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Greece Family Trip 2025
  • KS Lisa
  • Diane Journot
  • KS Lisa
  • Diane Journot

Greece Family Trip 2025

A 21-day adventure by KS Lisa & Diane Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 22, 2025
  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Detroit and travel day pics - dj

    May 23, 2025 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    It takes a very long time to travel from SEK/OK to Berlin via Istanbul, but we did it in style! In Detroit, we visited *some* of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. It is a huge, awesome museum, and I would love to go back and see more. It includes the presidential car that JFK was assassinated in, along with so many planes, trains and automobiles. There are other sections on period furniture, steam engines, telephones, etc. with so much to see! The flights were very comfortable and we enjoyed a lot of excellent food on the Turkish Air flight, as well as in the lounges.Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    We've landed in Istanbul

    May 23, 2025 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Loved flying Turkish Airlines! I don't think I can ever fly international economy again! We were spoiled! Food was amazing, seating was very comfortable! The Steward even made our beds! And who doesn't want to be awakened every morning to someone serving you breakfast in bed!Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Berlin - Day 1 - dj

    May 25, 2025 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We took the Hop On Hop Off bus around Berlin today. It was rainy and cool, but we had a great day and saw a lot of awesome historical sites. Unfortunately, my phone died mid-afternoon, so I’ll have to rely on Lisa for some of the pics. Some of the sites from today: Brandenburg Gate, Kaiser Wilhelm Church - both old (destroyed during WWII) and the new (too modern for me), the Victory Column, and the Berlin Wall. Had some yummy Weinerschnitzel, German beer and apple strudel!Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Berlin - Day 1 Too

    May 25, 2025 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    We arrived at the hotel around 11:00 p.m. last night...long day but a good travel day. One thing is for sure.....you will NOT go hungry on a Turkish Airlines flight!

    After a long ride to the hotel with Ibrahim as our driver we arrived ready to go to bed! That being said, Diane, Mike and I had a beer in the hotel restaurant and then headed back up to our rooms.

    Breakfast at the hotel was excellent! Afterwards we headed out and got on the Big Bus and did the hop on and hop off tour. First stop was Brandenburg Gate. We also saw the bombed Kaiser Wilheim Memorial Church, the Berlin Wall and briefly went into the Topography of Terror. It would have taken many, many hours to see it all. As it was past 3 and we hadn't stopped for lunch we decided to get back on the bus and ride it back to our stop (#3) and find somewhere to eat.

    We all had Weiner Schnitzel and split a warm apple strudel. Back at the hotel we went to The Level Lounge and enjoyed snacks and beverages while playing cards until they closed.

    These photos are of the translation of a story that was on the wall of the restaurant. The photo of Diane as I read the translation reflects what we were all thinking!

    The day was cool and rainy but we had a great time!

    We    Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Berlin - Day 2 - dj

    May 26, 2025 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We took the S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz. From there, we walked to several sites, including St Marienkirche (St. Mary’s - where we listened to part of an organ recital), the TV Tower, the Neptune fountain, and Berliner Dom. Both churches, although very different, were beautiful. Berliner Dom had the largest burial crypts I’ve ever seen. They contained the remains of royalty. Talk about La-Ti-Da!!! We were getting hungry, so we tried a few sweets, a brownie, a plum crumble, a mandarin cheesecake, and another fruit cheesecake/brownie of some sort. All were excellent. After walking around a bit more, we also decided on some gelato. We were all on a sugar high as we finished out our Berlin tour on the HOHO bus. Mom & Lisa spied their favorite store and wanted to point it out for Janet. After enjoying a few drinks/snacks in the hotel lounge, we checked out of Meliá Berlin and headed to the Holiday Inn at the airport. After settling into the hotel and taking a much-deserved nap, we met at the hotel restaurant, Hangar 24. Lisa & I had one more weinerschnitzel, Mike tried the currywurst, and Mom & Dad both had potato soup. Lisa and I had an odd-looking pepper-like item on our plate, wrapped in a sardine. Turns out, it was a caper. We cut into it to see the seeds. Weird.Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025
    The door was unlocked and open so I tried to convince Mike to go in and set in the chair. No luck!
    The door was unlocked and open so I tried to convince Mike to go in and set in the chair. No luck!

    Berlin Day 2

    May 26, 2025 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Day 2 we had breakfast and then took the S Bahn to the Berlin Dome. We rode a construction lift to avoid the huge stairway into the church. It was a beautiful church and well worth the visit. We walked to St. Mary's Church and also saw the Neptune Fountain. We enjoyed a break along the river sharing 3 pieces of pie and a brownie. After a walk back to go up the TV Tower for the view we decided to skip that. Instead we had Gelato and went back to St. Mary's to listen to an organ performance. We had to be back at the hotel at 4 to checkout. Took an Uber to the Holiday Inn near the airport where we spent the evening relaxing. Mom enjoyed the attention our Indian waiter showered on her. Dad not so much! LOLRead more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Athens Day 1

    May 27, 2025 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Today we flew from Berlin to Athens. We needed two Ubers as there wasn't a larger enough one available. Mom, Diane and Mike climbed into a Corolla with an ouchie on the side....few minutes later Dad and I got into our mar-free car. We had a nice, leisurely ride to the airport but couldn't locate the others upon arrival in the terminal. Life360 showed them many miles away! Turns out they were headed to the first hotel we stayed at! They had quite the ride making up time to get back to the airport. The line to check in was very long and SLOW.....we were getting to the worried to make our flight mode.....Thankfully the wheelchair guy knew the shortcuts and got us to our gate with a few minutes to spare. On the flight we had the option of a meat or savory pie.

