Eating and Drinking in Athens

By Stanley Sobari

#Monastiraki Square, with the Acropolis rising in the background

Ancient monuments may draw the crowds but night out in lively tavernas and bars, sipping ouzo with meze, make for a memorable trip.

#Brettos began distilling tis own ouzo, brandy and liquors in 1909

Brettos A Plaka distric landmark, this delightful bar and distillery (the oldest in Athens) has a stunning backlit wall of colourful bottles and old wine barrels, and an old-fashioned character. It’s a quiet spot for a nightcap with a tempting range of homemade wine, ouzo, brandy, and other spirits (brettosplaka.com; Kydatheineon 41; 10am-3am daily).

Barley Cargo This fantastic bar offers more than 150 different beers, many of them from Greek microbreweries, others from around the world, including Belgium, Germany, the UK and US. Sip a Trappist ale at one of the wooden-barrel tables or as part of the crowd spilling out on to the street – it’s conveniently located in the heart of Syntagma’s bar-heavy area (facebook.com/BarleyCargo; Kolokotroni 6; 11am-3am Mon-Sat, 7pm-3am Sun).

Nixon Bar More suave than most local establishments in the district of Keramikos, Nixon Bar plays host to film showings and premieres in its 60-seater cinema, plus live music and evening shows. A young ,culture-hungry crowd lounges in the dimly lit bar, complete with marble floor and impressive chandelier, and make the most of the decent burgers and mean martinis on offer (Nixon.gr; Agisilaou 61b; 8pm-3am Mon-Sat, 1pm-3am Sun).

Café Avissinia Hidden away on colourful Plateia Avyssinias, in the middle of the flea market in Monastiraki, this bohemian tavern specializes in regional Greek cuisine, from moussaka to warm fava, and had a great selection of spirits .tehre is often acoustic live music too. Snag fantastic Acropolis views upstairs (avissinia.gr; Kynetou 7; 11am-1am Tue-Sat, until 7pm sun).

Kanella Homemade village-style bread, mismatched retro crockery and brown-paper tablecloths set the tone for this modern tavern in the Gazi neighbourhood serving regional Greek cuisine. Friendly staf serve daily specials such as lemon and oregano lamb with potatoes, and an excellent zucchini and avocado salad (kanellagazi.gr; Leoforos Konstantinoupoleos 70; 1.30pm-late).

#Moussaka and tzatziki are among the specialities at Paradosiako

Paradosiako For great traditional dishes, you can’t beat this inconspicuous, no-frills tavern on the periphery of historic Plaka neighbourhood, with a few tables on the pavement. There’s basic menu, but it’s best to choose from the daily specials , which include fresh seafood, such as prawn saganaki. It fills up quickly wit hlocals, so arrive early to get a table (Voulis 44a; from 10am daily).

Tzitzikas and Mermigas This bright, cheery, modern mezedhopoleio (place serving meze) sits smack in the middle of central Athens. It’s particularly popular for its delicious and crative mezedhes, such as the manouri cheese wrapped in ham and drizzled with honey (Mitropoleos 12-14, syntagma; open for lunch and dinner, closed Sun).

Flistron It’s wise to book a table on the rooftop terrace of this excellent Thisio mezedhopoleio, which enjoys excellent views of the Acropolis and Lykavittos. Specializing in regional cuisine, it has a great range of mezedhestry the grilled vegetables with haloumi or the onions stuffed with rice and mince (fillistron.com; Apostolou Pavlou 23 12pm-12am weekdays, until 1am weekends).

#Pastel shades and tiled floors characterize Yiantes’ courtyard

Yiantes This modern eatery, with its plain tables and freshly cut flowers set in a lovely garden courtyard, is an up market establishment in Exarhia, near the centre of Athens, and the food is superb and made with largely organic produce. Try dishes such as courgette croquettes, baby eel with chilli oil, calamari and stuffed vine leaves (yiantes.gr; Valtetsiou 44).

Cecil Hotel is a charming old hotel in a Neoclassical building on busy Athinas, with beautiful moulded ceilings, timber floors and an original cage-style lift. The simple rooms are tastefully furnished (cecilhotel.gr; 39 Athinas Street).

With views over the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the refurbished Athens Gate Hotel is a great find. Rooms are well equipped, staff are friendly and breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace (athensgate.gr; 10 Syngrou Avenue).

Hotel Grande Bretagne ranks among the grandest hotels of the world. Though its renovation is a few years distant, it still retains and old-world grandeur. The rooftop restaurant and bar are must visits (grandebretagne.gr; Syntagma Square).

#ouzo

GREEKS eateries like to specialize-you’ll find tavernas that only do pork or dedicated pita stores or souvlaki hole in the walls. The tavern has many specialist variations: a psarotaverna specializes in fish and seafood, a psistaria or hasapotaverna in chargrilled or spit-roasted meat.

