finally found our hotel, where we were welcomed with open arms. After quickly filling out the cards, the employee gave us a key-card, as well as a key to the front door of the rooming house - in case we somehow return long after midnight. Then we squeezed our luggage into a goofy elevator with accordion doors, like in the already mentioned soviet cattle truck, and went to the second floor (or rather, actually to the third, because the countdown of floors there starts from the second, and sometimes from the third). An attempt to open the door to the room was unsuccessful. We applied the cards this way and that - bald horseradish. Then I went downstairs and asked the employee what the hell. He reprogrammed the cards and offered to try again. This time they worked perfectly, both of them.

HOTEL ROOM

The room turned out to be very spacious, even more than that - two-room, and both rooms were spacious. In the first room there were 2 double beds - quite comfortable, a table with a mirror, and a large mirror also hung on the wall. In the second room there was a folding sofa (with an additional roll-out board at the bottom), where two more guests could take a nap. There was also a kitchenette in the room with a set of kitchen utensils (microwave, electric kettle, coffee machine, pots, pans, plates, glasses, glasses, ladle, corkscrew, etc.), and a refrigerator with a freezer. The plumbing turned out to be quite modern too, only the shower cabin let us down: it was just a pallet with small sides, enclosed by a curtain. But at least there was a normal mix, with a watering can on the hose, and not built into the wall. It should be noted that care must be taken with this undercabin: although there is a drain hole in the floor, the floor, apparently, was built by drunk guest workers, as a result of which the water that got on the floor somehow does not particularly rush to the drain hole, which means it will most likely flow to the premises below. In the second room of the room there was also a flat-wall "ski" TV and a free-key chest (the key was sticking out in the same place), attached to the wall almost at floor level, which is rather inconvenient. There were already 2 air conditioners in the room - one per room, however, there was only one remote control. There was also a balcony with a table and chairs where you could sit for romantic evenings. The only pity is that it does not overlook the sea, but the street, but not in the trash. In general, despite some shortcomings, quite a livable room. Room cleaning was also no problem.

Where do all normal tourists go first after checking into a hotel? That's right, the beach. But - only if the time is not very late. And since we settled in a rooming house only around 19.30, it was already a bit late to go to the beach, therefore, the stump is clear, we went to one of the catering establishments where local barkers are trying to drag tourists. Café Central was chosen as such an institution, which was not the best decision: Glimberg beer is a little expensive there - 4.90 for 0.33 liters. For such a price, one could better option find. Well, the zhrachka is quite edible, just like everywhere else.

Day 2, Monday, 4.08.14

BEACH NEAR THE HOTEL

Well, where does every normal tourist go first of all from the room of the room on the second day of his stay? That's right, breakfast. But since we didn’t have breakfast, we prepared it ourselves, having bought it the day before at the supermarket, after which we went to the beach, which is on the eastern side of the cape, because. he was closer to us. And the beach there turned out to be quite pleasant: albeit not purely sandy, but sandy and pebbly. The entrance to the water is moderately steep. Or moderately gentle - as you like. But, in short, it will suit everyone: both those who can swim and those who are not. The water there is very clean, and what a warm! Straight milk. But this is only on the northwestern cape: in other parts of the island, the beaches will be worse: either the water is colder, or the entrances are more gentle, or the bottom is more rocky, or all at once. A set of two sunbeds and an umbrella costs 8 there, but we took our own umbrellas (a couple of pieces were left over from previous trips), and we bought mats in one of the local supermarkets, for 3.50. However, if you plan to lie on the beach every day on deck chairs and you have no problems with knowing languages, then you can bargain and bring down the price a little. There is a bar on the beach, where you can buy both meaningful and meaningless drinks, as well as some kind of sandwich that you, if you wish (your, of course), will be heated in the microwave. Beer costs 2.50 there (it is, however, entirely analytical, but without fish, as they say, you yourself will become cancer). Well, if you go to the bar in the scrap, then you can wait for the “waiter” - a Greek or Afro-Greek with a “refrigerator” (a foam box with ice), which run there about every 5 minutes, and buy beer from him, however, already for a C . Agree, not such a high margin for home delivery - only some 20%. And you can take several cans of beer at once right in the “refrigerator”, which, however, then needs to be returned, although you can just leave it on the beach, and then the “waiters” will pick it up themselves. I also bought wine at the beach bar - just the same one that I was treated to on the plane, I don’t remember just how much. Of course, it is not only drinks that are sold by traveling vendors on this beach. If you wish, you can also buy sliced ​​fruits (watermelons, melons, mangoes, pineapples, etc.), tea, coffee, buns, sunglasses, watches, jewelry, hairpins, baseball caps, hats, Panama hats and more. For fans of extreme sports, there is a tower nearby from which you can jump (height, it seems, is 6-8 meters), as well as all kinds of water pillows, parachutes, bananas, etc. It’s a pity, I didn’t see water scooters there.

RESTAURANT TO THE LEFT OF THE HOTEL EXIT (I DONT REMEMBER THE NAME)

In this restaurant, the beer was already cheaper (in terms of quality, it is all about the same there) - 3.90 for 0.5 liters. They also took 8-leg in vinegar (9.90), beef baked with tomatoes and cheese called “exohiko” (8.90) and lamb baked in foil called “kleftiko” (10.90). Everything is pretty tasty.

EXCURSIONS

On that day, we also walked along the promenade, which offers all kinds of sea ​​excursions on neighboring islands and even Turkey. There are also walks along Rhodes itself, incl. night.

Day 3, Tuesday, 08/05/14

PIZZERIA VOLCANO AT THE HOTEL

Nothing special happened that day: we swam on the beach, walked around the city, and so on. We also went to the Volcano pizzeria at the hotel (to the right of the exit). The choice of food there is rather poor. national dishes there is almost nothing, the main menu is pizza and spaghetti. Although this place, of course, is called that - a pizzeria, other pizzerias will have a richer menu - by no means only pizza and pasta.

BEACH FROM THE WEST SIDE OF THE CAPE

Purely for the sake of sporting interest, we walked to the beach on the western side of the cape. There were big waves and a strong wind was blowing. And the same atmospheric phenomena remained there during the entire time of our stay on the island, so the western side of the cape is not the best place for beach holiday.

Day 4, Wednesday, 08/06/14

AQUARIUM

On this day, we went to the aquarium, located on a cape not far from "our" rooming house, to look at all sorts of exotic fish and other marine reptiles. Entrance fee (5.50 per person), but there is something to see. It's a pity the pictures didn't turn out the best. Flash photography is prohibited there.

CAR RENT

Even that day (and not only that day) we went to look at car rental offices, which, it must be said, are not so many there. And since we had to somehow expand the radius of their search for scrap, we decided to stop at one of those that was next to our rooming house. As a result, we chose a cool gelendvagen called Toyota Aygo (I really wanted to try out the “Japanese”). We took it for 4 days, which cost us 222 + 6 per day for the lack of a franchise, which was something like three hundred. Fuck the price! I remember that in Crete in 2011 we took about the same trough 2 times cheaper, i.e. for the same price, but for 8 days, and even “with a hike” (i.e. we take a car, for example, on the 15th in the morning for 8 days, and they must return it on the 23rd at least by the end of the office’s working day, and if the office is already closed, then you can just leave the car to them and throw the keys in a special box). In 2010, under the same conditions, we rented a Hyundai Matrix on the same Crete for 320 for 8 days. Here, on the contrary, the client’s time is cut: a day is the period from the opening to the closing of the office - from 8 to 19 hours. Those. if, for example, you took a trough for a day, then it doesn’t matter what time you took it, but by 19 o’clock on the same day you must return it. For every hour of delay they tear up as for 1/5 of the day of rent. Be that as it may, we left a deposit in the amount of a steward for the car, so that we could pick it up the next day.

NIKOS FISH TAVERNA

We dined that day at a fish tavern called Nikos Fish, about which my wife read on the Internet that the Greeks themselves eat there. Well, what can I say, the choice of dishes is large, a lot of varieties of different fish, prices are average, delicious. But as for the fact that mostly Greeks eat there, this is a star: mostly Russians eat there. We were served by a waiter named Leonardo, half Greek, half Italian, he said. Having learned about this, I immediately switched to Italian with him, however, as it turned out, if he had ever known it, he had almost forgotten it, and I again switched to Greek. By the way, he also knows something in Russian at the level of “hi, karasho, how are you.” We tried a salad there. sea ​​urchin- cool, but the desire to repeat no longer arose. We also ordered fish soup, which is listed there as French bouillabaisse. Soupeshnik turned out to be quite tasty, although it resembles bouillabaisse only remotely and only because it is also fish. They also took 8-leg grilled and stewed eggplant, which are served cold with goat cheese.

