RayD28 Posted December 30, 2020 Share #21 Posted December 30, 2020 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks, Andy. Hotels look to be a good value in October and a few over look the Acropolis. I had not thought of renting a home or B&Bs. Thanks for the heads up about the Monastiraki Square. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 30, 2020 Posted December 30, 2020 Hi RayD28, Take a look here 2021 Athens One Challenge - Save The Date. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Sandokan Posted January 5, 2021 Share #22 Posted January 5, 2021 Decisions decisions. Sleezyjet fly only on Mondays and Fridays; Weekend of Friday to Monday or a full week of Monday to Monday trip? Bring the family from Monday to Friday (school starts on Monday) or let them have a day off on Monday? Apartments seem to be plentiful and pleasant; but size all depends upon family coming or not ... and they are notorious for not making up their mind. I am looking forward to it already! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted January 14, 2021 Share #23 Posted January 14, 2021 (edited) One week booked from Monday to Monday in an apartment in Psirri which boasts a view of the Acropolis. Family undecided. I will wait for Easyjet booking ... their cancellation terms are not as friendly as the apartments. Edit. Booked flights too, it is a ridiculous low price which I can lose if work commitments change. Edited January 14, 2021 by Sandokan 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayD28 Posted January 14, 2021 Share #24 Posted January 14, 2021 8 hours ago, Sandokan said: One week booked from Monday to Monday in an apartment in Psirri which boasts a view of the Acropolis. Family undecided. I will wait for Easyjet booking ... their cancellation terms are not as friendly as the apartments. Edit. Booked flights too, it is a ridiculous low price which I can lose if work commitments change. Did you happen to compare hotel prices to apartments? What service did you use to find and book the apartment? AirBNB? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted January 14, 2021 Share #25 Posted January 14, 2021 I doubt that I’ll be taking part this year, but if you’re in Athens for any length of time try visiting one of the nearer island. They can be done as a day trip and makes a pleasant change from hectic Athens. Of course a lot of islands will be very quiet in October, but that could be a good thing. My favourites are Aegina and Poros, but if the fast cats are running it’s under two hours to Hydra, which is what everyone thinks a small Greek island should look like. Aegina has an amazing Greek temple in between the main town and the resort of Agia Marina, a real 5* attraction... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Aphaea 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom.w.bn Posted January 16, 2021 Share #26 Posted January 16, 2021 I heard that the challenge is only one part of the meeting. Is there some information or a another thread about the whole meeting? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted January 16, 2021 Share #27 Posted January 16, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) In case anyone in the UK is interested the Kindle edition John Fowler’s novel ‘The Magus’ is just 99p today... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0048EK3VK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It’s set mainly on the island of Spetses, not too far from Athens, where Fowles taught English in the early 50s. In the novel the main character stays in the Hotel Grande Bretagne when in Athens. I’ve never stayed there, but it’s location on Syntagma Square is superb. https://www.grandluxuryhotels.com/hotel/hotel-grande-bretagne 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share #28 Posted January 16, 2021 20 hours ago, tom.w.bn said: I heard that the challenge is only one part of the meeting. Is there some information or a another thread about the whole meeting? Tom If previous "normal" years are anything to go by, most people arrive a day or two earlier, on the Thursday or Friday (although it has been known for people to fly in and back home again on the same day). Mrs Barton and I tend to travel on the Thursday, so that we have Friday to visit the city we are in, and quietly scout for a decent photo opportunity. Some members meet up for beers and dinner on the Thursday and Friday evenings, but since the weekend is nearly always our anniversary, we tend to be miserable and eat alone On the Saturday, we meet up for lunch at a cafe (TBC), the €10 entry fee is put into a pot and the camera/film/ISO/lens combination are declared. Then everyone heads out to take their 36 shots. In the evening, if it can be arranged, we try to have a dinner for those that want and then, again, some members take part in the Night Challenge on the way home. Sobriety is the order of the day, obviously. Then, on the Sunday, once the sobriety has worn off, people go home, meet up, or go on somewhere else. It is a very sociable few days, with The Challenge being the excuse to get together and the chance to win the price of your hotel room back (depending on how many people take part and put their €10 in). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share #29 Posted January 16, 2021 41 minutes ago, stunsworth said: In the novel the main character stays in the Hotel Grande Bretagne when in Athens. I’ve never stayed there, but it’s location on Syntagma Square is superb. https://www.grandluxuryhotels.com/hotel/hotel-grande-bretagne I'll never stay there either Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/315169-2021-athens-one-challenge-save-the-date/?do=findComment&comment=4119289'>More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted January 16, 2021 Share #30 Posted January 16, 2021 35 minutes ago, andybarton said: I'll never stay there either There’s a McDonalds nearby if you want to save a bob or two. 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share #31 Posted January 16, 2021 Have just booked what looks like a really nice apartment, Acropolis view, for £70/night. Greece is very cheap at the moment. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted January 17, 2021 Share #32 Posted January 17, 2021 Hopefully, Marilyn and I will be vaccinated well before October. BUT, and it is I fear a big "but", the question of whether or not vaccinated people can carry the virus asymptomatically and still infect others is still an open one. The question of how long vaccine induced immunity will last is still an open one. The question of whether the newly emergent strains can evade the vaccines is still an open one. The question of what travel restrictions may still be in place (e.g. taking tests, self-isolating, and so on) is still an open one. It's an individual decision for everyone, but for ourselves, we don't feel we can book flights and accommodation, not to mention travel insurance post EHIC validity, until the position becomes clearer. If later on the position resolves to the point that we feel we can book, it may well by then cost us significantly more than if we book right now, but, what the hell, it's only money. 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 17, 2021 Author Share #33 Posted January 17, 2021 Understood, John. All of my bookings, including the flights, are refundable. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted January 19, 2021 Share #34 Posted January 19, 2021 We will miss you and the lovely M. 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted January 23, 2021 Share #35 Posted January 23, 2021 There are certainly more unknows this year but at some stage we need to start again to plan for the future, so the slot is blocked in my schedule. I never booked that far ahead in previous years, though. Stefan 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 7, 2021 Share #36 Posted February 7, 2021 Watching the Andrew Marr show this morning they mentioned that Greece have said they will require holidaymakers to carry a 'vaccine passport' when travel is opened up again. The Government minister on the show said that there is no intention to launch such a scheme in the UK and that your GP has your medical records (but didn't elaborate as to how that would help). I suspect that such a passport will be introduced, as not doubt many other countries will start to demand it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted February 7, 2021 Author Share #37 Posted February 7, 2021 Given the number of British holidaymakers who go to Greece, there’s no way that the UK government won t get Covid passports sorted. Probably. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted February 7, 2021 Share #38 Posted February 7, 2021 1 hour ago, andybarton said: Given the number of British holidaymakers who go to Greece, there’s no way that the UK government won t get Covid passports sorted. Unless of course they want them to go to Morecambe and Scarborough rather than Mykonos and Santorini. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted February 7, 2021 Author Share #39 Posted February 7, 2021 True. And who wouldn’t want to go to Morecambe and Scarborough? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted February 7, 2021 Share #40 Posted February 7, 2021 It's a dilemma 🧐 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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