Preparation for Travel to Greece

Last Minute Travel Details

If you want to know about the weather and what to pack see www.athensguide.com/weather.html My advice is to pack light. You can always buy something extra to wear if you need it and once you have seen the sights of Athens there is nothing more fun than shopping for clothes. The variety is extensive and you will find designs and styles that you may not have at home. If you are there during the sales you can buy your whole wardrobe and save what you spent on the airfare.Traveler's Checks or Credit Card? It doesn't matter. Obviously a credit card is easier to carry and there is no shortage of ATM machines with instructions in English. Shots? I mean the kind they give you in your arm for disease? You probably won't need them. Most likely you won't need a visa either unless you are from a very short list of countries which require them. Check with your local Greek consulate or embassy if you are not sure. You can also e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com

Preparatory Reading Material for Travel in Greece

I used to have a list here of recommended books but it got way out of control. So I made a whole site for books which I think you will enjoy. There is a section on Guidebooks and Travelogues, history, cookbooks, novels, poetry and more. It's at www.greektravel.com/books

Also of interest is my History of Greece which was supposed to be an introduction but goes into as much detail as many of the history books do.

If you are wondering what the food in Greece will be like visit www.greecefoods.com

If you are interested in Greek Mythology check out Dick Caldwell's Greek Mythology at www.greecetravel.com/greekmyths

Greek Film and Movies about Greece
From Benji to Zorba and some you have never heard of. See my guide at www.greecetravel.com/film/mattspicks.htm

You can order Odyssey Magazine at a special discounted rate at: www.greektravel.com/odysseyform

Matt's Greece Photo Album:
If you need inspiration to book your ticket or you want to pretend you are there I have an entire gallery worth of photos at www.greecetravel.com/photos including some amazing photos my father took of greece in the sixties.

Greece4Kids
If you are bringing your children and you want to let them know about Greece from a child's perspective see my daughter Amarandi's website at www.greece4kids.com
They will love it but once they read it you will probably have to stay at a hotel with a pool.

Education
See my Index of Schools and Study Abroad Programs at www.greecetravel.com/schools where I list various summer programs, language courses, various classes and programs that are more mind-body-spirit than academic and anything else I could think of.

Greece-China Connection
Remember the nameTheresa Mitsopoulou . She is an archaeologist who has devoted her life to proving that the ancient Greek and ancient Chinese cultures are the same. Many Greek archaeologists consider her a crank but she has written several books on the subject and numerous articles and I think she is rather convincing. Of course some of the most revolutionary thinkers the world has known were dismissed by their peers so whether Theresa is correct only time will tell. But I have begun to publish her material and if you are interested in Archaeology or the implications of what Greece and China being one and the same could mean then go towww.greecetravel.com/archaeology/mitsopoulou

Enhance your enjoyment of Greece: Learn Greek!

One of the things that seems to amaze travelers is how many people speak English. Does everyone in Greece speak English? Not everyone but it is possible that just about everyone you come in contact with will speak some English. Still some people want to learn at least a few words of Greek and these programs are helpful:

The Read and Speak Greek CD-Rom program by Dr. George Balanis and his wife Toula is a fun way to learn. With hundreds of lessons that cover all facets of learning Greek, I bought it for my 6-year old daughter and I use it as well. I have recommended this to many people. If I used it more than I would probably be fluent by now. Don't do as I do. Do as I suggest and check out this program by visiting www.greecetravel.com/anotek

The Modern Greek Language Series by Matina Psyhogeos has grown out of the need for a comprehensive Beginning through Intermediate-Advanced course for the student of the Greek language. The strict criterion is that techniques and principles of this curriculum are presented simply and methodically. The Psyhogeos Program has been tested and applied extensively in high schools and colleges and was presented, by its developer - the highly regarded educator - in many conferences, seminars and workshops in the US and other English-speaking countries with excellent results. It offers a variety of books for the study of the Greek language by the student at home or under the supervision of an instructor when the student is very young. For more info see www.greeklanguagecourses.com

You can use this website to help you learn Greek for your trip. It can be used as a reference guide for those of you who are already taking Greek classes, or as a simplified course for those who want to start with the basics. Steve Aronis has put a lot of work into his site and everytime I look it gets better and better. Steve created this site for everyone that wants to learn the modern Greek language on the internet. He has included complete simplified grammar and tests. I Learn Greek.com also has a Vocabulary directory that contains more than 3000 words and phrases complete with phonetics translation and some of them sound!

