Greece: Who's been?

[Trautdiggity]

So we are considering Greece for our honeymoon. Basically we're thinking Mediterranean in general but are tending toward Greece. So has anyone been and have any recommendations? If not Greece, where? It'll be July/August timeframe. What ya got?

[Hammer]

Try Egypt. Great rates right now....

[Wonderboy]

I'd love to see Istanbul but would be afraid to visit any Muslim country right now, even one as stable as Turkey. Greece would be awesome, imo.

[Wonderboy]

LOL. My 71 year old mother just got back from a trip that included Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. She went by herself. She was fine.

I swear, sometimes RJ just seems like a breeding ground for pussies.

I noticed she left Egypt and Tunisia off her itinerary, which is a good thing since the State Department has issued travel warnings for those countries. Also Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Algeria and even Jordan and Lebanon.

Look, honestly I'm glad your mother didn't have any trouble. And my guess is that her trip was over before all this began. But this thing isn't dissipating -- it's spreading. I'd be nervous to be an American traveling in any Middle Eastern country right now. I really don't think that caution makes someone a wuss.

[Don Quixote]

I'd love to see Istanbul but would be afraid to visit any Muslim country right now, even one as stable as Turkey. Greece would be awesome, imo.

It's Istanbul not Constantinople
It's Istanbul not Constantinople
Why'd Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Sorry, but that one's been running through my mind since I read this thread this afternoon.

I talked to our family travel expert, my mother, earlier this evening. For her 80th birthday, my brother and I gave her a vacation to the one place she hadn't seen that she really wanted to visit, Egypt. We're glad she went two months ago!

Unfortunately, this conversation took place at one of the local hospitals, where she's staying overnight for some unknown malady, possibly a hiatal hernia. Hell, when you're 80, something is likely to go wrong.

Anyway, I asked her about Greece and the other Mediterranean countries, and she gave Greece a big thumbs-up. She suggested avoiding any place on the south shore of the Mediterranean except Morocco, followed by, "That's what the kids call a 'well duh', right?"

[nots]

Been a long time, but I was in Greece back in 91--absolutely beautiful. Spent time mostly in Athens and Thessoliniki (spelling). Great food, great sights, inexpensive compared to most of the rest of Europe. Only negative was a strike the day we were supposed to leave--made a mess of our travel plans trying to get to Spain. As I understand it, that sort of thing is a regular occurance. FWIW, I'd go back.

[Wonderboy]

It's Istanbul not Constantinople
It's Istanbul not Constantinople
Why'd Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

I love those guys! Birdhouse in Your Soul knocks me out everytime I hear it.

[nullnor]

..billbuckner's travel agent knows a lot of rates from the gay beaches.

[regular-guy]

some friends of mine (missionaries) went to Greece while taking some time off on a trip in Bulgaria. They loved it.

[billbuckner]

A Greek-style missionary you say?

[Bob Kohm]

A Greek-style missionary you say?

They always tried to stay on top of heathen, but they always wound up behind.

[mjl]

We went to Greece for our honeymoon in 2009. It was awesome. We spent two days/one night at the King George hotel in Athens (there's a site lhw.com that I signed up for that got us a discount and a room upgrade for free, and the room was tremendous) and went to the obvious touristy places. I wanted to go island-hopping after that, and we went to Santorini and then stayed there the entire eight remaining days. We tried a couple different hotels in different cities on the island and a bunch of restaurants -- if you want specific recommendations I will track down our guidebook and get you whatever details I can. But as someone who doesn't generally love just going to hang out on the beach, it blew away my expectations.

- Mike

[JudeBaldo]

I noticed she left Egypt and Tunisia off her itinerary, which is a good thing since the State Department has issued travel warnings for those countries. Also Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Algeria and even Jordan and Lebanon.

Look, honestly I'm glad your mother didn't have any trouble. And my guess is that her trip was over before all this began. But this thing isn't dissipating -- it's spreading. I'd be nervous to be an American traveling in any Middle Eastern country right now. I really don't think that caution makes someone a wuss.

Turkey is neither a Muslim nation-state or in the Middle East.

Traut,

Another thumbs up for Greece.

[Wonderboy]

Turkey is neither a Muslim nation-state or in the Middle East.

Turkey is a Muslim nation-state, but 99.8% of its population is Muslim. 99.8%. I simply meant I'd be nervous visiting right now in any country with a Muslim population, and especially the ones in the middle east.

However, of all the Muslim countries, Turkey seems to be the most progressive and secular. I'd love to visit Istanbul, but not right now.

[billbuckner]

Turkey is a Muslim nation-state, but 99.8% of its population is Muslim. 99.8%. I simply meant I'd be nervous visiting right now in any country with a Muslim population, and especially the ones in the middle east.

However, of all the Muslim countries, Turkey seems to be the most progressive and secular. I'd love to visit Istanbul, but not right now.

You've clearly never seen the inside of a Turkish prison