Apps and Websites
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duolingo
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So far, I've spent 8 months learning Greek. This app makes it fun.
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Santorinidave.com
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Dave doesn't just write about Santorini. He has all kinds of info about the islands and the mainland. I especially like his maps. Clear and functional. A map for every purpose. Sometimes I had trouble printing them, but maybe I wasn't supposed to.
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greecetravel.com
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A blog/travel guide created by Matt Barrett. As much as I need to read travel books, I still get tired of the lingo: Everything is lovely! This guy is real and funny. With lots of good info. He even recommends guides and activities that he experienced himself.
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wikivoyage.org
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Some good travel info.
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visitgreece.gr
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All the best. A country that wants your travel dollars.
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thegreekweddingshow.com
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I bought tickets directly from this site. You can text them at [email protected] (I'll let you know what I thought of the show when I get back from Greece. It sounds like fun, and it's interactive--the audience gets to participate, so I'm promised.)
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Takemetogreece.com
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Has some good info about Santorini
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www.santorini.gr
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Each site I browsed added just a little bit of information to help plan our trip. So, giving credit where due.
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greekerthanthegreeks.com
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Has good info about the various sites and towns to visit in Greece.
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Viator and Expedia
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I'm lumping these together because they seem to work in tandem. This is the first trip I've made where I've purchased quite a few activities from these vendors. So far, I like that whether or not I pay upfront, I have until 24 hours prior to the event to suddenly cancel for any reason. Also, I'm very thrilled that I can actually contact these vendors directly if I have questions, or, as happened several times, I need to let them know where to pick me up. We did not receive our hotel information until the final month before the trip, and I needed to figure out how to find the "meet-up" locations. The islands, and to some extent Athens as well, have turned many touristy areas into pedestrian only zones. If we need to meet up with an activity, we have to figure out somewhere near our hotel.
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Things to Watch:
Movie: My Life in Ruins, stars Richard Dreyfuss, about 2014
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A charming humorous movie about a tour group and their tour leader touring Greece.
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Books
History of Greece, by Captivating History, published 2021
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This is an overview of Greek history in 150 odd pages. It was good for me because I don't know anything but the basics about Greece. Now I know a few of the basic basics. But it is a good place to start. It has been updated to include recent events, like money problems (not a new problem for Greece) and covid.
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Delos-Mykonos: A Guide to the History and Archeology, Konstantinos Tsakos, former Ephor of Antiquities
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As I read many reviews and blogs about traveling in Greece, visiting Delos was a highlight for most people. The one complaint I read was that it is a huge site and difficult, at ground level, to grasp what you're looking at. We will be going to Delos on a yacht that drops us off at the main gate. I suppose I could hire a guide there, but chances are 50/50 that the museum gift shop is closed, so no maps or written materials readily available. So I bought this somewhat expensive book. It has great photos, and spells out the structures and purposes of the ruins quite well. And then I can use it as a coffee table type book. I'll carry it with us as we explore the island of Delos.
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Greece: Athens and the Peloponnese, 7th edition, published May 2023, Rick Steves
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Hands down, Rick Steve's travel books are the best. The best because they tell you what to expect, how to pack, how to get there, best places to go. He supports local Greece businesses, i.e. hotels and restaurants, over franchise stuff. Despite its weight, I will take this one with me to Greece. I'll tear out the sections for each location we visit and carry just that each day.
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Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation, Roderick Beaton
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Even though it says "modern", Greek history here starts way back. This author was interesting in that he presents history differently from others I've read. For instance, he talks about the idea of "nations" as opposed to "nation-states". Given that every "country" and king seems to have crossed, shed blood, conquered, or at least borrowed, what we call Greece, it is amazing that there is a Greek identity at all. The Gauls, the Roman caesars, the Macedonians, Venetions, Alexander, Napoleon, the Ottomans... all have tried for a piece of Greece.
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Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World, Michael Scott
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Yes, we'll see the belly button of the world--they actually have one there.
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The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, Eugene Rogan
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Reading...
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Greece, The Lonely Planet
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Another good travel book, but not nearly the level of detail found in Rick Steves' book. I used this book as reference, after I had already decided on what I wanted to see and do in Greece. Has some good maps and colored pictures (which is lacking in the Rick Steves book.)
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DK Eye Witness: Greece, Athens, and the Mainland
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Jotted down several good pieces of information about the sites we wanted to visit.
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Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battles of Thermopylae, Steven Pressfield
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This was Carter's reading assignment. This is his review:
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Map of Greece, National Geographic Map 3316
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I love maps. Maps tell a lot about a place. Like, when you get there, how to get around, and where things are. I used the National Geographic map for Scotland and it was great, but this Greek map did not come close. I wouldn't buy it again, I was so disappointed. The main reason I bought it was to put a nice (and the paper is nice) on the wall so we could see it every day. The problem was, they divided Greece in half, with part on one side and mostly Turkey and a part of Greece on the other. Must have been an error, because Greece and Turkey do not get along.
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Greek Heart, Scott Craig
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A novel. I slogged through, because once I start something, I try to finish. Three British soldiers are left in occupied Greece in WWII, you know, and fall in love, and eventually there's an uneventful rescue. It didn't even inform me about the situation in Greece during the occupation.
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Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis
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Still one of the greats.
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The Greek Revolution: 1821 and the Making of Modern Europe, Mark Mazower
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still reading
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Aesop's Fables, The Classic Edition, illustrated by Charles Santore
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This is a kid's hardcover book I bought for Paige. The art work is delightful throughout. Paige will have to write a review.
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Ancient Greece: 500 Interesting Facts about Greek History, Ahoy Publications
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This was Keira's reading assignment to prepare for our trip. She'll write the review:
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Greece Travel Guide: Unearthing Greece's Hidden Treasures, The Most Complete Full Color Pocket Edition, Unknown author
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And this was Addy's reading assignment. Her review:
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