Day 5, Thursday, 08/07/14

COOL GELENDVAGEN

The next morning we went to the office to draw up a contract for a cool Gelendvagen, the key to which, after some formalities, was solemnly handed over to us. Yes ... the trough turned out to be the same one: almost the size of a chest, without a central lock (both front doors had to be unlocked / locked with a key - it’s good at least, the rear buttons were unlocked / locked), and the windows were opened with twisting handles, like in good old cars of the Soviet car industry . And it was also funny that for only 2 Jews more expensive you could take the Opel Corsa trough, which we took in Spain last year - quite a decent car! But it was not available. And in general, it seems to me, he existed there only on paper. Okay, enough of the sad stuff. The koryteshnik turned out to be, although worn, but quite serviceable, the air conditioner inside it also worked perfectly. But in general, in mountainous conditions, it’s somehow dumb to take such low-powered crooks: you go down the mountain to see some sight, and the engine power may not be enough to drive back up the mountain. However, this misfortune has passed us, thank you, MTS symbols!

SIANA VILLAGE

Taking a trough, we hit the road along the western coast of Rhodes. My wife had with her a selection of places, previously dug up on the Internet and debunked, which were recommended to visit. One of these places turned out to be the village of Siana (Σιάνα) - a place clearly designed for Russian tourists, where they are taken even by sightseeing buses. There are inscriptions in Russian everywhere, some sellers also speak Russian, however, at about the same level as the aforementioned waiter Leonardo from the fish tavern. Local olive oil is offered (I wonder where it is not offered at all in Greece ...), honey, soap, wine, and, of course, local moonshine - suma (σούμα) with a strength, as it is written on the price tag, about half a dollar. Well, otherwise, how else can you lure a Russian tourist there? There, even as a kind of exhibit, there was a moonshine still. We decided to take a plastic container of moonshine in the shape of a grenade for a snout (Bukhara, however, as it turned out later, turned out to be no stronger than 30%) and a jar of honey for the same price. Of the sights, in addition to the moonshine, there is also some kind of church.

PRASONISSI PENINSULA

Further, after swimming on one of the wild beaches, we decided to head for the Prasonisi peninsula (Πρασονήσι), which means “green island” in Greek. True, this is not an island, but a peninsula, and there is hardly more greenery than sand, but the place is still cool. This place is a sandy plain with rather green mountains around the edges, especially considering that this greenery contrasts against the sand. The bottom of the sea is sandy, the entrance is moderately sloping, the water is colder than in the north of the island, but still pleasant, but it is unlikely that you will be able to swim comfortably there because of windsurfers constantly scurrying back and forth. Someone else will accidentally hit the board on the head, and hello ... So it's better to swim there near the shore and enjoy the contemplation of the local nature. Or you can go windsurfing yourself: if you wish, you can rent a suit and a board with a sail or a parachute. We were not interested in prices, because We are not fans of this sport.

MOUNTAIN GOATS

On the way back, passing through east coast, where the road is wider, more convenient and more pleasant, we stopped at one of viewing platforms. Sfotkav great views, we noticed on the other side a group of mountain goats and goats. Our attention was attracted by one goat, which was standing on some very narrow and very remote area, from where there was nowhere to jump. How did she get there? And how were you going to jump? It just seemed incredible. However, apparently, for a person, but not for a goat.

TSAMBIKA BEACH

About 40 minutes after meeting the goat, we taxied to Tsambika (Τσαμπίκα) beach, which is described on the internet as the most beautiful beach on the island. The beach is sandy (the sand is fine and soft), of medium gentleness, but the water, like on Prasonisi, is not very warm there. But you can swim there calmly, without fear of being "crushed" by some windsurfer. There is such entertainment as a parachute, as well as inflatable slides for children. You can change clothes in special booths, and if they are busy, then in the toilet. By the way, here it is - traditional ...

A LYRICAL DIRECTION ABOUT THE LOTS

The vast majority of toilets in Greece are still in a deplorable state, especially near the beaches: either the drain does not work, or there is no water in the sink, or paper, or a latch on the door (instead of them, hooks are often attached, as in the village "birdhouses" ). Much more cultured toilets in all sorts of bars-restaurants: there at least someone is watching them. Some are downright chic. Well, by Greek standards, of course.

BEACH EQUIPMENT

It has already been said about sunbeds and umbrellas to the north, but it will also be said to the south - in the story of Kalamata. Now I want to talk about changing cabins and showers (not spiritually, of course, but in sanitary and hygienic terms). So, there is enough of this stuff on local beaches, unlike the beaches of Spain (there, of course, they are also there, but in much smaller quantities, like toilets). Showers are available, as a rule, both for general rinsing from salty sea ​​water, and for rinsing the feet from the sand, which is very convenient.

ABOUT PARKING IN RHODES

With parking in Rhodes, as elsewhere, tension, but not fatal. As in Spain, you need to look at the marking lines: yellow - parking is prohibited, blue - parking is paid, white - free parking. Next to our rooming house there was such an oval square, on which there were even signs with the inscription "FREE PARKING". True, it was not always easy to find a place there, but we always found: someone would leave on their own business, and the area is quite large. Please note that there are several exits to the roadway on this square (apparently for the disabled), and so, it is forbidden to park there, and even special yellow lines are applied. In other places, wherever we went, we also found parking lots, and free ones. Well, at least they didn't get a single fine. The only problem may be to park in the shade, especially when the sun is almost at its zenith.

SPORTS GRILL BAR ARENA

Having made a kind of “round the world trip” around Rhodes, we went to one good restaurant next to our rooming house, where everyone is dragged almost by the hand by a barker named Spyros. The quality of the food there is about the same as everywhere else (I already talked about Greek food in detail in my reports about Crete in 2010-2011, so I don’t see the point in repeating myself, but “at the request of radio listeners” I can do this in the comments), but there is an interesting beer there - Maisel's Weisse (for those who do not know, Weisse is not a filter). We ordered a portion of meatballs (σουτζουκάκια) and lamb ribs (παϊδάκια) there, the latter, however, turned out to be fatty. Cocktails serve a good Margarita - strawberry, mango, raspberry, kiwi, apple and peach. And in this restaurant, according to my wife, they serve a very tasty chocolate soufflé with ice cream, which I didn’t even try, because. drank beer.

Day 6, Friday, 08/08/14

On this day, we decided to go to the city of Lindos (Λίνδος) to climb the local fortress, and, of course, swim on the local beach, but in the end we decided to limit ourselves to the second. This fortress was located very high there, so it was necessary to climb there, especially on Rhodes there were enough other fortresses, but already with more convenient access. In general, we considered it enough just to take a picture against the background of that very fortress. The beach is sandy, rather gentle and, of course, the sea is not as warm as on the northwestern cape of the island. There was still a small problem with parking: all the places were occupied. However, the owner of one of the fish taverns kindly freed us a place for parking, well, we, as decent people, after swimming in the sea, had to dine in his tavern. The fish there turned out to be quite tasty, and the prices are quite affordable.

HARAKI CITY

Next, we decided to stop by the city of Charaki (Χαράκι), next to which is the FERAKLOS CASTLE fortress, but it turned out that the fortress is located on a hill and even with the paths upstairs it’s tense. In addition, it was no longer even a fortress, but just ruins, so we decided to score on them.

7 SPRINGS

Our next destination was 7 springs, which appear on local road signs as “Epta Piges” or “Επτά πηγές”. The joke of this place is that there water from 7 springs (they are even numbered) merges into one stream, which flows into a tunnel the width of a person of not too obese complexion, about 170 cm high and 187 m long, going a little downhill . Somewhere through 2/3 of the length of the tunnel is emergency exit- a narrow shaft with a staircase 13 m high. So, there is a belief that a woman who has passed through this tunnel with bare feet through the water (and the water there is very cool) becomes 7 years younger, and from a man who has undergone the same procedure, all sins are washed away. A small crowd of people stood in front of this tunnel, because. not everyone dared to go there. I must say right away that it is better not to go there for claustrophobes. But since we do not suffer from claustrophobia, we entered there. I had to walk ankle-deep in cold water, in pitch darkness, with my head bowed a little (at least for me). Behind us, other tourists encouraged us with words like “it’s not at all scary here until you get to the crocodiles,” which inspired great optimism. :))) Finally, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, which turned out to be by no means the headlights of an approaching train, as in a well-known joke. Do you know such a joke? Now I'll tell you about it, since it's short.

