Stelios Spinoulas: Crown prince of Athens tours

Stelios

By Jane Feehan

One of the highlights of a recent trip to the Mediterranean was our tour of Athens. Our guide, Stelios Spinoulas, made the day a memorable one.

Corfu native Spinoulas spent more than 20 years in the shipping business. His career brought him and his family to Slidell, in the New Orleans area for 14 of them. He returned to Greece in 2003, before Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast.  

Since then, Spinoulas has taken another path, one that gives visitors to his country a glance of the ruins of an ancient past that still defines it today. He operates a top-notch sightseeing service that is gaining in popularity.

It is easy to understand why. His enthusiasm for Athens is contagious; his knowledge of the city’s history

impressive. We spent a whirlwind eight hours with him and saw the highlights of Athens: the Parthenon, Acropolis, an ancient Roman market with its first or second century weather “station,” the site where democracy was born, the president’s palace, Plaka (Old Town), the port town of Piraeus and much more. Best of all, he instilled in us—as I’m sure he does others—a desire to return to Athens … a good thing for Greece’s tourism industry.

We lunched at Taverna Fagopoteio (56 Patriarhou Loakeim Street, Kolonaki), a wonderful restaurant in

an upper end Athens neighborhood. The best time to come for lunch is 12:30 p.m., Stelios told us, when food is fresh out of the oven and newly prepared salads and desserts make their debut of the day. Steaming hot chicken and lamb, generously stuffed cabbage rolls, rice-stuffed green peppers, creamy-topped moussaka and an immense bowl of colorful, crisp Greek salad greeted us. We enjoyed the meal, accompanied by wine and topped off with melt-in-your-mouth baklava. The place was immaculate; they didn’t mind us visiting the kitchen.

Of course, we picked up the tab for Stelios. The cost of this big spread for three: 40 Euros and a tip. That’s

about $50 … a bargain.

It was tough saying goodbye to Stelios Spinoulas, Athens’ unofficial ambassador of good will and fun. May we meet up with you again, may you continue to share the best your country offers, which includes you.

To contact Stelios Spinoulas for sightseeing in Athens or tours to Delphi and Peloponnese,  email: stelios_spinoulas@hotmail.com (stelios_spinoulas@hotmail.com)

Telephone: +30210 4632152; Cell: +30 6976 518 378

Stelios communicates several times before the tour, confirming details. He owns a new, comfortable Mercedes for excursions.  He was recommended to us by people in Florida, not a cruise ship.

Tags: Athens tour guide, Athens sightseeing, best Athens tour guide, Stelios Spinoulas, Athens taxi service, Delphi and Peloponnese tours, Celebrity Mediterranean cruises 

Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean Cruise and Rome: last port and the short goodbye

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By Jane Feehan

Rome was our last and for some, the most spectacular of places we visited. We docked at Civitavecchia and took an hour-long bus ride into the Eternal City.

We wanted to see as much of this historic city as possible, which precluded standing in lines at museums or at the Sistine Chapel. Often the lines are so long at the chapel there is no time for anything else. For us, this will come another day, another trip. Our excursion, “Taste of Rome,” was just that and it was a good one for $100 each. Excursions to Rome from the ship run about $75 to $350 per person.

Our bus with guide took us to St. Peter’s Square where we set out independently for more than two hours

with a map of old Rome to see some places on foot: the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, and Piazza Navona.  Our walking tour along the narrow streets of the oldest part of Rome, not far from the Tiber River, ended with lunch outdoors at Ristorante Panzirone on the Piazza Navona … delicious pasta in a clean, picturesque setting.

Afterward, we met up with our guide and continued on foot and by bus to see the Colosseum, Circus , the Aurelian Walls and other landmarks, including the spectacular National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (see photo above). Our only interior visit was to the Church of St. Peter in Chains where Michelangelo's stunning sculpture of  Moses sits. Rome was a much larger empire than Greece (though ancient Greece established the foundation of Western civilization); antiquities abound throughout the Eternal City, more so than in Athens.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Maximus

A visit to the Eternal City was a wonderful way to end the itinerary. The Equinox sailed one more day before returning to Barcelona, giving us time to decompress and reflect upon the past two weeks before heading home.

Information:
Baggage tags with a time for disembarking are delivered by your room attendant. Bags are left outside staterooms by 11 p.m.for pickup. 

If you are given a very early time to disembark, you may go to Guest Relations and arrange another time up until 9 a.m. There is time for breakfast in any event – and don’t forget, you paid for it.

Tip your tour guides. Some are less subtle than others in hinting for tips. Most of the guides we had were exceptional and we showed our appreciation

Tip your room attendants well; they work the hardest. Some tips are prepaid but tip additionally.

