Category Archives: Europe

Room with a View: Staying in Santorini

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Europe, Greece, Santorini

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This is post seven of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

After an activity-packed stay in Athens, Mrs. Selfish and I left the Hilton Athens and headed to the airport. Our destination, Santorini: one of the most beautiful islands in the Aegean Sea.

The flight was brief, and before I knew it we were in a van bound for Oia, the beautiful cliff side village filled with jaw dropping views that have become synonymous with Santorini.

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Athen’s Other Sites

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Greece

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This is post six of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

While the Acropolis is arguably Athen’s main draw, there are plenty of other sites to see if you’re a ruins lover, many of which can be accessed for free with your Acropolis ticket.

Ascending up Mt Lycabettus

Athens Sites-2 002

Rising 200 meters above the rest of the area, Mt. Lycabettus is a great way to get panoramic views of Athens. You can get to the top of the mountain one of two ways – walking, or paying 7 euros to take the funicular up to the top.

Since it was a boiling 88 degrees, Mrs. Selfish and I decided to conserve our energy and take the furnicular.

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Taking it Indoors: Athen’s Museums

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Greece

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This is post five of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

I have a mixed relationship with museums. I love walking through them, but scarcely read anything. This means that an average museum trip for Mrs. Selfish and I is usually less than 2 hours.

We’ve blazed through the Uffizi in Florence (where we almost missed the Birth of Venus), the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Museum of Natural History in NYC, to name a few. Undoubtedly we missed much.

So when it came to Athens, I was debating whether or not we should even head indoors. With 3 full days in Athens, however, it became clear that we were running out of things to do, so we decided to head to the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine Museum. Good thing too, as both proved to be well worth the trip.

The National Archaeological Museum

Athens Museums 002

Considered (by Wikipedia) to be one of the greatest museums in the world, the National Archaeological Museum has one of the largest collections of ancient artifacts I’ve ever seen.

I love me some Greek statues, so this was well worth the trip. It was also nice to actually see the statues in Greece, as opposed to other European museums where they were “on loan” or had been looted from Greece hundreds of years ago. Entrance to the museum was 7 euros per person. Continue reading →

Oompa! Eating Athens

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Food & Drinks, Greece

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This is post four of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Having recently eaten our way through Taipei, Mrs. Selfish and I were finally getting tired of Asian food, a rare feat in the Selfish Household. Fortunately, we were now in Greece and I was hungering for some Greek food.

Pitas! Gyros! Lamb! Feta! Baklava! Actually, that’s about all the Greek food I knew going in.

Apparently our offerings of Greek food Stateside are very weak and consists almost entirely of gyros, which is like going to a sushi restaurant and declaring you know Japanese food. We just don’t get the breadth of Greek food in the good ol’ USA.

Fortunately, Athens has a wide variety of Greek food types, so we set out to expand our palettes.

Munching down at Manh Manh

Athens Eats 001

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Starting at the Top: The Acropolis

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Athens, Europe, Greece

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This is post three of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

For our first day in Athens Mrs. Selfish and I headed to the Acropolis. The largest tourist attraction in Athens (and possibly in Greece), the Acropolis is a collection of four ancient buildings that sit on top of a flat rock a few hundred feet above the rest of the city.

Constructed in the 5th century, BC, the Acropolis is most noted for the Parthenon, which dominates the skyline. Since Athens was conquered several times over the last 2000+ years, the Acropolis has been burned and reconstructed many, many times.

Since 1975, however, the Greeks have made a serious effort to restore the Acropolis, which was ravaged by pollution, war, and poor restoration. Most notably, the Venetians (the jerks of the Adriatic, as we would later learn in Dubrovnik) damaged it with artillery fire back in late 1600’s and it never fully recovered.

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Acropolis for Breakfast: Staying at the Hilton Athens

14 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Athens, Europe, Greece, Hilton

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This is post two of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

After a busy night in Taipei, and a trip to the best shaved ice place ever, Ice Monster, Mrs. Selfish and I woke up at 4 in the morning and hopped in a cab to the Taipei airport.