A pessimist is one who sees only darkness in the tunnel.

An optimist is someone who sees light at the end of the tunnel.

A realist is one who sees that the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlights of an approaching train.

The driver is the one who sees three assholes on the rails.

In general, in the end we got out of this tunnel, having received a certain portion of adrenaline. There is also a restaurant next to the tunnel where you can have a bite to eat, as well as a souvenir shop called "Python House" ("ΤΟ ΣΠΊΤΙ ΤΟΥ ΠΥΘΩΝΑ").

BEE MUSEUM

There is also a museum of bees and honey in Rhodes (it seems that in English it appears there as “Museum of bee”). We did not have time to visit the museum itself, because he only worked, it seems, until 17.00, and we were a few minutes late, but we bought 2 packs of rather tasty Turkish delight at 1.50 each and a small jar of honey for 4.28 in the shop at this museum.

RESTAURANT LA CASA

We dined that evening in a three-story restaurant with complicated name LA CASA Restaurant Roof Garden. “La casa” is translated as “house” (It.), “restaurant” - and so it is clear, and “Roof Garden” - “roof garden” (English). We were served by an Italian named Franco, so we communicated with him in his native language (although he is a very good astrologer in Greek). They also have a waitress there with a rather pleasant appearance, but what language she speaks remains a mystery to me. In Greek, she is neither boom-boom, nor in Italian. One can only hope that she knows English at least to some extent. We dined on high floor from where it opens beautiful view, which creates cozy atmosphere. We ordered a baked laurel, more popularly known as sea bass, and a veal steak. Everything is very delicious. As for drinks, my wife ordered dark beer FIX 0.33 l (by the way, this is the only place where we met exactly dark FIX - in all the rest it was light), and I ordered draft Mithos, although, of course, I agree, it would be more appropriate to order a bottle of some good wine, all the more so you could get a certain bonus, but more on that in the south.

Day 7, Saturday, 08/09/14

MONOLITHOS FORTRESS

On the morning of that day, we went to the fortress of Monolithos (Μονολίθος) and we climbed onto it, since it was not very high. By the way, the entrance there is free. There is a small church in the fortress - it is a ubiquitous phenomenon there. The fortress itself, however, is not very large: it took us about 30 minutes to climb it slowly. But the views from there open well, very worthy of the camera.

MUSEUM OF FOLK ART

On the way back, we again passed through Xian, where it took us some time to pass the oncoming tour buses, and about half an hour after that, we came across a museum folk art, and free, where we decided to go. The museum is quite small, there are objects of not very ancient life (somewhere in the 18th - 19th centuries): clothes, musical instruments, plows, carpentry tools, watch-scales, pot-plates, glasses, coins, oil lamps and even a small-primitive pistol. There was also a restaurant next to the museum, and an observation deck across the road from all this. There wasn't much parking space, but there were even fewer people willing to park.

FORTRESS IN KRITINYA

Not satisfied with the "morning" fortress, we decided to visit another one - a larger footage, which is located in the city of Kritinia (Κρητηνία - as you can see, the emphasis on the last "i"). To this fortress had to climb the stairs, which had interesting feature: on each step of this staircase were written in chalk all kinds of Russian cities. Here are some names that we came across: Zheleznogorsk, Kazan, Tula, Serpukhov, Moscow, Lipetsk, Penza, Kostomuksha and others. if it were paid, then these fees would hardly be enough to pay the grandmother who collects them. But the fortress itself is quite interesting, as are the views of the sea from there. Some water is still in the sea next to the fortress of a very beautiful azure color.

LUNCH AT A RESTAURANT NEAR THE RUINS OF KAMIROS

We still didn’t have enough destroyed fortresses that day, and we decided to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Kamiros (Καμείρος), but first we had lunch at a restaurant next to the exit to the ruins of the city (closer to the capital). There is a small cape with a sandy beach, a restaurant and free parking. Clients of the restaurant sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach are provided for free, but we decided not to use this “right”, i.e. just don't go to the beach. The restaurant took a tuna salad (7) and a small mixed grilled seafood (28). Portions are large, designed for two, although this is not indicated anywhere, as, indeed, in all other Greek restaurants. Well, at least the ones we came across. The restaurant is probably designed for tourists visiting the ruins, as there are no more establishments nearby and settlements Same.

RUINS OF THE ANCIENT CITY OF KAMIROS

For the entrance to these ruins, you had to pay 4 from the nose, and the entrance is open from 8 to 20 hours. And this town turned out to be rather rather big (no, some Khimki or Mytishchi are just megacities in comparison with it, but for a tired tourist it is still too healthy). There are ruins of the temple of Athena, Fountain Square, as well as various residential buildings. It will take 40-50 minutes to get around and see all this. So it’s better to come to this place fresh and only if you are a big fan of the ruins.

DINNER AT THE ARENA

In the evening, for dinner, we o5 went to the Arena bar, ordered a portion of barbecue and a chocolate soufflé with ice cream. My wife tried a frozen kiwi margarita and realized that the most delicious is still strawberry. I had to drink the light Pavlik, because the Maisel’s Weisse beer had already run out, and only Pavlik remained from the non-filter.

Day 8, Sunday, 08/10/14

CITY OF ASKLIPIIO (with emphasis on the second "and")

Somewhere around 13 o'clock we reached the city of Asklipiio (Ασκληπιείο), stopping along the way at several observation platforms. In the city itself, we visited small religious museums and a church. We also wanted to climb into the local fortress, but it turned out that the road to it turns into a rather long goat path, and we decided to spit on this activity.

CITY OF ARCHANGELOS

Then we stopped at the city of Arhangelos (Αρχάγγελος), located on the side of a mountain, on top of which there is a castle. We wanted to get to this very castle, but we realized that we were at great risk of simply getting stuck on one of the streets, since in some places we even had to fold the mirrors on our compact car in order to crawl along some narrow street - just crawl, not drive. The angle of inclination of the roads there is about 45 °, so a small car may not have enough power to climb, and the usual one simply will not pass in size. It is only the locals who know where you can drive up in an ordinary car, but it is better for a tourist not to risk it. And if you go on foot, you will have to go uphill through the whole city, and it is by no means small in size.

MUSEUM OF LOCAL NATURE

It was our last day of owning an iron horse, so after visiting several viewing platforms and some small religious museums, we decided to go to the Butterfly Valley, and also visit the Museum of Local Nature located next to it, which displays local fauna, as well as various minerals. . The entrance to the museum is free. From the fauna there are all sorts of dragonflies, butterflies, all kinds of birds, as well as animals: ermine, wolf, badger, cunning muzzle, oblique, etc.

BUTTERFLY VALLEY

But the entrance to the Butterfly Valley was no longer a freebie, and we had to lay out a chirp for two. However, I must say, there is nothing interesting in this valley. Well, you see, for example, a tree covered with either moss or mold. So no, on closer inspection it turns out to be ... butterflies, densely stuck around a tree. This valley consists of two parts, and you have to go up almost all the time. "Climbing" is quite tiring, but bringing pleasure, as an "anti-policeman" of use in the event of a meeting with a traffic cop. Therefore, we decided that the first part was more than enough for us and went back. Are the tickets missing? Yes, and heck with them. It’s better to lose only the loot than, in addition to it, the remnants of strength and good mood. So with that we decided to end our road trip, hand over the trough and go to drink what? Right -

OUR FAVORITE FRANCISCANER

To a place called Luna Bar - the place where I copied the label of my favorite beer - we took a taxi somewhere for a chirp. Naturally, we previously drove there in the morning of the same day in a rented car to make sure that our favorite Beer (yes, Beer with a capital letter, and not some kind of analysis there) really is there. Franz there cost 4.50 for 0.5 l and was very fresh. It's a pity, he was only light there, because. we prefer its dark version. But we also drink light with great pleasure. They took Franz squid rings with french fries (7.30) and kebabs with it (6.80). With what pleasure we drank this divine drink! We got a little bit tired, however, of catching a taxi back, but in the end we still caught it and drove “home” for about 8.

Day 9, Monday, 08/11/14

OLD CITY. FORTRESS

In the evening of this day, we decided to go for a walk around the city center, and at the same time visit the fortress. The fortress is quite large and beautiful building, and most importantly - you do not need to climb it. The old city is located on its territory. There are many shops and souvenir shops, restaurants and just benches where you can sit, and there are also a lot of cats, which I want to devote the next chapter to.