    Arrival went well until baggage claim when Mike's bag didn't come out. Our wheelchair attendant took them to lost and found and their bag was on a different baggage carousel.

    Janet and David were to arrive 30 minutes after us; however, their plane was delayed. We had transportation arranged in advance so they had already taken care of another driver for the late pickup. We had a nice drive to the apartment with our driver Demetrius, AKA Niko, AKA Jim to his American friends but he doesn't know why they call him Jim.

    Basil met us at the apartment and gave us a tour. It's 4 bedroom, 4 bath with a large terrace. There's also a rooftop terrace. We have a good view of the Pantheon and it's beautiful lit up at night.

    Janet and David arrived and after we hugged it out we went to dinner down the street. Basil had recommended getting their meat platter to share and their grilled vegetables. We also ordered feta cheese in olive oil. It was very good but was way more food than we could eat! Diane, Mike and I shared some white wine - it was very good.

    While we were seated at the table a gentleman from Stockholm came over to talk to us. He sounded like Gru from Despicable Me! He really liked mom and even said if she wasn't married he'd marry her! Mom responded with who said I'd marry you! LOL. We had quite the noisy, fun conversation! After dinner our waiter brought us over complimentary drinks in heavy shot glasses....think of the kind you would see in an old western movie. It contained Masticha...a sweet, digestive liquor.

    On the walk back to the apartment we stopped at a bakery and bought a variety of things for breakfast. We also stopped off at a pharmacy for distilled water and a grocery store for some supplies. Mom and I rode an elevator in the store that looked like we were entering a freezer!

    Back at the apartment we played pitch and 99 on the terrace until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer!

    Pam arrives late tomorrow to complete our group.    Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025
    11

    Berlin to Athens - dj

    May 27, 2025 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We had a heck of a time getting to the airport from our airport hotel. Mom, Mike & I hopped in the first Uber. Lisa and Dad were to follow in the next. Well, they beat us there! It was my fault. After having to cancel my original Uber ride, I didn’t notice that the second time I booked, the destination was set to our downtown Berlin hotel, rather than the airport. Ugh. I changed it in the app immediately and alerted the driver. He didn’t speak English but repeated “airport” back to us, so we thought we were good, cause he changed directions. However…, we were going the wrong way. I tried to tell him again, but he didn’t figure it out until he refreshed the app on his phone. THEN he knew. And then he started speeding like crazy to get to the airport. I told him to slow down but, of course, he did not understand what I was saying. We were VERY happy to make it safely to the airport. Our Aegean Air Econ seats and food were not quite on the same level as the Turkish Air flights, but the descent into Athens was beautiful. Last snafu of the day was a lost piece of luggage - Mike’s suitcase. Ended up that it made it to Athens, but was circling a different baggage carousel. Our theory was that it fell off the baggage cart on the tarmac and that someone picked it up and put it on the next available carousel. Made it to our VRBO. Very nice place with beautiful views of the Parthenon. David & Janet arrived today from their time in Switzerland. Pam will arrive late tomorrow. Upon the recommendation of our host, Basil, we ate at a local restaurant just down the street. We had alllllll the meats! Ha. Very good food and great service. Our waiter even brought us a local drink, Masticha, to try. It was very good! Back at the VRBO, we taught Janet how to play “99” and then went up to the rooftop terrace and took in the view of the Parthenon at night.Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025
    1

    Athens Day 2

    May 28, 2025 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We had a leisurely morning around the apartment and then set out for Syntagma Square where we bought tickets for the Hop On/Hop Off Bus. It took us past the Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, Parliament, National Gardens, The Four Musuems, The National Gallery, and the Ancient Olympic Stadium. We got off and toured the Olympic Stadium. Diane and I walked halfway up the stadium. Those steps are killers! Walking through an underground passageway the athletes would have traversed on their way to the field we saw the exhibit of each of the Olympic Torches. It was very interesting to see the detail up close and see the designs. Diane and I walked halfway up the Stadium. The stairs heights were sooo high!

    At the end of the route we went to the top floor of the Publix store for the free Greek beer that came with our ticket. It was very good. We snacked on a Margherita pizza and chicken quesadilla.