A little groggy, we were awakened by our cab driver’s erratic style – namely using the gas and the brake pedals simultaneously. That takes talent.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Selfish’s was starting to experience morning sickness, so we were more than happy to exit the cab 30 minutes later to start the next leg of our journey: Taipei to Athens by way of Seoul and Frankfurt.

map

Admittedly, I was pretty excited since we were going to get to try out Asiana first class from Seoul to Frankfurt, a 11+ hour flight.

While the seats were a little dated, the service and food was outstanding! I especially enjoyed eating bibimbap at 30,000 feet – though technically this was probably more like fried rice since the bowl was not a sizzling hotpot, so the rice couldn’t achieve the proper level of crispiness.

21+ hours of travel later, we arrived at our next stop: Athens.

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Greece Lightning: Heading to Greece

13 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Europe, Greece

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This is post one of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

Man, what a year it’s been! I reported back on the first half of our trip to Taiwan and Greece back in September, and then skipped ahead to our trip to Korea.

Why? Chalk it up to preparing for Baby Selfish, too much traveling, or downright laziness, but the fact of the matter is that I broke up Taiwan and Greece because they felt like two separate trips. I mean, check out this map:triplethejetlagfor120000miles

Finally! A legit round-the-world trip.

So that brings me back to Greece. Mrs. Selfish and I visited Italy back in 2010, and Turkey earlier this year, but Greece had always been high up on our list.

Greece 001

You don’t really need a reason with sites like this. Continue reading →

Summer is Coming: Heading to Ireland and Croatia

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in Croatia, Europe, Ireland

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Quiz time! I bet you knew that Mr. Selfish was a big nerd, but did you know that MRS. Selfish was a big nerd too?

Yes, she’s taken her fair share of stupid pictures – I should say the lion’s share, actually, but does that really make her nerdy?

In a crazy twist, Mrs. Selfish is actually a HUGE fan of Game of Thrones. As in, she not only watches the show, but she reads the books too!

Game of Thrones!

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Triple the Jetlag to Taiwan and Greece!

23 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Europe, Greece, Hilton, Hyatt, Taiwan

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Over the last week we’ve been moving all the crap I never thought I’d see again out of a 16’ x 8’ x 8’ container into a space roughly 3/5 the size of our Orlando house. The amount of stuff we have has been so daunting, that we have to put our Tanzania trip report on a brief hiatus.

box o crap

Man, I hoped I’d never see this stuff again.

After living out of a suitcase for the last 20 months, it’s been a pretty draining experience. “Why do we have so much clothes? Why did we buy all of this stuff? Who bought this???”

So I’m really looking forward to our upcoming trip to Taiwan and Greece next week.

Yes, Taiwan & Greece. One trip. 2 continents. 3 bouts of jetlag.

We are literally flying around the world this time.

Triple the Jetlag for 120,000 miles!

Triple the insanity for 120,000 US Airways miles each!

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Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

22 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Istanbul

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This is the final post out of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

Ever since we got into the miles and points game, Mrs. Selfish and I have made it a personal goal to cash in all of our miles and points for experiences we would never pay cash for. Like staying in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora or flying Lufthansa first class home from Europe.

While these redemptions have been pretty awesome, we usually get the most value for our miles flying international business class. While your average international flight is expensive – international business class is ridiculously expensive.

Like $3000 one way expensive, if you’re doing it right. And while the flights themselves tend to be great, one side benefit of flying business that we rarely talk about here at the Selfish Years is the lounges.

In the States, airline lounges mean free wifi, edible food, a moderately clean bathroom, free(ish) booze, and a room packed to 70% of capacity. Outside of the States, however, it’s a whole other story.