CATS IN RHODES

In general, there are relatively few cats in Rhodes - at least less than in Crete. Although, maybe this is because they gather there in flocks in certain places. Where there are a lot of them, it is in the old city - both cats and kittens. We also saw a flock of cats on the very square around which free parking is provided. There is even a special place where you can feed homeless animals. It is marked with the silhouette of a dog carved from a metal sheet. There are also bowls where compassionate citizens pour food for mustachioed-tailed ones and pour water, and a bird feeder is attached to the top (the same feeder was seen on the embankment). Cats usually appear there at night, in the light, they are somewhere to escape from the heat. In addition to flocks, there are also individual individuals.

For dinner that day, we again went to the Italian Franco on the third floor and this time we decided to take advantage of the bonus. Last time we did not use it, because. we wanted fish. This time we wanted meat, so we took a meat mix grill there for 30, to which, as a free bonus, a liter of homemade (or maybe not so much) wine was served in a copper mug characteristic of Greece. I really like it when wine is poured into such mugs. Everything was just as delicious as last time.

Day 10, Tuesday, 08/12/14

CHECK-IN FOR A FLIGHT TO ATHENS

In the morning we swam on the beach several times, then we decided that we would no longer swim in Rhodes (well, at least on that trip), and therefore we felt that it would be better to do an act of charity than to pay another fiver for an extra piece of luggage , and "gave" umbrellas to two foreign tourists, which they were quite happy about. Then we registered for a flight to Athens. Even though I was at the hotel free wifi with a good signal, registering from the phone is still not very convenient, so we used a free computer that was on the second floor of the rooming house and received SMS with links to boarding passes.

LUNCH AT THE OLIVKA RESTAURANT

We dined that day at the restaurant "Olive" (or "Ελιά" in the Greek version). They took tomato and mushroom soups for 4.90, “stifado” - baked meat (9.90) and meatballs (7.80). Well, beer, of course.

BOAT TRIP

It was practically our last day in Rhodes, so in the evening we decided to go back to the fortress to visit what we didn't visit the first time. And then we decided to take a boat ride along the coast. This walk along the Chiriq cost per person and lasted about half an hour. It was nice to ride like that. It's a pity, the night pictures turned out to be crap, it's time to get more serious optics. These walks are carried out from 21:00, when it gets completely dark. The boats are different, but the price is the same for all. The bottom of the ship is transparent, the lights are turned on below so that passengers can look at the fish and the seabed. We chose a round ship on a pillow. At the beginning of our trip, the bottom lights were turned on so that everyone could admire the local fish, and then all the lights were turned off completely so that we could enjoy the view of the city lights. And finally, we were given a ride, as they say, "with the breeze."

Day 11, Wednesday, 08/13/14

TRIP TO THE AIRPORT

Well, it's time to say goodbye to Rhodes - a small but very pleasant island. I didn't have to pay with the hotel, because. 2 days before departure, they already withdrew money from my card without any warning. However, for reliability, I showed them the corresponding SMS and asked if it was their doing, and they confirmed this. I asked the hotel staff to call a taxi, which arrived in 5 minutes, if not earlier. Taxi on request there in general, as a rule, arrives very quickly. The taxi driver turned out to be a woman in her 50s, who was very surprised to learn that I speak Greek, being a resident of Russia. All the way we chatted with her in Greek about this and that, I also told her jokes, translated into Russian and not very much. By the way, I also told untranslatable jokes to the waiters, from which they were overwhelmed. One of them even thanked me later for a cool anecdote, and the other, from that restaurant, to the left of the exit from the rooming house, where we went on 08/04/14, didn’t let me pass at all without another anecdote. We also spoke with the taxi driver common topics: family, work, travel, who has been to what countries and much more. We finally got to the airport, which cost us a quarter.

FLIGHT RHODES - ATHENS

They flew "Olympic" together with "Aegean Airlines". The flight took about an hour and passed without any incidents. At the end of the flight, it was not necessary to “turn on the legs”, because. the flight was domestic. Baggage received quickly.

BUS FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO BUS STATION

This express bus No. X93 costs a patch and takes about 45 - 50 minutes. The bus is quite cultured, not some kind of cattle truck. Alternatively, you can also take a taxi. But it will cost somewhere around 35 - 40.

BUS ATHENS - KALAMATA

These buses run approximately every hour and a half. They are divided into express trains that take about 2 hours and 45 minutes and regular buses that take about half an hour longer. A one-way ticket costs 22.20 per person, but if you also need a return ticket, then it is profitable to buy it immediately with open date(round-trip ticket will cost 39 per person). Then, already in Kalamata (or another city you are going to), it is advisable to go to the station at the ticket office somewhere a couple of days before the planned departure and put down the desired date and time of departure and place. Otherwise, it may turn out that there will be no tickets for a convenient time or seats will turn out to be uncomfortable (seats in the back, for example, can be very uncomfortable for those suffering from kinetosis). When we arrived at the bus station, to the nearest bus we needed, we had to wait a little more than an hour, there were no more tickets, so we had to wait about 2.5 hours for the next one (but it was an express train, so we only lost a little less than an hour). Alternatively, you can buy a ticket through the site - if you are sure that you will catch the bus in time (otherwise you never know what delays there may be: getting luggage, traffic jams, etc.). While waiting for the bus, I whiled away, occasionally drinking ouzo. Occasionally - so as not to gain too much, and ouzo - because beer is not good here, because. the journey is quite long, the bus does not make sanitary stops along the way, but is the toilet open inside - xs.

PARTII - KALAMATA

TAXI TO THE HOTEL

When we finally reached Kalamata, we encountered at the station ... with a complete lack of taxis. As it turned out later, our rooming house could have been reached by local bus cattle-carry type (1.20 from the nose), but then we were still poorly oriented there, and somehow there was no particular desire to look out for “our” hotel from among the others, passing by by bus. So I decided to call the hotel and ask them to call us a taxi to the station. However, at that very moment a taxi driver pulled up, and I told the hotel clerk that there was no need to call anyone. The taxi driver, as it turned out later, turned out to be a Maldon, and therefore spoke Russian. He also complained that there was no one in Russian and there was no one to talk to: of everyone he knows there, there is only one Russian and one crest (gentlemen, Ukrainians, do not be offended, he put it that way, not me) . The road to the hotel cost us about 6.5 and took about the same number of minutes.

SOMETHING ABOUT STRONG DRINK

During our trip to the hotel, at some point, we were talking about Bukhara, and this moldon warned us not to drink ouzo with chistogan, but be sure to dilute it with ice water. And then he himself, he says, somehow drank this drink with pure, and then he was sick for 2 days. But I still believe that the point here is not concentration, but the amount of alcohol consumed. Just in a diluted form, it is unlikely that you will drink as much as in undiluted form. By the way, Bukhara is really hard to bear in the heat, which I had a chance to experience myself. And earlier at me such was not ceteris paribus. But I was 3 times in Crete, 3 times in Spain, a couple of times in Tunisia and everywhere I drank about the same. You see, I'm getting old. Or maybe this time it was just very hot: temperatures sometimes reached 35 ° C in the shade.

CHECK-IN IN THE HOTEL PHARAE PALACE 4*

We were settled in the hotel instantly, having issued a key card (though this time only one). Like last time, no one demanded prepayment from us (by the way, I have never encountered a demand for payment in advance in any Greek hotel, as it often happens, for example, in hotels in Spain, Sweden, Latvia, etc. ). True, somewhere a couple of weeks before arrival, an amount equal to the cost of one night's stay was blocked on my card by this hotel. We took the elevator to the 2nd floor (and here too), but it was by no means “livestock”, but very spacious (after all, 4 *).

HOTEL ROOM

And although this time the number turned out to be one-room, it looked noticeably more cultured than the one that was in Rhodes: more decent furniture, covered with glass. Yes, and the plumbing was not an example cooler: instead of some kind of curtained undercabin, there was a full-fledged bathtub. On the wall hung a fairly powerful Swiss-made hair dryer named "Valera". This time the chest was not free-key, but free-coded (up to 6 digits) and stood not on the floor, but somewhere at the level of 120 cm, which made it much more convenient to use. The lighting was more pleasant and controlled from multiple locations. The panel above the head of the bed could also be used as a backlight. Instead of putting up a “do not disturb” sign, one could simply press the appropriate button at the door of the room. True, there was no kitchen, but it was not needed, because. This hotel provided breakfast. There was also a mini-bar with rather biting prices, which, however, could, if desired, be used as a regular refrigerator. The air conditioner console was built into the wall, but this did not affect its efficiency in any way.