    We headed back to our apartment and played cards anxiously awaiting the arrival of Pam! She arrived at 9:45 p.m. Towards the end of the evening we all went to the rooftop terrace and enjoyed the nighttime skyline.    Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Athens Day 3

    May 29, 2025 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Today was a bit of a cluster. Janet and Pam fixed scrambled eggs for breakfast. Everyone except Janet and David went back to the hop on hop off bus. The plan was to get back to the apartment in time to pick them up and head to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon and the Acropolis Musuem. Unfortunately we are on day 2 of a taxi strike which has really messed up things. When we realized how long of a walk it would be after taking public transportation from the apartment, Pam and I headed back to the apartment while Dad, Mom, Diane and Mike headed to the Acropolis complex. (Diane will have to fill in their adventures). Pam and I had a heck of a time getting back. Three different buses did not show up as planned. We finally made it within an 8 minute walk of the apartment and hoofed it back. Grabbed a quick bite and back out we went. It took forever and once we arrived they were coming back down the hill. We walked to the Musuem and toured it. There were so many sculptures and it was surprising how many were in fairly good shape. It took us several hours to get through the Musuem. Outside the Musuem we saw two Rose Ring Parakeets.

    Afterwards we caught the bus back towards our apartment and stopped at a restaurant to eat. The Chef explained the menu and we made some excellent choices…..Greek salad, beef in tomato sauce, fried pork, salad with melon and meatballs. Janet and David ate at Pizza Hut because they don’t have options from home in Costa Rica.

    We arrived back at the apartment we arrived and we were all worn out! Tomorrow is our last full day in Athens.    Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Athens Day 4

    May 30, 2025 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Today was a semi-leisurely morning. Everyone, except Pam who was still dealing g with a cold, got on the bus and went to the Street Market....a beautiful purple blooming tree lined pedestrian walkway that was adjacent to a park. We'd admired it several times while passing by on the bus. Lots of interesting vendors were set up. At the end of the lane we rested on a bench in the shade. We saw 2 parakeet nests...one was hidden in a tree and another hung down from a tree with no protection. There was also a Red Bull fan celebration going on that Diane and I walked through. As we headed back up the lane, Dad bought us all ice cream. Raspberry Twist was awesome!

    Janet and I left the group to make our way to the Parthenon since we missed it the day before. We walked to Syntagma Square and got a closet look at the soldiers standing guard. They have big black pompoms on their shoes. Their skirts have 400 pleats, which they personally have to iron, and one skirt takes 8 months to make. We walked across the square and ate lunch.......yep....McDonald's!

    The taxi strike was over at 6 a.m. today so we were able to Uber to the Parthenon. We made it up the very sloped hill with over an hour to spare. We found a shaded area to have a seat while we waited. Janet was walking around looking for birds....as she came back the guy to my right was whistling When The Saints Go Marching In...he quit whistling and Ja et picked up where he left off.. .it startled him and we all had a good laugh as Janet poked him in the arm! Oddly enough, about 10 minutes later an American family was at the bench over from us and the Grandfather said to the Granddaughter ".....when The Saints Go Marching in"....very weird to say the least.

    We had already asked what time we could enter on our 4 o'clock tickets and were told 3:45. We were a bit impatient, read bored, so Janet pulled up her ticket on her phone and walked right by the 2 attendants...not to be outdone, I did the same and 5 steps past them got yelled at and had to go back out. Janet didnt leave me stranded and came back out. . 3:45 on the DOT they started letting us in.

    The Parthenon did not disappoint! We used Rick Steves audio tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were so high up that the view was farther than we could see. It's so hard to imagine what that looked lime in its prime!

    Afterwards we rode back to the apartment and met up with the group. We went to dinner at Oroacopo Restaurant. It was very good! The waiter said we were all Brilliant! Janet tried to repeat the word back to him in Greek but apparently a lot was lost in translation as the word she used meant bright.....lol

    Played some cards again tonight and we were all very tired so it became very comical! Or it could have been the ouzo some tried that our apartment manager left us. Ick!

    Tonight is our last night in town....we board our cruise tomorrow.    Read more

  • Greece Family Trip 2025

    Athens to Celestyal Journey - dj

    May 31, 2025 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Lisa and I are both behind on posting updates, so… I’m skipping ahead. Ha. We left our apartment in Athens and rode in style in our own transport to Piraeus port to meet our cruise. The driver had a heckuva time finding the correct location to let us off, but once there, we moved pretty seamlessly through check in and boarding. Our ship and cabins are beautiful and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Our concierge is Jestter and his backup is Sultan. They showed us around our cabin and made us feel comfortable. From there, we went straight to The Smoked Olive for lunch. It was a nice, leisurely meal. Mike had Shark Steak, which was surprisingly good. Dinner was back at the Smoke Olive for some us. Others went to Taverna, the buffet restaurant. I had the Greek option and it was very good. The “shrimps cocktail” and dessert were also quite yummy! Lisa, Mike and I then went to the ABBA show. It was pretty good. The guy who was our lead at the muster was one of the dancers in the show.Read more