Learn Greek In Two Months!
The Phonetic Method is a simple,  practical,  self taught course in Greek language for children or adults. The course offers vocabulary most frequently used in daily life and brief dialogues for everyday situations. For $39 (including shipping and handling) you get a book and two 90 minute cassettes, but the best part is that Helen Dumas is available three evenings a week to help students with any problems they may encounter. Helen Dumas is the Director of Greek Education and Culture for the Western United States. For more information contact Helen at speakgreeknow@aol.com

Music and Extra Stuff and Other Matt Barrett Sites

See my Greek Music Index at www.greecetravel.com/music . The most popular page in that section is my Introduction to Rembetika Music which is my secret passion. Originating in the cafes, refugee settlements and prisons of Greece in the nineteen-twenties, it became the popular music of the country. There is a list of clubs in my Athens Survival Guide Guide and for a list of my favorite Rembetika CD's see www.athensguide.com/cds  which is very helpful if you want to get into Greek Music and are not sure where to begin.

'All My Friends from Greece' is a rock-travel-video put together by Andy Emery to promote Greece (and my website). We have big plans for it but for now you can see it at www.greecetravel.com/music/videos
If you like it tell your friends and if you love it tell me.

Matt Barrett for Mayor of Athens?
It was not my idea. If nominated I will not accept. If elected I will not serve. But what does it pay? To read the article which appeared in the Athens News go to www.greektravel.com/athensnews

Travel to North Carolina?
Why not? I live here half the year. I actually got an award for this one from my local radio station. See www.northcarolinatravels.com

Greek Food and Wine:
For the most comprehensive guide to Greek food and drink see my Guide to Greek food and drink. Pages and pages of Greek food photos, restaurant reviews, the best retsina, ouzo and more at www.greecefoods.com

Going to Paris?
This site is not really complete yet. I am still working on it in my spare time but you can take a peek at www.aparisguide.com

A History of Greece:
This is probably the website I worked the hardest in the shortest amount of time. It was like doing a college paper or a book report but a lot more fun. See www.ahistoryofgreece.com

My book Spearfishing in Skatahori can be read in it's entirety at www.mattbarrett.net/spearfishing

Whatever happened to Matt Barrett: Poet, Rock-star, Folksinger?
I used to be a musician and have a site dedicated to my music which I think is pretty good.  If you love bands like the Kinks, the Move, Free, the Beatles, the Raspberries, the Who and Del Amitri and believe that pop music can have meaning, melody and be able to make you dance, then check out my music site at www.mattbarrett.net/music. You can listen to my theme song for the 2004 Olympics, which obviously was not accepted despite me taking the time to remove all the references to sex and drugs. Maybe a little too much rock and roll. Click to hear All My Friends From Greece and the flip side Summertime

Links

Take a look at my links for other interesting websites mostly about Greece or travel but also of general interest and some eccentric stuff too. Mostly people who wanted to exchange links whose pages I liked enough to agree. There is a strategy that if you have links from a million other websites it improves the value of your site in the eyes of the search engines. Actually it just devalues the idea of links. So sites like mine which have lots of links from other sites because people actually liked it enough to link to it is competing for attention with some guy who used keywords, link exchanges and other sneaky methods to elevate the visability of his site which he copied out of a guidebook. Anyway people seem to find my website somehow, but if you want to help, tell your friends and at least a hundred strangers.

This website began as a hobby about ten years ago and since then it has grown in popularity and size. 99.9% of the material on my websites was written by myself. I don't have a staff. I took all the photos with the possible exception of the one above and some of the historical ones. I update the site continuously so unlike a guidebook I don't have to wait for the next printing to fix a mistake. People have been asking me how they can contribute. First of all you can contribute by using the agencies I recommend. Without their support this site could not exist. The best way to contribute is to help spread the word about my Greece Travel Guides. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell strangers on the travel bulletin boards. If you have your own website or blog make a link. The only way I can compete with the big commercial sites is with your help.

Remember if you have any questions about services, itineraries, problems or anything having to do with Greece you can e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com  and I will respond quickly. There is no fee. All info is Free. 
I hope to see you in Greece!
Matt Barrett

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