Dining

If you opt for select dining and visit the specialty restaurants: 

Tuscan Grill was a favorite, justifiably so. Murano, the French restaurant, was excellent but without a view (in the dark this may not matter to most). If you are Aqua Class, the Blu restaurant serves breakfast and dinner and it’s quite good. The biggest culinary disappointment of the whole trip, both on board and off – was the third specialty restaurant, Silk Harvest.

Before embarking and throughout the trip, dining staff will continuously try to sell the specialty restaurants. There is a cover charge for them, from about $30 to $45. (Hint: One can ask to get in for half price, especially toward the end of the cruise).The food is already included in your cruise ticket; liquor is not.  

Silhouette, the main dining room, serves excellent food and for the most part, offers impeccable service. We enjoyed the meals and interesting people we met (we chose "anytime dining").

Entertainment

With the exception of an excellent jazz quartet from New Zealand, entertainment was mediocre. Given a choice of food or entertainment, I’d take the food any day. The Equinox excels in offering a top-notch dining experience.

Single ladies of any age: you will not find many or any single men on board. A bit disappointed about that, I enjoyed meeting many wonderful couples from around the world.

Weather: Though summer is the most popular time for cruises, a caveat for those who don't like heat: wait until October or November. We went Nov. 1-13 and most of our cruise was warm, well into the 70s and even 80 in Malta. Rome was the coolest place, in the 50s with light rain for part of the day. Oppressively hot summer temps will make it very uncomfortable to walk around or stand in line.

The Equinox cleared us out quickly, easily and set sail again the same day for the northern Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. It’s easy to understand why so many arranged (ahead of time) to continue with the Celebrity on that voyage.

We will return.   Check labels for additional Celebrity posts on this blog.

Tags: Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise, Rome tours, singles on cruises, Jane Feehan

Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean ports of Santorini and Naples: stressand repose

By Jane Feehan

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The Equinox pulled into the Greek isle of Santorini, along with four other ships on the same day. I’m told this doesn’t happen often. About 9,000 people made their way on tenders at nearly the same time like an invading army to the shores of this picturesque port. To see anything, visitors must make their way to the top of this volcanic island via cable car or donkey. We didn’t pay for a ship excursion, which runs about $90 to $345 per person. The $345 tour takes visitors to a volcanic site, another port and a wine tasting—not worth it. Many told us before our cruise that few take excursions on Santorini.

So … we were on our own, along with most of  9,000 others. Locals offer a 20-minute boat trip as an option (for 12 Euros) to the very long wait for the cable cars to another part of Santorini where a bus took us to the beautiful village of Oia. There, we wandered through narrow streets amid brilliant white stone buildings for about 45 minutes before hopping a waiting bus for a 15 minute ride to Fira.

There are many stores in Fira, some operated by Americans, all targeting tourists. Small cafés with spectacular views abound. We lunched at a place we picked at random where we took in a spectacular, panoramic view. The food—Greek salads and fish—was nearly as good as the view.  It made up for the ordeal to come.

Literally thousands waited in a line for six cable cars to catch their tender to the ship. We decided instead to walk down a cobble stone donkey trail (rides are five Euros one way) picking our way over smelly mounds of manure through hundreds of tethered or wandering animals. It took an interminable 45 minutes in warm weather; it was extremely stressful. One woman collapsed at the bottom of the cliff and was placed in a wheelchair. The descent diminished our Santorini experience. Thankfully, we had a day at sea to recover before a stop in Naples.

Though steeped in history, and a chief port in Italy, Naples is not a tourist destination. But the ruins of

Pompeii lie a few miles away as well as the beautiful Amalfi coast, Positano and Sorrento. We weren’t up for a nine-hour day on this stop (too much night life) so chose a five or six hour Sorrento excursion ($50 each). Other excursions to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast ran $135 to $345 per person.

We relaxed on an hour and a half drive along the coast, took photos and spent two free hours in this pretty town for a couple of hours. This was a Sunday and plenty of locals (who look so stylish even in jeans) and tourists were out walking about enjoying the good weather and Christmas decorations. Sorrento is known for producing fine wooden lacquered boxes, olive oil, and lemon soaps. Tip: don’t buy anything at a store the guide steers you to to as a meeting place; it’s twice as expensive than others with the same merchandise because they get a commission.

We arrived back at around 2 p.m.—ready for another night of culinary glee, fine wine and good music. Our last stop: Rome. Check labels for additional Celebrity posts on this blog.

Tags: Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise, Sorrento, Santorini

Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise: Mykonos and Ephesus

By Jane Feehan
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Two days back to back, two ports, two countries ...