ABOUT THE FEATURES OF LOCAL FISH MIX GRILLS

Deciding to have dinner after such a long drive, we went to one of the restaurants called IL FORNO, which, among other things, offered fish mix grill, and in three versions: small plate (13), medium (20) and large (25). We then something greedy and decided to take a big one. From the tub, which they later brought us, we just went nuts. It consisted of some bread and cheese donuts, french fries, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, king prawns, squid rings, small octopuses and gobies (in the ichthyological sense, of course, and not in the agricultural sense, and even more so not in the tobacco industry). unhygienic). Well, first of all, I had to gobble up seafood with vegetables, and leave the rest of the dumplings for local bobs and balls. Only later did we learn that a small plate is designed for one or two people, a medium one for three or four, and a large one for five or six.

Day 12, Thursday, 08/14/14

BREAKFAST IN THE HOTEL

Where every normal tourist goes first of all on the second day of his stay at the hotel has already been said to the north, so we went for breakfast, which was held in a restaurant on the 5th floor (one might say, on the roof). Breakfast is moderately varied: soft-boiled eggs on bread, just soft-boiled eggs, fried bacon, fried sliced ​​sausages, cereal, croissants and other simple pastries, cheese (bovine, goat and mutton), cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, watermelons , juice, lemon and orange, etc. Coffee from the tanks is not spilled there - if the client wishes, waiters bring it in coffee pots (while often forgetting to bring cups, which, unfortunately, are not “in the public domain”). You can dine both inside the restaurant and on the balcony, but the latter is not very suitable for this, because. the awnings there are usually removed and the tables are under the sun (these are the waiters, you see, they do it on purpose to run within the smaller area).

NEAREST BEACH

As it turned out, the hotel is located just opposite the port, so you will have to walk 300-400 meters to the nearest (wild) beach. And to get to the civilian beach, you will have to walk about a kilometer. But getting a place on sun loungers and under an umbrella will cost much less than in Rhodes. The fact is that there sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach line belong local bars and intended for their clients. In other words, it is enough to order a couple of bottles of beer or mineral water at the bar to get two sunbeds and an umbrella for use for the whole day. Moreover, the umbrellas on the beach where we usually spent time are very wide (about 2x2 m), so you don’t need to cringe in such a way that some part of your carcass is not in the sun. The only negative is that if you come there very early (at 9-11 o'clock), then there may not be any free places, but at a later time there are no problems with places. The waiters run all the time along the beach, and you can always order beer or water from them, and at the same prices as the "negro waiters" in Rhodes.

THE SEA IN KALAMATA

The entrance to the sea is sandy and pebbly, quite gentle, but the sea itself is not happy: it seems that it all consists of some kind of cold currents. Or rather, if you swim to the depth, then it is even more or less normal there, but for those who like to flounder near the shore, this activity is unlikely to bring much pleasure. In general, the sea there does not go to any comparison with that on the northwestern cape of Rhodes. And this was in the early days, when the sea was almost completely calm. When the wind and waves rose, there was no longer any desire to climb into the water.

LUNCH AT THE SHIP TAVERN (ΤΟ ΚΑΡΑΒΙ)

That was the name of the tavern, on the beach of which we usually spent time, because, firstly, it was closest to our rooming house, and secondly, the umbrellas there were of better quality. No, they certainly were of high quality not only there, but how much more would it take to go through every day to reach the same ones! In general, for lunch we ordered the fish of the day there, which turned out to be laurel (sea bass). The fish turned out to be very tasty, but it cost us forty dollars. Well, well, sometimes you can show off. Beer, of course, was also ordered. In general, the sun, beer and water are ours best friends! Water, of course, refers to the sea.

ENTERTAINMENT FOR KIDS IN KALAMATA

Directly opposite our rooming house there was a whole entertainment complex for children: inflatable houses, slides, trampolines - in general, all 33 pleasures.

HOLIDAY FEATURES IN KALAMATA

As for my preferences, linguistically I love "wildlife". Those. when no one even speaks English (of course, if I know the language of that country to some extent). And in some regions of Greece, they even sometimes speak Russian - this is completely uninteresting. As for Kalamata, linguistically, nature is not so wild there: although no one speaks Russian there (well, except for a very few local residents from among immigrants), quite a lot of people speak English (although fewer people than, say, in Rhodes or Crete; one taxi driver even admitted to me that he knows English only at the level of “Hi - How are you? - Bye-bye”). But in terms of tourism, the nature there is really quite wild. For example, it is quite problematic to rent a car: either the conditions are not suitable, or the cars are not available, or both at once. So it is highly recommended to book a car there in advance, because. there are places to go from there - for example, to Sparta, Pylos and other surrounding cities. In general, Kalamata is more suitable for an educational vacation than for a beach one (hotels are usually far from the beaches), but the beach one is a nice application. And during the time that we rested there, we did not see a single Russian tourist there! There were Poles, paddling pools, shoemakers and even teapots (and maybe even Japans), but there were no Russians, and that's it! Although there were inscriptions in Russian in some places. In general, the vast majority of tourists there (about 90%) were Greeks themselves.

PARKING AT THE PORT

As already mentioned, next to our rooming house there was a port, at which there is a huge parking lot. True, excuse me, so I did not find out its status: is it paid, free or generally private. Most likely paid. In the rooming house reservation it was indicated that there is parking nearby, but they can tear off the loot for it. In general, the entry there was carried out through a barrier, and the markings there are as follows: white dotted stripes go along the parking spaces, and solid yellow stripes in front and behind. On the narrow streets, you can hardly park with impunity.

NIGHTLIFE IN KALAMATA

The nightlife there is quite lively: there are a lot of different bars-restaurants, which, however, does not interfere with sleep at night, even despite the far from ideal soundproofing of the rooming house.

Day 13, Friday, 08/15/14

DOUBLE HOLIDAY

That day in Greece was the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in connection with which many establishments were closed, so we decided not to even look for rental offices (then this hope had not been abandoned), but just go to have fun on the beach. And since that day was not only Greek National holiday, but also our personal (wedding anniversary), we celebrated this business well in the evening in the restaurant. It could, however, be noted better, but more on that to the south.

Day 14, Saturday, 08/16/14

RAILWAY PARK

Having bypassed several rental offices in the morning and abruptly broken off, we decided to give up on this matter and go to the railway park, located nearby, where trains of the past and the century before last are presented. We were pleased with the steam locomotives, in the cabins of which you can climb and see what's inside. And I was not pleased that the cabins of some of them were used by some scoundrels as toilets.

RESTAURANT AT THE HOTEL

That evening we decided to sit in the same restaurant where we had breakfast in the morning. Not a bad restaurant, I must say, and the prices there are quite affordable. I took myself a 200 ml bottle of ouzo (7.50), to which they brought me water and ice cubes (by the way, they always bring a glass of water in restaurants, and for free), my wife drank Margarita (7), no different, however, good quality. Nevertheless, we still had a good time: a nightly illuminated and busy street looks pretty good from there, the lights of houses in the mountains ... True, we sat on the balcony, where a rather strong breeze blew, but if you wished, you could move inside.

ABOUT COCKTAILS IN KALAMATA

In Kalamata, for some reason, they don’t know how to cook cocktails at all. As for the already mentioned Margarita, everywhere (well, almost everywhere), under her guise, they can serve something rather unattractive in appearance and not very pleasant in taste, according to my wife (I myself don’t drink such cocktails). Mojito - a drink for rickets - on the beach was also not of good quality.

Day 15, Sunday, 08/17/14

TRIP TO THE TOWN OF PYLOS (ΠΥΛΟΣ)

Since we broke off with the trough, we decided to go at least by bus to one of the surrounding cities. For some reason, no buses go to Sparta, and to some other cities too, then we decided to go to Pylos (Πύλος), which, due to its mountainous terrain and characteristic houses, was nicknamed “little Switzerland”. We drove to the bus station in an ordinary “livestock truck” (tickets for 1.20 are sold by the driver, who immediately composts them himself). On the bus timetable posted at the station, there were announcements in Greek and Anglican that the timetable was wrong, you shouldn't pay attention to it, and all the information should be asked at the box office. It was there that we found out that we would have to wait for the bus we needed for 2 hours. However, we passed this time by walking around the old town, which is located just next to the station. Our bus departed, I think, at 13.20, and the travel time was supposed to be 1 hour and 15 minutes. The return buses went at 16 something and at 22.00. We decided to go back at 22.00 to really see the city, swim there, hang out. However, fortunately for us, tickets for this bus had to be bought not at the box office, but directly on the bus itself. Why, fortunately for us - about this to the south. In general, we drove, drove, and finally arrived at glorious city Pylos. Well, what can I say? We have never been to Switzerland, but the houses there really were such, peculiar, and the area is quite mountainous. So heck with it, let it really be “little Switzerland”. True, to our regret, we noticed that in this town, although it is located by the sea, there are no beaches! No, there are, of course, places for swimming there, but it is PLACES FOR BATHING, because. The language does not turn to call them beaches.