Greek like to eat late restaurants don’t fill up until after 10pml. Lunch is still the big meal of the day, and does not start until after 2pm. Greeks are generous and proud hosts. Try not to refuse a drink-it’s a gesture of hospitality.

Greece’s aniseed-flavoured liquor, ouzo, has come to embody a way of socializing, and is best enjoyed with mezedhes during and extended lunch. It’s sipped slowly to cleanse the palate between tastings.

Aegean Airlines, BA, Cyprus Airways, easyjet, JAT Airways, Pegasus Airlines, SAS and Swiss fly direct from various UK cities to Athens International Airport. Half hourly blue-line metro trains run between the city centre and airport (5.30pm-11.30pm), and the bus service X95 connects the airport to Syntagma 24 hours (every 30 mins; journey time approx 1 hr). Athens has an inexpensive integrated public transport network of buses, metro, trolleybuses and a tram (oasa.gr). Metro tickets cost £1.20 and are valid for 90 minutes on all modes of transport.

Follow in the footstep of ancient athletes and run on the track of the Panathenaic Stadium, home to athletics since the 4^th century BC. Discover more things to see and do in the city of Athens on the HotelTravel.Com.

THE TRADITIONAL ONE

By Stanley Sobari

‘Railway termini…are our gates to the glorious and the unknown,’ wrote novelist E M Forster in 1910, capturing a sense of the romance of train travel that the average peak-time commuter may struggle to relate to. But once upon a time train travel was a luxurious prospect that came with a frisson of glamour and adventure, not to mention fine dining, grand surrounding and impeccable service.

It’s this Golden Age of rail travel that Orient-Express company seeks to evoke on its train services, most famously in its namesake Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) service that runs from Paris to Venice, and once a year as far as the traditional terminus of Istanbul. The same group also runs day trips in the UK on the sister trains of the VSOE – the British Pullman and the Northern Belle, which recreate the same Agatha Christie-era atmosphere without the need for a pair of tickets.

Some of the Pullman’s ‘20s carriages were used by the royal family, including steam-hauled signature journey is suitably stately. Within Art Deco interiors kitted out in wood paneling, mirrors and mosaics, guests are served a five-course dinner with wine and champagne; beyond the window, the rolling downs of the Surrey countryside speed past. On the steam-less alternative, the train winds instead through the countryside of Kent to Whistable and the sea before returning home.

The 1930s-style Northern Belle, which tours the north on a varying schedule of routes, offes a similar experience, with the addition of strolling musicians who serenade passengers as they dine. As well as food-based signature journeys, both trains run day trips to specific destinations, from a visit to Loch Lomond to a day exploring Bath. And there’s one trip that goes even further in conjuring the spirit of the Orient-Express – a murder mystery lunch on the British Pullman.

The Ghan, Australia

The luxury One

By Stanley Sobari

The Australian outback is a place that’s hard to grasps: a vast, ill-defined area mapped by Aboriginal people not on paper but in song. It was a mystery to European settlers until they started crossing it on camel, and its loose demarcations – the Red Centre, the Never Never, the Top End – still sound mysterious and remote. That it’s now crossable by train is something of marvel; that the train navigates this extreme, other-worldly land in a degree of luxury is the icing on the cake.

The train is the Ghan, a long-established service that runs up (and down) the centre of Australia from one coast to another on a three-day trip of almost 2,000 miles. Though named  after 19^th-century out back camel drivers who hailed from Afghanistan, it’s a far cry from their tough desert treks. Dinners in the smart onboard restaurant have an unmistakably out back flavor, with kangaroo fillet on the menu, while Platinum service and breakfast in bed. they could, in theory, never leave their cabins, which are decked out with en suites and oversized windows framing the passing landscapes.

The scenery is worthy of large windows indeed. On the northbound route from Adelaide, plains and russet mountains cede to the arid Red Centre, the outback’s heartland of cobalt skies, rust-red earth and haphazard fistfuls of scrub. For its first 75 years, the Ghan ended in the desert city.

ATACAMA

By Stanley Sobari

Valley of the moon is typical of the arid beauty of northern Atacama Desert

IN the north of Chile lies the most barren spot on Earth but, even here, descendants of ancient nomads live a simple, tranquil existence sustained by myth and tradition.

San Pedro owes its popularity to its proximity to some of the Atacama’s most striking features. Base yourself in this comact town and enjoy a bewildering array of tours of the surrounding desert.

# Outside a Sand Pedro de Atacama ice-cream parlour

LAN connects Calama with the Chilean capital Santiago, to which it flies from the UK via Madrid in partnership with Iberia and BA. Air France, Delta and KLM also fly to Santiago from the UK with one stop. San Pedro de Atacama is a 2½-hour drive from Calama.

Car rental firms operate from Calma airport (budget.com) or there are regular buses to San Pedro from
Calama (turbus.cl). Many agencies and hostels in San Pedro rent out mountain bikes.