We stopped at the Greek island of Mykonos where it was warm for November - about 75 degrees. This port caters to tourists so there's plenty of shopping. Friendly "Aegean" cats abound. The island is small so there is no need for a paid excursion. We passed up the stores in favor of a leisurely stroll to the end of the island where there are picturesque windmills used to grind wheat. Mykonos is quite windy throughout the year. We decided to lunch back on the ship. This island, though beautiful, does not appear very clean. 

We docked at Kusadasi, Turkey the next day where we took an excursion to Ephesus,  an important port

Library at Ephesus

city of about 200,000 residents  from 300 BC until about 700 AD. River silt has since eliminated water access but what a booming place this once was. 

Apostles Paul and John visited Ephesus to preach about their new religion (letters of St. Paul to the Ephesians). Some Christians believe the Virgin Mary lived out her days in this ancient city. A shrine on a mountain top marks that site. We took an excursion (about $94 each) to that shrine and to the marvelous ruins. The hoards of tourists arriving on buses at the shrine diminished prospects of a religious experience. The ruins were far more interesting with what was once the third largest library in the world. Only 15 percent of the city's ruins have been excavated (money issues, Turkey is a poor country).

We lunched at the Pine Bay resort, a Double Tree property. They presented a fantastic buffet with local dishes galore. The trip ended at a Turkish carpet retailer where they tried their best (but failed), to make a few big sales. It was a bit of a turnoff.

Cruise tips and info:

Celebrity does a great job organizing disembarkation and embarkation at their port stops; there is very little waiting. The best dollar value is in Kusadasi and Ephesus, so shopping is worth the time. Beware of the hard sell here. Turkey may be going on the Euro and our tour guide told us residents hope it does not come to pass. The Celebrity crew does their shopping in Kusadasi so they also hope the Euro does not come to pass.

Don't fear a virus outbreak on the Celebrity. Attendants stand at dining room entrances with bottles of disinfectant. They also greet us at the gangway with hand wash when we return from shore. The ship's stores stop business transactions every 30 minutes to wipe down counters and cash registers. Bartenders use tongs for fruit and anything else they add to drinks.  Impressive.Check labels for additional Celebrity posts on this blog.

Tags: Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise, Ephesus, Kusadasi, 

Celebrity Equinox cruise, a day in Athens

Acropolis

By Jane Feehan

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Quite a day we had in Athens. We hired a driver  instead of opting for one of the Equinox tours. Our guide, Stelios Spinoulas, was knowledgeable and charming. I will be writing a post about him when we return.

One of the first "sights" we encountered driving into Athens was a pack of about four or five dogs looking right and looking left as they were attempting to cross a busy street. I feared they were about to be run over but Stelios assured us this is a common sight in Athens. Strays are picked up by the police, brought to a vet where they are examined for disease (and probably neutered) and set out again with collars. People are quite good about feeding these creatures; we didn't see a thin stray anywhere. Fat cats also abound ... and I'm an animal lover.

Stelios showed us so many highlights of Athens, I can't remember them all: Parthenon, Acropolis, ancient markets, President's palace, old city (Plaka), the Olympic stadium, where the modern games commenced in 1896, and the port city of Piraeus.  It was a day we will long remember, thanks to our guide.

Happy dogs at the Temple to Zeus where they are cared for

More cruise tips and info:

Equinox tours for Athens run about $40 to $140 per person. We arranged our private tour months ago.

The food on the ship continues to amaze us. We have not had a bad meal and have eaten in a number of venues, including specialty restaurants. 

Shopping is not great on the Equinox. There are very few sundries such as shampoo and mouth wash on two or three shelves in one store. There are clothing shops but with a limited selection of items and sizes such as T-shirts and hats. A high end cosmetics shop is available but again, limited in items.

Many people from around the world are on this ship, but Americans are in the majority.

Temple to Athena

Check labels for additional Celebrity posts on this blog.

Tags: Celebrity Equinox cruise, vacations, Athens, tours in Athens, Stelio Spinoulas

Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise, Malta

By Jane Feehan

We docked at Valletta, Malta this morning at sunrise. This island of about 400,000 residents is steeped in the history of battles for its ownership. For centuries it was said that the country or power that held Malta controlled the Mediterranean. 

We took a three-city bus ride and hour long harbor cruise and left knowing it was the right excursion choice (about $50 each for four and a half hours). The tour guide told us we had seen about half the island of 300 square miles. Lunch was back on ship and the Equinox sailed at 5 p.m.  I left Malta hoping to return to the place where St. Paul was shipwrecked as he spread the Gospel and where vestiges of battles throughout the centuries are embedded in its fortress walls.