FORTRESS IN PYLOS

But the fortress was there, and we, of course, immediately decided to storm it. However, approaching the gate, we saw that it was open only until 15.00, and the clock was already somewhere around 14.45. The entrance to the fortress cost either 3 or 4. And the fortress was quite large, you won’t get around it in 15 minutes. But I still asked my aunt at the ticket office if we could still go through, and she told me that yes, and for a freebie, but only by 15.00 we had to return to the entrance. However, 15 minutes was enough for us to get around most fortresses, take pictures of cannons with cannonballs lying there and take pictures yourself against the backdrop of a magnificent view of the sea.

RETURN TO KALAMATA

After visiting the fortress, we noticed that there was not much else to do in the city, so we decided to return by the 16-hour bus (which is why it is fortunate that we did not buy tickets for 22.00). Since we still had time, we ordered a pizza for two in one of the local eateries and a pound of red wine each (in Greece it is also customary to measure liquids in kilograms, not liters) - by the way, only 1.5 per pound - we ate drank and went on their way.

USEFUL INTRODUCTION

Upon returning to Kalamata, we went to the beach, where, of course, I immediately ordered us a bottle of FIX beer (usually we drank exactly this beer there, because this variety seemed to us a little more pleasant than all the others) from a waiter named Christos ( with stress on the first syllable). One aunt, relaxing on the beach, heard that my wife and I were speaking Russian, and decided to speak to us. As it turned out, she herself lived in Volgograd in Soviet times, then, for certain reasons, she moved to the capital of Bulgaria, and then to Greece. Asking where we were from and finding out that we were from Moscow, she asked me how I knew Greek, because after all, for a resident of Russia, this is rather uncharacteristic. I, as usual, told her that I just like to learn foreign languages. Then we talked about this and that, and when it came to restaurants, she recommended that we visit one excellent restaurant located in a castle on a mountain. As she said, he is called Castro. Translated from Greek, it means "castle", "fortress".

TRIP TO KASTRAKI RESTAURANT (ΚΑΣΤΡΑΚΙ)

Since our vacation was already coming to an end, we decided to visit that restaurant in the castle that same evening. Approaching the first taxi driver I came across, I asked him if he would take us to Castro. He answered in the affirmative, but specified: Castro or Kastraki? We told Castro and he took us there. However, we immediately noticed that the road goes not at all where it should be, and they told him about it. Then he said that we, apparently, still need to go to Kastraki, and after I explained to him what exactly we needed, all doubts disappeared. A few minutes later we were already there, and the taxi driver charged us 8.70. We also asked him if there are taxi drivers there, near the castle. He said no, but the waiters could easily call a taxi.

RESTAURANT KASTRAKI

This restaurant is located right in the castle, located on top of the mountain, which creates a very romantic setting. This castle, of course, is not ancient, but was built recently specifically for a restaurant, but this does not diminish the romance. From the mountain below you can see the lights of the city, which is simply mesmerizing with its view. If you arrive at sunset, you can watch the sunset, which is also pleasing to the eye. The restaurant opens either at 21.30, or at 22.00, but if you want to enjoy the sunset, then before it opens, you can sit in one of the many outdoor bars, like the restaurant itself, drink beer, ouzo or cocktails, as well as if you want to eat some dessert. When we arrived at the restaurant for the first time, it was already open and there were free tables. There was only one waiter for the whole restaurant, and despite the fact that I made orders in Greek all the time, he always spoke in English. Well, okay, heck with him, I also know English. They took spaghettons with seafood there (something I began to like very much lately), a veal steak, a bottle of rose wine “Ορεινός ήλιος”, which means “Mountain Sun”, then another one, and then another dessert. As a result, dinner cost us 61. By the way, where we had to go to celebrate our wedding anniversary, it’s a pity we didn’t know about it before! Then we asked the waiter to call a taxi, which he did, and the taxi driver drove us back already for 17. Either it was a nightly rate, or he simply cheated us. I should have asked him for a check. They have an inscription in Greek and English in all taxi cars that if they don’t give you a check, you have the right not to pay at all. By the way, the same announcement hung at the hotel reception.

Day 16, Monday, 08/18/14

ATTEMPT TO GET INTO THE FORTRESS IN THE CENTER OF KALAMATA

It was almost our last day in Kalamata, and we never visited the local fortress. That morning, we decided to fix this flaw. For quite a long time we had to climb up the mountain, and in the end we came across a closed gate, on which there was a price (three stars, it seems) and a schedule stating that this citadel is closed on Mondays. So they left without salty slurping. But we took pictures of a lot of cats that run around there, and, of course, we didn’t disregard the views from above. Then we went down to the city center and walked around for a bit. There were also 2 museums there: archaeological and soldafon, but that day we somehow had a bastard to wander around museums, so we decided to go to the beach. But there was a very strong sail, and it was quite cold to swim.

RESTAURANT KASTRAKI, DOUBLE 2

On that day, we again wanted to visit the restaurant we liked so much, but decided to go there early to take pictures and cover the sunset. The taxi driver this time was caught talkative, and we talked about hunting with him. Upon arrival, he tore off exactly 8 local tugriks from us and left the phone, promising to take us back for a chirp.

SKY, CLOUDS, SUN, SUNSET

Sunset that day was scheduled for approximately 20.30. Who is appointed? Heavenly office, of course! We arrived a little earlier. The restaurant was still closed, it was only being prepared for work by a waiter, and a different one, who did not have the habit of vying in English. He told us that we can sit at the bar for a while and have something to drink, and when the restaurant opens, he will call us. I asked him if it was possible to book a table in the corner where the best review, but he replied that that table was already booked. Had to book a table with a slightly smaller view. Then we went to a bar, drank ouzo, wine and cocktails there, photographed and filmed the sunset, as well as the clouds after it. The lights of the city were not spared, of course.

THIS IS THE MEETING!

When the restaurant finally opened and we sat down at a table, who do you think we saw at the corner table that we originally wanted to book? English queen? No. Greek President? O5 by. Dan Borisov? They didn't guess again. Okay, I won’t bore you: we saw the same waiter who had been squealing in English the day before, sitting there with his girlfriend. He also asked me in the same English if I remember him. I replied that not very much. Then he answered me that he was the same waiter who served us the day before. At the same time, it was clear that all this chatter was being conducted only in order to show off his English to his girlfriend. However, he did not take into account the fact that I would involuntarily break him off: when his colleague came up to us to take an order, I made this order in pure Greek, and the girlfriend of that braggart heard it clearly. The question is, what was the point of speaking in English with me? Okay, let's leave this couple alone. In general, that time we sat there no worse than the first time, however, we limited ourselves to only one bottle of wine, because. we still had to pack our things in order to blow to Athens the next morning.

RETURN TO THE HOTEL

I gave the waiter a piece of paper with Takis's phone number (that was the name of the taxi driver who brought us there that evening) and asked him to call him, which he did. Takis drove up minutes through the chirp. While we were waiting for him, one of the waiters asked us if we were in a car. Hearing no, he offered to call a taxi, but we thanked him and replied that the taxi had already been called. They still care about their customers! Takis ended up taking us back for the same price as going there, that is, for only 8. In other words, the trip there and back cost us less than the trip just back the day before! So ask taxi drivers for checks, dear citizens, do not be shy!

Day 17, Tuesday, 08/19/14

CHECK-IN

We returned to the hotel already on 08/19/14 at about 0.30. And since we flew with Aeroflot, and our flight was on August 20, 2014 at 0.20, it was already possible to register for it, which we did. In the lobby of the doss house there were 2 computers, on one of which we were registered. And since Aeroflot for some reason did not offer us to send links to postal coupons to mobile phones, I asked the rooming house employee if they had a printer to print these same coupons. He answered me that the printer is not connected to these computers, and offered to send the file to him on the soap. After we did this, he printed the postal cards for us without any problems.

