Anybody ever got tight in Greece?

[Andy]

So on Wednesday I leave for three weeks on a study abroad program of Greek History. Being a business student, I plan to be neck-deep in the sauce the entire time. Anybody know anything about boozing in Greece? Good bars? Cheap booze? Good cheap booze? I'm aparently gunna be all over the place so even if it's one random bar in Athens or a cheap liquor store in Volos whose owner's daughter makes it double as a whorehouse , I'd be forever grateful.

cheers,
Andy

[Lupus]

So on Wednesday I leave for three weeks on a study abroad program of Greek History. Being a business student, I plan to be neck-deep in the sauce the entire time. Anybody know anything about boozing in Greece? Good bars? Cheap booze? Good cheap booze? I'm aparently gunna be all over the place so even if it's one random bar in Athens or a cheap liquor store in Volos whose owner's daughter makes it double as a whorehouse , I'd be forever grateful.

cheers,
Andy

Tight in Greece? Memememememe!
I can't help with specific bars in Athens and Volos, but I can give some general tips:
- try to avoid retsina unless it comes highly recommended - when it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad it's truly nasty.
- have ouzo, lots of ouzo, the way the locals drink it. That is, have it with a variety of nibbles and good company. Sip a little, talk a lot, eat something. Take your time and repeat said process until thoroughly drunk. No one will think you're a pansy if you mix it with ice and/or water.
- You can buy booze everywhere AND drink it everywhere. No open container laws. If you feel like buying a beer from a kiosk (periptero) and chill on a park bench drinking it, you are free to do so. Isn't that great?
- No age limit enforced either...
- Drinks tend to be on the generous side, at least compared to Scotland.
- Absinthe is legal! Get it at good liquor stores.
- Try the wine. Greece produces a lot of it, and most wines are of very good quality. If you go to a taverna, ask the waiter what he recommends.
- Befriend the natives. Be prepared to suffer being asked your opinion of Bush (he is not well-liked in Greece) constantly - indulge them. They can show you the best places to drink and can be quite charming if they want to.
- Resign yourself to the fact that most bars and restaurants will offer a choice between Amstel and Heineken and maybe one or two more beers. "Mythos" is a greek beer similar to those and not half bad. For a wider range, go to a brasserie.


That's all I could think of right now. Anything else you might want to know, don't hesitate to ask.

[Malkor]

Ive been to greece a couple of times, i agree that ouzo is an excellent drink and you should bring some back with you (never seen it for sale anywhere but greece)
avoid fat men called Jenny, they tend to be extremly violent

[Lupus]

Oh, and:
- make no jokes about the "Greek Way" - people would be first puzzled, then insulted.
- most Greeks (especially young people) speak English, in varying degrees of competence. Some are self-conscious, though, and hesitate to do so.
- tips are usually included in the bill. That means a) don't feel guilty not to tip a lot b) the staff of your chosen establishment will love you if you do.
- gyros in Greece is pork (or chicken sometimes), not lamb.
- For fast food, try Goody's, the local equivalent of MacDonald's.
- "ParakaLO"=please. "EfchariSTO"=thanks. People will appreciate the effort. (they will also try to teach you more, and be amused with your efforts).

[Tipsy McStagger]

Go to Mykonos! The whole island is fantastic.

[3DrinksAhead]

yeah mykonos rules. same with Santorini. I have to disagree with the negative revues of the retsina, i thought it was awesome. Greece is probably one of the most accomidating places you could find to go on a public bender. At least the islands are, esp this time of year. Try to avoid getting lost in a blackout on Ios, or eating an entire vodka watermellon and then racing rented cars down the streets with a bunch of rabid australians. Aside from that, have an awesome time.

[Lupus]

I'm not entirely negative about retsina, I like it well enough, but you have to try to find a good one.

I absolutely agree on the subject of Ios, my favourite island of those I've been to (with Santorini a close second). It is not accidental that one of the most popular T-shirts sold there reads "They say I've been to Ios but I can't remember"...

[deadpuppiesandwhores]

i've been to the island of corfu and athe island of crete. crete was third world and sucked ass. corfu was beautiful and a lot of fun. someone previously mentioned the legality of absinthe, it is legal, but we found it very difficult to locate, and then it was very low quality (could have just been the island of crete, like i said i never liked it there and i've been several times). ouzo though, just like everyone says, follow their advice. be careful though if you might have a drug test upon your return as it will make you pop positive. and for christs sake, if the lamb looks like its been cooking on that spindle all day in the window, don't fucking eat it, there's been flies covering it most of that day. if you do it eat, or you have too much ouzo, alot of places make throwing up very convenient. instead of toilets they'll have the porcelain hole in the ground (which is exactly that) with non-skid on both sides so your hands don't slip. i've seen these all over europe but i've seen the most in greece.

[Lupus]

instead of toilets they'll have the porcelain hole in the ground (which is exactly that) with non-skid on both sides so your hands don't slip. i've seen these all over europe but i've seen the most in greece.

Jesus, man, do you use the bathroom standing on your hands?!

[Frankennietzsche]

Aaaah, Crete.

http://home.online.no/~vestil/crete/index.htm

Those were the days...

[greygoose]

Aaaah, Crete.

http://home.online.no/~vestil/crete/index.htm

Those were the days...

Damn Cretins...

[Frankennietzsche]

Aaaah, Crete.

http://home.online.no/~vestil/crete/index.htm

Those were the days...

Damn Cretins...

I was mistaken.
:oops:
"cretin
1779, from Fr. Alpine dialect crestin, "a dwarfed and deformed idiot," from V.L. *christianus "a Christian," a generic term for "anyone," but often with a sense of "poor fellow." "

[RIPT]

It's pretty hard not to get tight in Greece from what I hear. I work with a Greek who has a summer home there. I'll ask him about it.

[Tuffy]

Booze is available everywhere.

Motorbikes are for rent everywhere.

Coincidence?

I think not.








I actually have this suspicion that the entire economy of Greece is actually fueled by Brits, Aussies, and Americans having cash wired from home to pay for casts and headlamps.

[Sixpack595]

So how exactly do you pronounce Gyro?