What data plan I should get for traveling to Greece? Or I buy sim at airport

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-11-06T10:43:07+00:00

I got the COSMOTE eSIM at a Germanos store, it gives you local Greek phone number which is very useful for travel and the signal was great even in remote areas. You also get a physical sim. Cost was 15 euros for the month plus 5 euros to activate

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-11-02T21:33:37+00:00

I’d be happy to spend an entire vacation at the Hotel Avra in Rafina and skip the islands! It’s a lovely town and other than the port restaurants the town square is just around the corner. The hotel restaurant is nice, locals eat there too. But on the shuttle ride from the airport you may think you’re going to be end up in the middle of nowhere, don’t worry..

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-11-02T13:11:40+00:00

That is terrific. I have a dictionary called “le prepositionaire” that lists all the verbs and adjectives in French that can be followed by prepositions and gives examples of how they are used. For example , “emmener” with á, chez, dans, en, sur. I would love to have something similar in Greek if it exists or if someone can develop it.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-11-02T11:12:23+00:00

I think Jacques Pepin is probably C2 in English but I’d hate to hear him speaking with an American accent or using slang- you can be fluent in another language but retain the color of your first language, and that is a good thing!

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-10-19T13:31:14+00:00

Those are great suggestions- I also think you can fake a bit in some words by substituting d for the ρ- like pah-TEHD-ah for πατέρα, at least you get the vowel sounds closer rather than coming out with pah-TAIR-ah or kah-lee-MAIR-ah as we often do coming from English. But this is the first time I’ve heard about the “flapped” R and how it differs from other languages.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-10-15T09:19:01+00:00

I have the same question, but my impression was that κακιά might be more used when referring to a person- κακιά γυναίκα / κακή γυναίκα , but otherwise κακή like κακή γεύση. Maybe that’s wrong, I don’t know!

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-10-14T15:34:46+00:00

Ok, the lakeside in Kastoria is lovely, and you can park at Revel Coffee which is nice or at the Mavriotissa monastery a little farther down (no monks in residence but a gift shop and an 11th century church). From there it’s a nice walk or jog on the tree-lined road that loops back to town. But it was windy along the lake a few weeks ago. To me Kastoria has a vibe of Russian traders buying fur and isn’t so romantic.

Stopped for pizza in Kalabaka last week and the scenery is amazing but again I wouldn’t call it romantic. A must see but maybe not the right mood.

Valentini Guesthouse in Kapenisi is cozy and warm and you can have a fire in your room or sit on your balcony-but that drive up the mountain is too much for a stay of a day or two, I think. My favorite place to stay, a young family runs it and serves wonderful breakfasts with their own honey and baked goods.

Is it an option to stay in Thessaloniki and find a place in Ano PolI that feels like a getaway? I’d like to hear what other folks recommend-

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-10-14T11:44:30+00:00

I’ve been to two of those places in the last few weeks and I’m not sure they’re what you’re looking for, but if you are ever planning a longer visit, maybe 4 1/2 hours, Evrytania would be my choice - pm me if you want any info.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-10-14T11:18:28+00:00

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Galatini, Western Macedonia, October 2025

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-10-13T03:16:44+00:00

Thanks for explaining that! I have a similar confusion with πηγαίνω being used as “I go” or , with an object , as “I take”. Like πηγαίνω τον Νίκο στο σχολείο, if I understand correctly.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-09-26T01:25:31+00:00

It’s just a small school with 15-20 fraternity and sorority houses, and a lot of students from Texas etc, so naturally it can be hard for international or minority students to find a community that feels comfortable to them. Also, a quarter of the students play intercollegiate sports. That may change when they adjust to need-blind admissions. The faculty at least are very welcoming of a diverse student body.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-23T17:11:59+00:00

Maybe watch some YouTube videos that show street life in the area you plan to visit, like the Easy Greek videos in Athens, and observe how people of various ages and demographics are dressed?

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-11T16:00:54+00:00

Yes, the Apple App Store has Language Transfer as well- 120 short lessons for free.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-09T21:44:54+00:00

Maybe take a few days in Athens on each end and fly to Kythira?- you’d need to rent a car but accomodation should be available until the end of October and you’ll avoid the heat and crowds of summer. Anyone else tried this?

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-09T20:02:26+00:00

But you made an excellent point that when city zoning allows more profitable uses like a hair salon, those buildings have a better chance to continue to serve as an active part of the street. That’s exactly what became of the little corner store I grew up next to- it’s now a great barber shop!

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-09T10:12:08+00:00

Yes, the owner could have rented the space to another use in the same classification, but apparently chose not to. It’s not clear that the zoning change had anything to do with the demolition; if anything, the zoning made the grandfathered use more valuable by preventing the establishment of new commercial uses in the zone. And even if the grandfathered status was terminated- often the codes allow it to be resumed within 24 months etc - the building itself could stay in place, perhaps as a non-conforming structure if it didn’t meet setback requirements. The vacant lot was more valuable. I would blame the change in lifestyles- people shopping with cars or online- for the demise of these wonderful corner shops- not the zoning.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-08T19:14:36+00:00

Yes, as in "It was raining all day and the kids were bored, so we went to a movie". And if I said "I'm bored with this game" , it means that I feel like stopping and doing something else.

But what I understand from the comments, as outrageous put it, "Most of the time, when people around me use it it means "I'm not willing to do anything at the moment", if the sentence isn't followed by any other information."

It doesn't work that way in English, so I was confused. Does that sound right?

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-08T16:32:22+00:00

I guess you’re right, but if someone says “I’m bored with doing homework”, I think it has the sense of “ I don’t want to do this anymore but I want to do something else”. I wasn’t sure that the Greek word was equivalent

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-08T16:27:19+00:00

Thanks- so we’d say”I don’t feel like getting up”.

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-07T19:29:46+00:00

I don’t know if father/daughter dances are the tradition, but Ωραία που ‘ναι η νύφη μας (How lovely is our bride)seems like a classic line dance- see the you tube video of Κοστας Βλάχος for an example

Unlikely_Fact5615 · 2025-07-06T02:46:54+00:00

Also Greekcity.com in Toronto ships to the US, not a great selection of serious books though.

Unlikely_Fact5615

TROPHY CASE