Most of the things we already had, in general, collected, it remained to collect only a little, which we did partly before going to bed, partly after. In the morning, having breakfast and collecting the last things, we went to check out from the hotel. The clerk asked me:

Did you use the minibar yesterday?

Only in previous days?

And in the previous days, I really used the refrigerator. According to my calculations, I should have been charged 38 for this. But I was only charged 32.50. Well, I didn't really make a fuss about it. 2 weeks before our arrival, 95 was blocked on my card - the amount for one day of stay. Since we still had quite a lot of cash left, I told the clerk to withdraw the 95 from the card, and I paid the difference in cash. Then I asked him to call a taxi, which arrived in 2 - 3 minutes, the employees wished us a happy journey, and we went to the station. The cost of the trip was only 4 (even less, but I did not take a "penny").

TRIP FROM KALAMATA TO ATHENS

We went on an express train, the places for which we booked a couple of days before - when we went to Pylos (if you remember, we bought return tickets with an open date). We got seats across the row from the back wall: those in front had already taken up before that. But nothing, we still arrived comfortably. I also watched a couple of episodes of one series about cops on my phone when I got bored with the views of nature that flickered outside the bus windows.

PARTIII - ATHENS

STORAGE BREAK

Upon arrival in Athens (and we arrived there at 14.45), we expected to leave our luggage in the luggage room at the bus station, and then go for a walk around the city. However, it was not there: there were no lockers there ... simply! I rushed to the information office to ask where I could find left-luggage offices, but in this very office I was told that they were not at the station, but they were in the center - at the Monastiraki metro station. Then I asked the local aunts if there was any metro station nearby, but they replied that they did not know. It was also not possible to find out from the maps, and then, remembering the cheapness of a local taxi, I decided to go to the Monastiraki station on it. We arrived for 8 kopecks. Inside the station there were indeed automatic lockers, but ... at least one of them worked! No, they weren't busy - they just didn't work! Even the holes for the coins were sealed with tape. Then local aunts came up to us, from whom they smelled a little of Bukhara, and asked if we needed to help with something. I explained the problem to them. They, apologizing for their city, replied that they really had a problem with luggage storage. Then they asked the metro cashier if there were any other left-luggage offices somewhere. He replied that they are both on Omonia and on Sindagma, however, they do not work there either, as well as at the railway station, where we were also going to poke our heads. The aunts even with the help of some device like an intercom contacted some girl, and she answered them that they have a private luggage room, but it only works until 18.00, which was of great interest to us. Aunts throughout this time a couple of times apologized for their city. I also tried this trick: I went up to one of the restaurants, a barker approached me, for decency I clarified something about the menu, and then told him that we were ready to eat and drink at them, but we should have left things there until evenings. He immediately became sad and said that it was impossible. I also had one more thought, which, as it turned out later, had to be put into practice, but ... in general, more on that to the south.

MOUNT LYCAVITTOS (Λυκαβηττός)

We have already been to Athens - we celebrated the New Year 2013 there. We then visited many places there, but Mount Lycabettus remained unvisited. And we wanted to climb this mountain: from there, a view of the whole city opens up. So now we decided to go there together with things. Oddly enough, the taxi driver charged us nothing for this - about 4, although we drove for quite a while. Then another taxi driver drove up there and agreed to wait for us for an hour and a half. Looks like it's a little tight there with their clients. The aunts at the entrance to the funicular turned out to be good-natured and kindly agreed to leave our things with them for the duration of our stay at the top. The funicular ride costs 7 per person round trip, lasts 3 minutes, and the funicular itself leaves about every 20 minutes. From the top there really is a beautiful view, the whole city at a glance. There are eateries upstairs where you can drink and eat while admiring the city. Behind the glass wall of one of these eateries, we saw a ginger cat sleeping peacefully, despite the fact that there was a rather steep descent nearby, almost a cliff. We also saw other cats there, there are a lot of them in general. Looks like some special species - mountain cats. :))))

TRIP TO THE AKROPOLIS

After Lycabettus, we decided to go to the Acropolis to have dinner in one of the restaurants we remember. The taxi driver, it seems, hoped that after that we would go with him to the airport (he asked when we had a plane, figured out what time we need to be there, etc.). I asked him how much the trip to the airport would cost. He answered me that the price for this is fixed - forty dollars. I said that it was too expensive and we would go to the airport by metro. As a result, he took us to the Acropolis (or rather, to the rooming house next to it, where we rested last time) for 17.05 robbery! And why the hell didn't I o5 ask for a check, one wonders...

RESTAURANT NEAR THE ACROPOLIS

I remember that during our previous trip to Athens, we often went to this restaurant, I still chatted with the waiter on abstract topics, told him jokes, asked when one of the albums of the local singer Andonis Remos was released, etc. And now this waiter recognized me! Barkers, having learned about our desire to dine with them, immediately grabbed our luggage and dragged it inside. We ordered a plate of meat mix grill there, several bottles of ΒΕΡΓΙΝΑ beer (by the way, this unfiltered beer played an important role in our choice of this particular restaurant on our first trip), and I also ordered myself a glass of ouzo. When we had lunch, I asked Zhorik (Γιώργος) - that was the name of this waiter - if we could leave our things with them for an hour and go for a walk around the city, to which he replied that there were no problems. This is where you originally had to go with your luggage! I deliberately do not give the name of the restaurant, otherwise you will turn it into a left-luggage office. :)))))))

ROAD TO AIRPORT

After walking around the city for an hour, we took things from Zhorik and decided to go to the airport. We didn’t even ask Zhorik to call a taxi, because taxi drivers are nearby and hang around like that, and you won’t drive close to this restaurant: the road is blocked. The first taxi driver agreed to take us to the airport for only 35, and not for a fixed 40, which his predecessor tried to rub into us.

In the local dutik, we collected all kinds of bukhara and olive oil, cashed in all the metal coins that we had left (otherwise it would be problematic to cash them in Moscow exchangers), and I paid the difference with a credit card. By the way, if you decide to stock up in the Athens airport dutik, this must be done without fail before passing through the pre-flight search, because there will be no further dutiks, except perhaps vending machines with meaningless drinks.

FLIGHT BACK

The return flight went smoothly and without any delays, we flew to Sharik, passed the passport control quickly, received our luggage too, after which we drove home in a pre-ordered taxi.

CONCLUSION

This is how our trip went. Whether it is worth arranging such difficult trips or is it better to relax quietly in one place, let everyone decide for himself. On this, dear travelers, I say goodbye to you and wish you all pleasant trips!

How to organize an independent holiday in Greece - note to the tourist. Useful articles on the "Subtleties of tourism".

A trip to Greece is the dream of every person planning their vacation. Today this dream is easily fulfilled. To do this, you do not even need to use the services of tour operators, because you can buy tickets to Greece and go there on your own. There are several questions, by solving which you can be sure of the successful implementation of the planned vacation:

Choosing a place to stay. In Greece, this will not be a problem for sure, since here every corner can rightly be called "paradise". And every tourist who has been there at least once can confirm this. Studying the country and the peculiarities of staying on its territory. Any little thing in case of unforeseen situations during the rest can help you. For example, special attention deserve the cultural and religious traditions of the country. It also doesn't hurt to check out national cuisine to know in advance what you will have to eat. Although in Greece, in addition to national dishes, you can always order any European delicacies.

It is important to pre-calculate your financial capabilities and draw up an approximate vacation budget. If you are only interested in a beach holiday, then you will not have any additional expenses for entertainment. Check the Internet for approximate prices for food, hotel accommodation, taxis and other services that you may need during your stay in a foreign country.

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Buying air tickets. Saving on this item is quite realistic. To get started, you should choose a good site, for example, Yestickets.com, where you can book tickets online without additional overpayments. Next, you need to do everything according to the instructions of the portal, choosing flights that are suitable for all parameters, booking and buying a ticket.

Finding suitable housing. Most often, vacationers prefer to rent rooms in hotels. But no less popular are rented apartments. Having studied the real estate segment in Greece, you can easily find a small studio apartment, one- or two-room apartments at the best price, not much different from the cost hotel room. You can also choose housing using the Internet, just like renting it.

Decor required documents, in particular medical insurance and visas. A medical policy will help the Chams feel more confident in a foreign country, since unforeseen situations can happen to anyone. Having a visa is a prerequisite for entering the country. Greece is currently undergoing far from the best moments of its economic situation, so the authorities are helping fast clearance documents for almost every tourist.

And the last, but no less important step on the way to an unforgettable vacation - checking the availability of documents, air tickets, food and water, as well as many seemingly small things, the absence of which can greatly complicate the flight to Greece.