Tags: Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise, Malta

A Mediterranean voyage on the Celebrity Equinox, Day 1

We're off for a 13-day Mediterranean cruise aboard the Celebrity Equinox.The ship,which will serve as hotel for about 2,800 passengers, left Barcelona yesterday and will dock in Malta tomorrow. From there we're headed for Greece, Turkey and Italy, ending the voyage in Barcelona.

This is a premier cruise line, not a Seabourn, Crystal or Silverseas, but with exceptional food and a spacious stateroom, the Equinox will be a top tier vacation venue.

I'll be posting here about the trip as we make way through the Mediterranean. Though November 2, it's warm with temps expected to be near 80 as we approach Malta.

Traveler tips: 

* There are no irons in the staterooms. Some say they are not allowed on board. Prepare to send your items for pressing and they will try to return them by dinner the first night. Luggage is delivered between 2 and 3 pm the day of embarkation, so it may be a problem getting clothes pressed in time for an early dinner.
* Guest Relations will change dollars into the currency of countries on the itinerary.

Check labels for additional Celebrity posts. 

Tags: Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruises, photos of Celebrity Equinox staterooms

Cheap, fast and sometimes late into the night: Diners in Broward and Palm Beach counties

Summit Diner, Summit NJ, photo by 
Jeff Boyce who uploaded to 
Creative Commons, Lic 3.0 

By Jane Feehan

Some say the first diner was developed by Jerry O’Mahony (1890-1969) of Bayonne, NJ. His company, the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Co. produced 2,000 pre-fabricated diners from 1917-1952. Others credit Philip Duprey and Irving Stoddard of Worcester, MA who established the Worcester Lunch Car Co. and delivered the first lunch cars along the Eastern seaboard in 1906. No matter the genesis or whether they are prefab structures, diners are defined today as restaurants serving a wide range of food in a casual atmosphere, usually featuring a counter; many serve late into the night. In Florida, some diners serve just breakfast and lunch.

      

Below is a list of diners operating in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Fort Lauderdale area

Lester’s Diner – 3 locations

Lester's Diner (954) 525-5641 - Only this Lester’s is open 24 hours
250 W State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale, 33315 

Lester's Diner (954) 979-4722
4701 Coconut Creek Parkway 
Margate, FL 33063 

Lester's Diner (954) 838-7473
1399 Northwest 136th Avenue, 
Sunrise, FL 33323 

84 Diner – (954) 423-1787

11432 W. SR 84,Sunrise, 33325

Moonlite Diner (24 hours)

6201 N. Andrews Blvd. Oakland Park 33334

Peter Pan Diner – (954) 565-7177 (24 hours)

1216 E. Oakland Park Blvd., 33334

The Floridian - (954) 463-4041 (24 hours)

1410 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 33301

Egg and You – (954) 564-2045 (24 hours)

2621 N. Federal Hwy., Wilton Manors 33306

Diner By the Sea - (954) 481-0642

215 Commercial Blvd., Lauderdale by the Sea 33308

Sea Ranch Diner - (954) 784-7422

4743 N. Ocean Dr. Fort Lauderdale 33308

South Broward

Flashback Diner – 954-454- 8300 Open 24 hours

220 N. Federal Hwy., Hallandale 33009

Grampa’s Bakery and Restaurant -(954) 923-2163

17 SW First St., Dania Beach, 33004

Jack’s Hollywood Diner - (954) 929-2888

1031 N. Federal Hwy., Hollywood 33020

Moonlite Diner - (954) 924-2012

3500 Oakwood Blvd., Hollywood 33020

Lighthouse Point

Red Fox Diner - (954) 783-7714 Not open late

3640-1 N. Federal Hwy., Light House Point 33064

Deerfield Beach

Marlee’s Diner - (954) 428-7464   (open until 9, check seasonal hours)

699 S. Federal Hwy., Deerfield 33441

Shelby’s Kitchen - (954) 570-8773 open until 9 most days

3952 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield 33442

Olympia Flame - (954) 480-8402

80 S. Federal Hwy, Deerfield 33441

Delray Beach

Odyssey Diner – 561- 638-9393 – last seated at 8 p.m.

15200 Jog Rd., Delray 33484

Boca Raton

Boca Diner – 561-750-6744 Closed at 9 p.m.

2801 N. Federal Hwy. Boca Raton 33431

Tequesta

Time to Eat Diner 561-744-9768
716 US Hwy 1, Tequesta

Tags: Diners in Fort Lauderdale, Diners in Broward County, Diners in Palm Beach County, 24-hour diners