Guidance Step to Your Trip

Accommodation in Sand Pedro de Atacama often comes at a premium – one cheaper options is Hostal Sonchek, which has pleasant rooms arranged around an adobe-walled courtyard, a couple of blocks from the main square, the Plaza de Armas.

Las Delicias de Carmen is a family-run bakery and café right next door to Hostal Sonchek. Dishes here include pizzas baked in a brick oven, beef escalopes, empanadas filled with cheese, tomato, and basil, and apple pie. Breakfast is also good here (Calle Calama 370b).

# el tatio geysers

Most tours to El Tatio geysers – 45 miles from Sand Pedro and more than a mile higher, at 4,300m – arrive at  dawn when the rising sun and cold air show the vapours at their best. You can also take a dip in some of the thermal pools.

# talabre

San Pedro’s RP Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum displays ceramics, texstiles, jewellery and shamanic paraphernalia from ancient Atacameno villages (Gustavo Le Paige 380). Atacameno rock art can be spotted in sites around town, including Talabre.

The surreal rock formations of the Valle de La Luna (valley of the moon) and the less visited Valle de La Muerte (Valley of Death) are found just outside Sand Pedro. Vivid colours make sunset the most popular time to visit, but some come at dawn.

Adobe is a lively café-restaurant on Sand Pedro’s main street, Caracoles, with rock-art-style décor and a central fire pit. Dishes include mushroom quinoa risotto and lomo a lo pobre-steak with chips, onions and a fried egg. Pop in for a glass of Pisco Sour (cafedobe.cl).

Wooden walkways connect eight thermal pools at Termas de Puritama, around 20 miles from San Pedro. With a constant temperature of 33.5ᵒC, the mineral-rich waters are reputed to boost everything fro mcirculation to skin health (termasdepuritama.cl).

Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa is a low-impact resort in a tranquil spot surrounded by landscaped gardens, two miles from the town plaza. Rooms are decorated with Andean weavings and local crafts, there are six pools and even some resident alpacas (altoatacama.com).

Rising from a hillside behind Alto Atacama, Pukara de Quitor is a crumbling 12^thcentury fortress with waves of defensive enclosures that served as one of the last bastions against Pedro de Valdivia’s advancing Spanish forces. It’s worth a visit for the desert views alone.

Your inspiring riding : Lonely Planet’s Chile & Easter Island for more details or visit Chile’s official tourism site chile.travel/en and for booking hotel visit too hoteltraveling.com/sg

MALLORCA

By Stanley Sobari

Almond trees have been part of the Mallorcan landscape since their introduction by the Arabs a thousand years ago.

The time of the almond blossom walking along the old mule tracks of Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana draws you deep into their millennia of history, folklore and myth. From historic mountain villages to meadow bedecked in almond blossom, the Serra de Tramuntana trail offers an intriguing glimpse into hidden Mallorca as it winds across the island.

 Homes dot the hillsides between Soler and Fornalutx

MALLORCA on foot with its varied terrain and historic, well-marked trails, is a first-class walking destination in general, and the GR221 walk across the Serra de Tramuntana is one of the great hikes of Europe. Other highlights of the island include the coast en route to Cap de Formentor, the steep-sided northern tip, and the Parc Natural de la Peninsula de Llevant, linking pine valleys and remote beaches. Walking is best between September and early June, before the sun is at its fiercest, with almond usually in bloom from late January to February. Local tourist boards are a good source of information ,with excellent maps available at local bookshops.

Operator Mallorca Hiking offers guided individual and groups walking holidays, specializing in tailor-made itineraries (Jesca, her guide, is one of their experts). They range from short countryside excursions to week-long GR221 hikes, and can also incorporate other activities such as traditional lunches, boat trips or balloon rides (day walks; mallorcahiking.com).

Follow these route :

 DAY 1 – Head from Es Capdella via mountains and pine woods to Estellencs and on along the coast to Banyalbufar.

DAY 2 – Spend a day in the 10^th-century village of Banyalbufar, before heading to Valledemossa, one of the island’s prettiest towns. 

DAY 3 – From Valldemossa, navigate forest and steep coastal paths to hilltop Deia, heading by bus to soller and on to Fornalutx.

DAY 4 – Stroll from Fornalutx back down to the ochre town of Soller before returning to Deia and its enchanting bay.

Airlines including BA, easyjet, Ryanair and Thomson Airways fly to Palma de Mallorca from UK cities including Edinburg, London, and Manchester.

Mallorca is ideal for walking and cycling: cycle routes are well-posted and suit a range of abilities (cycle could be hired on : procyclehire.com). Hiring a car allows you to access more of Mallorca’s many delights (budgets.co.uk).

For more information related Mallorca please further reading on Lonely Planet’s Mallorca is a comprehensive guide to the island. And for interesting in walking information and routes, visit infomallorca.net or read Walking in Mallorca (Sunflower Books).