Which airline to choose?

As mentioned above, on specialized sites you can buy an air ticket to St. Petersburg, Athens, Barcelona, ​​etc. But when buying tickets, it is important not only the direction of the flight, but also the airline whose services we are going to use. In Russia, popular companies that operate regular flights to Greece are Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, S7 Airlines and many others. During the summer, the number of flights increases markedly, and direct flights begin to run from many cities from where it was impossible to reach Greece throughout the year. Flights to Athens, the capital of Greece, are made daily from Moscow.

The amazing land of Greece has long gained fame as a place where both the fertile climate, the stunning beauty of landscapes, and the most unique ancient monuments, impressive in their grandeur, converged at once. Here you can not only relax with pleasure, but also, looking out of the corner of your eye into history, draw the wisdom that is still carefully stored on the shores of its many islands. That is why tourists from all over the world strive here, allowing it to win the glory of one of the most visited countries.

Let's try to calculate how much such a vacation will cost us. It is unlikely that those who want to save money should consider the most popular, and therefore one of the most expensive islands Greece - Crete. Therefore, as an example, we will take a slightly less popular (but quite visited) and less rich in historical sights, but still quite a pretty island of Rhodes.

The cost of rest "savage"

Visa

To begin with, you will have to deal with the issuance of a visa, unless of course you already have a Schengen visa open. On the site visa application center Greece, you can find out what documents are required for a particular category of visa, find application forms and other information, including information about the visa fee. At the moment it is 35-37.5 euros per person (short-term visa - long-term visa). Additionally, in a number of cities a service fee is charged, which costs 19.55 euros per person. Thus, for a normal tourist trip, a visa for two will cost you 109 euros.

You can apply for a visa 90 days before the trip, the application is considered at the consulate within 2 days. Here, on the website of the visa center, you can track your passport.

Flights

If you book tickets in advance, about two months in advance, they will cost you about 665 euros for two, the average price is high season- 924 euros (again - when booking seats in advance). The flight is carried out with a transfer - usually to Athens, and then to the local airport. The cheapest tickets are if you fly to Athens with Aegeanair (it's best to book tickets on the company's website).

Accommodation

If you decide to live in a hotel, then living together in a three-star hotel will cost an average of 520 euros per week (with breakfast). However, many travelers prefer to rent apartments or rooms - as a rule, it comes out much cheaper. But at the same time, it is desirable to clarify some points - for example, how old the house is, whether there is air conditioning (this sometimes happens too), and finally - how far to the beach. So, if you decide to rent an apartment, it will cost you an average of 225-500 euros (depending on location, number of rooms, etc.).
If you eat on your own, then by renting an apartment, you can cook breakfasts and dinners yourself, and dine in local taverns. Lunch for two costs an average of 25-30 euros, which means that it will take you 175-210 euros per week. Breakfast and dinner prepared from products bought in the market and in the store will cost about half as much - a little over 100 euros.
Do not forget about excursions - you can spend about 150 euros for them for two. You can order a sightseeing tour of the island of Rhodes, around the city, or separately visit the ancient Lindos, ancient Kamir, Seven Springs, visit the Valley of the Butterflies, and if you wish, go to the water park, where there are attractions for adults.
Given that you want to bring at least small souvenirs to friends and family, they will cost about 30 euros (magnets - from 1 euro, olive oil - an average of 5 euros, etc.).

Transfer

Transfer, as in any European country, is a mandatory item in many hotels in Greece. Individual transfers cost from 55 to 160 euros - depending on the distance. Rhodes, in principle, is a small island, so a very convenient option to see everything you want is to rent a car. It costs about 30-35 euros per day in season plus the cost of gasoline (in the low season, in May, June and September, it is quite possible to rent a car for 15 euros). By the way, you can do this right at the airport - this will also allow you to get to your place of residence on your own and, moreover, save a little.

Cost of an organized tour

The cost of the tour starts from 1475 euros for a standard one-room room in a three-star hotel with all-inclusive meals, and from 1490 euros for four-star hotel. You can find "burning" tours that cost an average of 1000 euros (meals - breakfast only).

If you calculate all the expenses that a couple who decide to relax on their own will have to spend, such a trip will cost them a total of 1400 euros - this is if you take into account only the visa, tickets and accommodation with meals, which travel agencies usually offer. And at the same time, they themselves will have to solve a number of issues, such as: obtaining a visa, booking airline tickets, searching for a hotel or apartment. As you can see, the savings are not too big.

The charm of this amazing and mysterious country is great. It is not for nothing that it is called the cradle of Western civilization, the birthplace of philosophy, culture, sciences and Olympic Games. In addition, in Greece everyone will find a place to their liking - from luxurious hotels to sparsely populated and secluded resorts. And no matter how you go to this unique country - choosing a tour or an independent holiday in Greece, you will certainly leave from there spellbound. Enchanted by her sun and sea. Her rich cultural heritage. Its hospitable and benevolent inhabitants. That's why she and Greece.

All more people in our country are beginning to be treated as a group of "potential tourists". People's incomes, though slowly but steadily, are growing, gradually smoothing out the difference with some Western countries. There are more opportunities to earn additional income. Tourism is gradually ceasing to be shuttle-shopping, becoming civilized - leisure and sightseeing. Travel agencies began to multiply by leaps and bounds, not only in megacities, but also in provincial territories. People flocked to them en masse. Now no one is surprised by the number of countries visited. Foreign tourism is encouraged by the absence, or only the initial stage of development of tourism infrastructure in places of potential recreation in our country. And there are enough places. The coast of the Black Sea, one of the places for Russian beach holidays, due to well-known political and economic factors, was temporarily forgotten, and is being revived only before our eyes. So far, the comfort of rest, its price factor, are turned towards foreign countries.

However, since not very long ago, all large quantity tourists began to think about the independent organization of their holidays abroad. I will try to bring to you the main pros and cons of an independent holiday in such a wonderful country as Greece. I worked on this issue and successfully implemented it for rest on Greek island Rhodes.

Since Greece visa country, which is part of the circle of countries united by the Schengen Agreement, the issue of obtaining a visa must be taken very seriously and responsibly. To apply for a visa on your own, you will need: a questionnaire, 1 photo, a certificate from work, a certificate of purchase of currency, a copy of insurance if you are traveling with a child, a copy of the child’s birth certificate if you are traveling without a father, a copy of the father’s consent for the child’s trip. All documents must be notarized. But, as it seems to me, at least you should have the Consular Section of the Embassy of Greece available to you. Moreover, prepare for repeated visits to it. From the beginning, the documents will be accepted without verification, if they find something that is not clear, they will call, ask to come in for clarification. Come, explain the reason (by phone - no), bring the corrected again. And, without a queue, most likely they won’t let you in, the magic phrase does not work here: I was already here yesterday, I just have to give ...

If the Consular Section is not available, then you will have to trust professionals from the Internet (I would not), or use the service travel agency, some provide such services without purchasing a tour. What documents will be required here, everyone will say on the spot. Everything depends on them.

Now consider the advantages of independent rest.
Of course, this is savings. From our trip, we exclude the services of numerous freeloaders, oh, excuse me, intermediaries. And these are travel agencies, a carrier, that is, you yourself choose the airline, its discount promotions, exclude the price of booking a hotel. You can easily find a holiday hotel directly. To increase the savings, you can try to stay in small private hotels. Some of them offer different types of food. They, of course, do not have beaches and, as a rule, are more remote from the sea. If the legs are young, this will not become a special obstacle, but even diversify your rest. The next plus is your mobility. You can not pre-pay for the entire stay at the hotel, and if you don’t like something, you can change the hotel, or even the city. If the tour is purchased through a travel agency, no matter how disgusting the hotel is, you are simply doomed to relax in it. I think this is the biggest plus!

Now, about some of the negative aspects, the so-called "cons". We have already talked about independent paperwork. I will not repeat. The next disadvantage is the language of the host country. If you speak at least English, it's already easier. If not, you will have to learn sign language, acquire a phrasebook. In a purchased tour, if the hotel staff does not understand you, this is the concern of the hotel and the guide assigned to the tourists. In your case, saving a drowning person will be the work of the drowning person himself.

And last but not least, I'll highlight this in a separate paragraph, HEALTH INSURANCE. With independent rest, its registration is a must. Prices for medical services in Greece are very high. Even the treatment of a banal dislocation can result in a tidy sum. I'm not talking about something more serious. Of course, pah-pah over the left shoulder, but hope in God, but don't make a mistake yourself.