Seeing Cats In Greece, 2011

My name is Naomi and I'm a crazy cat person. I proudly admit this. Jon is, too, though he probably wouldn't call himself "crazy." Because of this, we were very excited to travel to Greece. Sure, we were looking forward to seeing the ruins, eating the wonderful food and learning more about the culture, but we also wanted to see the cats. Because the Mediterranean is warm all year long and is by the water, it's a haven for feral cats. They probably traveled on the shipping boats long ago and are now plentiful in every Mediterranean country from Greece to Israel. In Greece, at least, many people treat them like pets so for the most part, the cats are semi-tame. Sure enough, we saw kitties everywhere! It was a cat lover's paradise. When we dined for lunch, they'd mill around the outdoor restaurants asking for food. One kept eating and eating the scraps we gave him and never seemed to get full. We named him Greedy Cat. Another cat and made herself at home in my lap. I called her Frisky. We hit the jackpot in Oia when we stopped at a cliffside cafe for dinner. The restaurant was located on a "cat highway" of sorts that led between the private homes and stores so about a dozen cats wandered through the eatery that night. One made friends with us so we named him Charlie. Some organizations are thankfully trying to do something about the cats and are having them spayed and neutered. Others feed the animals. Happily, all of the cats we saw -- 93 in all, yes we counted -- all looked healthy, especially the ones who hung out by the restaurants. We'll never forget the furry friends that we met while traveling around Greece. They made our trip even more purrfect.

Traveling Like The Locals: Using Public Transportation In Foreign Countries

Many people are surprised that we use public transportation when we're in foreign countries, and don't depend on tour buses and taxis. "Isn't that dangerous?" they'll ask or "Aren't you afraid of getting lost?" In almost all cases, the answer is no. Taking public transport is usually faster and less expensive than taking a private cab. Just get a good map and pay attention to your surroundings. When we were in Tokyo back in 1985, my dad got us around on the subway by comparing the Japanese characters on the map to the ones on the signs. It was difficult, but he managed to do it and get us around. There have been some exceptions. When we were in Nigeria, we were strongly advised against using public buses and mini vans and our friends hired a driver for us. He was great, but honestly, this was a little strange for us and we felt cut off from the world. For me, using public transportation is a great way to people watch and get a true sense of a city. Take an Athens subway during rush hour, for example, and you'll see every type of person imaginable on board -- not just other tourists. Take a local bus or train in the Netherlands and you'll hear a variety of languages being spoken around you -- not just English. Some of my best travel stories come from having taken public transportation. When we took the subways and buses in Mexico City, we were accosted by people selling things (not just to us; to everyone, as this is what they do in the subways there) and were entertained by impromptu concerts. Everywhere you go, someone is performing and some of the best musicians were right there in the subway! My friends and I are all New Yorkers, so we're somewhat accustomed to the chaos, but even they were impressed. "I can't wait to see who comes onto the subway next!" my friend Scott exclaimed. In Athens, the subways double as museums. Go underground and you'll see many ruins which are still in the process of being dug up. Not your average underground experience! Meanwhile, when we were in Dublin, we were staying about a half hour outside of the city, so we took the light rail. Hardly any Americans traveled this route so we were with the locals and drove through neighborhoods we wouldn't have otherwise seen. Of course, you want to be careful when taking public transport. Don't wear expensive jewelry. Keep track of your wallet. Watch out for gropers. But these are things to be aware of even in cities back home. Heck, I worry more about the weirdos on the NYC subways than I ever did in Mexico. So next time you travel, try traveling like a local. You'll probably find it to be a lot less scary than you thought.

Hotel Review: Mill Houses, Santorini, Greece, 2011

A big part of traveling is, of course, finding a decent place to sleep. That said, I'll post hotel reviews from time to time if a hotel really stands out to me in either a good or bad way. I have nothing but positive things to say about Mill Houses Hotel in Firostefani, Santorini, Greece. Let me preface this by explaining that I broke my leg and tore ligaments in April, 2010. I needed surgery and now have a steel plate in my limb. At the time of this trip, my walking was not yet 100 percent, but I managed to push myself and make it around Athens, Delphi and Crete. I even hiked up to the Parthenon, albeit very slowly. Santorini, however, was a real bitch! It's absolutely gorgeous; Santorini's towns sit on top of volcanic mountains, which surround a caldera. Everywhere you look are beautiful views of white and blue buildings and the deep blue water. It's amazing, it's like being inside of a painting... but in order to get around, you have to navigate flights and flights and flights of steps. If you want to reach the top of Firostefani, you can take a bus, taxi, mule or cable car, but if you actually want to walk down any of the side streets, you need to do it on foot -- and then navigate the steps. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been that big of a deal to me, but when we arrived it was raining and our hotel was down about 70 steps. They were steep, slippery and there were no railings. Jon asked if I wanted to change hotels, but I refused. This one is right at the water's edge and got great reviews. It was a bit pricey, being over $200 a night, but I felt that the splurge would be worth it. I was determined to make it to the lobby, so I slowly climbed down, doing my best to keep my balance and not reinjure my ankle. Along the way, a very buff hotel staffer noticed me and told me to stop where I was. He then grabbed our luggage and said, "We'll get you a high room" and ran up the steps (with our luggage). We followed and found that our room was almost at street level, only about three steps down. It had a balcony and the most magnificent view of the caldera and neighboring town:

The good service didn't stop there. Mr. Muscles disappeared for a few moments as we unpacked, then returned with glasses of champagnge. He told us that if we needed anything -- toiletries, food, a laptop -- that we should just call and someone would bring it. This way, I wouldn't have to walk down those stairs. He was just so warm and welcoming, and didn't make me feel embarrassed about my (temporary) disability at all. As for the room itself, it was fantastic! It was made of some kind of stone or stucco so it looked as if we were inside of a white cave. We had a full working kitchen that came with plates and utensils, a big, comfy bed and a bathroom with a waterfall shower. The decorations were minimal, but very tasteful; some candles, a couple of paintings of Greece, some flowers. It was very inviting and homey, and looked more like an apartment than a typical hotel room. True to their word, they brought us whatever we needed without question, and were always friendly and accomodating. But the best part was that view! Mill Houses is right next to several good restaurants so we tried most out. We loved eating terrific food as we watched the sun set over the caldera; we then walked the 50 feet back to our place and continued to stare out at the water. You'd think that after four days of this, we would've gotten sick of the vista, but we wanted to stare and stare at it forever. Santorini has many decent hotels, both upscale and budget, but Mill Houses was the perfect choice for us. I'd definitely stay there again. Five stars!