Sorry I have been lax about writing but I really have not been slack, just really busy. For those who have not seen them yet I wrote two entire island sites. The first one I finished was for Chios at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/chios and anyone who has been reading these blogs knows I had a great time there this summer. The other site was for Tinos which was also a lot of fun. I would have stayed longer but my 14 year-old daughter who craves action the way I crave paidakia (lambchops) found the island a little boring (it's not, unless you stay in your hotel room all day reading because you would not want to be caught dead exploring the island with your parents). The Tinos site is at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/tinos and if you are looking for a quiet, traditional island to go along with Mykonos which is fairly un-quiet and un-traditional then look no further.

I have also been answering a lot of e-mail, especially for this time of the year. It seems like a lot of us are going to be in Greece this Christmas. Why not? Chances are with global warming the weather will be warmer than last winter which was more like summer than winter. We probably won't swim (but you never know) but many of the tavernas will have their tables outside for lunch and at night those big heaters blowing warm air as Athens comes alive for the holidays as Athens seems to always do. Plus the prices of flights are pretty cheap depending on when you go. We found round-trip on Delta for about $800 leaving Christmas eve. Sure. Who wants to be on an airplane Christmas eve? Well actually it is strangely festive because you are with a lot of other people who are spending Christmas eve on a transatlantic flight so it is almost like a low-key Christmas party. In fact I am going to bring my Christmas gifts for my family so we can open them on the plane. I also found some cheap tickets with Continental out of Newark leaving Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So if you have nothing to do this Christmas either go to the Continental and Delta sites or check with David at www.greeceflights.com (Tip: If you stay til the 8th of Jan or later its a lot cheaper). If you make it there look for us at the Hotel Attalos (no stalkers please) and maybe we can go to a taverna or something. If you need convincing see www.athensguide.com/christmas and read about my last Christmas trip to Athens.

I just got back from New York City where I walked about 11 miles a day putting up flyers for my website in all the hip cafes and Greek diners I could find. I also went to some tavernas in Astoria and in the city where I ate some really fine Greek food and met some cool people, most of them Greek. I am going to do a page on Greek restaurants in NY in the next couple days so check www.greecefoods.com which is the most likely location for it. For those of you in NY who are reading this and suddenly have the urge for a good Greek meal, the kind you would eat in Athens, but can't wait for me to write my NY restaurant page here's what you do. Take the N Train to the last stop in Astoria which is called Ditmars. Walk down the steps and up the street to Ditmars Avenue and go left. Take a nice leisurely stroll past the shops which eventually become houses and cause you to think you must have missed the place. You haven't. Keep walking and when you get to the beautiful park on the river you will see on your left a little restaurant with outside tables called Agnanti Taverna. Its the best Greek taverna outside of Greece that I have ever been to. I will write more about it when I finish all the e-mail that collected while I was away. In fact I better go do that now.

PS. The NY restaurants page is at www.greecefoods.com/restaurants/nyc

See you in Greece for Christmas.