Let me show you by comparing my two favorite business class lounges, the Turkish Airlines flagship lounge in Istanbul and Cathay Pacific’s “The Wing” in Hong Kong.

Decor & Features

Most international business class lounges are pretty similar. They tend to be swankily decorated. There’s free wifi. There’s usually a showering facility filled with amenities like shampoo, lotion, and tooth paste. There are often free magazines, computer stations, and TVs playing movies.

Lounge Deathmatch 001

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Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Asia, Europe, Istanbul

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This is the tenth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

Istanbul has the distinction of being in two continents. While the old historic part of Istanbul is in Europe, the Asian side is merely across the Bosphorus Strait. Mr. Selfish and I love the idea of being in both Europe and Asia in one day, so we opted to take a day trip from Europe to Asia.

Day Trip

Starting in Europe: Dolmabahçe Palace

Right near our hotel and on the European coastline of the Bosphorus Strait is Dolmabahçe Palace. Construction on the palace finished in 1856 and cost approximately $1.5 billion USD in today’s currency. It was built to replace Topkapı Palace as the Sultan’s residence and is considered to be the Versailles of Turkey. The palace was a significant factor in the decline of the finances of the Ottoman Empire, which eventually slid into bankruptcy. Needless to say, it is quite elaborate and ornate.

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Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in Europe, Istanbul

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This is the ninth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

Generally speaking, Mrs. Selfish and I are bad tourists. We like to hang out in a foreign city to soak up the ambiance, but we rarely spend much time in museums. Just haven’t built up the endurance, I suppose – I similarly get exhausted shopping for more than an hour or so.

That being said we do like to walk, especially in the old parts of town. There’s just so much to do, see, smell, and eat that you miss out on with faster modes of travel.

And so it was that we decided to stroll on over to the Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern, two Istanbul attractions that get a little less love than the big boys.

The Topapki Palace

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The Topkapi Palace was constructed in the mid 1400’s, and was the primary residence of the Ottoman Turks for over 400 years. It’s a large complex with 4 main courtyards and several small buildings. It’s not Versaille big, or Forbidden City big, but it would probably take you a good 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other.

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Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul

19 Monday May 2014

Posted by in Europe, Food & Drinks, Istanbul

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This is the eighth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

I love Daniel Craig as James Bond. I mean, he’s no Sean Connery, but in my opinion, he is the next best James Bond. So, while in Istanbul, Mr. Selfish and I rewatched Skyfall, because the opening sequence is set in Istanbul. Although it didn’t seem quite geographically accurate, there is an awesome chase scene near the Grand Bazaar.

James Bond

Unfortunately, I didn’t spot James Bond on a motorcycle at the Grand Bazaar. Nevertheless, it is still quite epic. The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It is quite large with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops. I was pretty surprised as to how large it was.

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Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Europe, Istanbul

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This is the seventh of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

Since Mr. Selfish and I had a lovely hammam experience in Morocco, we figured we would try a Turkish bath while in Istanbul. There are tons of hammams all over Istanbul but we opted for a mixed gender hammam near the Süleymaniye Mosque. The hammam was called Suleymaniye Hamami, and you can make a reservation online.

Hammam 001Hammam 002

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Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!

17 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Europe, Food & Drinks, Istanbul

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This is the sixth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

I already went over the delicious cheap eats we had while in Istanbul. This post will go over some of the “fancier” food we had.

Zubeyir: The Best Adana Kebabs Ever!

I know I said in the last post that Turkish food was much more than kebabs, but we had to sample some while we were in Istanbul. After some Internet research, I discovered that Zubeyir (located at Şht. Muhtar Mh., 34435 Beyoğlu) is reputed to have some of the best adana kebabs in Istanbul.

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When we walked in and saw the grill in the middle of the restaurant, I knew that we had made the right decision. Mr. Selfish and I usually order different things when going to a new restaurant in order to diversify and try more than one dish. We didn’t do that here. We both ordered the adana kebabs, and I’m glad we did.

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