Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of the Athens Metro
	Java	:		Medium - Large			Send this page to a friend

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of the Athens Metro
	Java	:		Medium - Large			Send this page to a friend

At the Acropolis station there are exhibits of the Parthenon frieze and various archeological finds unearthed during the excavation for the construction of the station.

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of Lefkada
	Java	:		Medium - Large			Send this page to a friend

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of Lefkada
	Java	:		Medium - Large			Send this page to a friend

Tucked into a small bay, this is a beautiful beach with crystal clear water and it's great for kids too. Unfortunately, there is no designated area for boats and jetskis and they come very close to the shore where people are swimming. Obviously, this is dangerous and you have to watch out, especially if you are snorkeling, they may not see you.

This location is very close to the town of Lefkada and during the high season (July-August) it gets very crowded. If you choose to eat at one of the local taverns ask for a legible, itemized bill and check it against the menu, we ate there twice and both times we were overcharged. Avoid fresh fish dishes, they're overpriced.

Best time to visit is in late May, June, and early September.

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of Athens
	Java	:		Medium - Large			Send this page to a friend

Monastiraki is one the most interesting neighborhoods of Athens. It is located at the foot of the north side of the Acropolis and this is where the old market was located. The area still retains the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar. Its streets are full of small trinket shops and every Sunday there's a huge flea market where you bargain to your heart's content over the price of antiques and any type of merchandize imaginable. It is also a favorite spot for a night out. You'll find cafes, restaurants and bars and several artisans selling theirhandicrafts line the streets until well past midnight.

Aftermath of Helios Airways Flight 522 crash at Grammatiko, outside of Athens. Click the photo to view it full size. Click the links below to view the virtual tour.

Quicktime

:

Medium - Large - Fullscreen

Send this page to a friend

Firefighting airplanes and helicopters fought the blaze for several hours. The tail section was the only substantial piece of the aircraft that did not disintegrate upon impact. The plane speed was estimated at about 600 miles per hour at the time it crashed.

Quicktime

:

Fullscreen

Mr. George Papandreou, leader of PASOK, the Greek Socialist Party, visited the crash site and can be seen here being interviewed by the media.

Quicktime

:

Fullscreen

Click the image above to see full-size map of Grammatiko, the crash site of Helios Flight 522.

GRAMMATIKO, Greece (Reuters) - A Cypriot airliner carrying 121 people slammed into a mountainous area north of Athens on Sunday after apparently suffering a loss of cabin pressure or oxygen minutes before it was due to land.

"The pilot has turned blue," a passenger said in a mobile text message to his cousin. "Cousin farewell, we're freezing."

Greek TV station Alpha said the pilot had told air traffic controllers the Boeing 737 was experiencing air conditioning problems. Moments later, communications with the plane, flying at 35,000 feet en route from Larnaca in Cyprus to Prague via Athens, were lost.

Police and firefighters at the crash site said there were no immediate signs of survivors.

A Greek police spokesman said there were 115 passengers and six crew members on board, of which 59 adults and eight children were heading to Athens, with 48 continuing on to Prague.

Plane wreckage was scattered widely about the mountainous, uninhabited area, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Athens and dense black smoke billowed from several small fires.

"I saw many bodies scattered around, all of them wearing (oxygen) masks. The tail was cut off and the remaining parts of the plane rolled down a hillside about 500 metres away from the tail," one witness told Reuters.

Planes dropped water over the wreckage site as rescue workers fanned out searching for survivors.

Two Greek F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after the Helios Airways jet lost contact with the control tower at Athens international airport.

One of the F-16 pilots reported that he could not see the captain in the cockpit and his co-pilot appeared to be slumped in his seat, a Defence Ministry official told Reuters.

"I saw the plane coming. I knew it was serious or that it was some kind of VIP because I saw the two fighter jets," said witness Dimitris Karezas, who owns a summer camp in the area.

"Two, three minutes later I heard a big bang," he said.

The Defence Ministry said it suspected the plane's oxygen supply or pressurisation system may have malfunctioned.

A senior government official told Reuters there were no signs of foul play. "But we are still investigating all possible scenarios," he said.

The crash was the worst airline disaster in Greek history.

LOST CONSCIOUSNESS

Cypriot airport officials said flight HCY522 left Larnaca at 9 a.m. and lost contact at 10:30 a.m. The pilot appeared to have lost consciousness due to a loss in cabin pressure in the cockpit, Larnaca airport officials said on Cyprus state television CYBC.

Kieran Daly, editor of Air Transport Intelligence, said the cause of the crash was a "puzzle".

"There are very good procedures in place for dealing with a lack of oxygen. There are so many warning systems, the crew should have been aware there was a problem," he told Reuters.

"The passenger commenting that it was cold suggests there was no air circulating in the cabin at all or the cockpit."

A spokesman of the European Aviation Safety Agency, Daniel Holtgen, based in Cologne, Germany, said: "It is highly unlikely that the loss of cabin pressure alone would cause such an incident. There would have to be other contributing factors."

As the extent of the disaster became clear, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis broke off his holiday on the Greek island of Tinos to rush back to Athens.

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos headed to Larnaca, where frantic relatives and friends gathered outside the offices of Helios.

At the airport in Prague, where friends and relatives had been gathering to meet the flight, screens showing departures and arrivals read simply "delayed".

Helios was Cyprus's first private carrier, established in 1999. It flies to Dublin, Sofia, Warsaw, Prague, Strasbourg and several British airports using a fleet of Boeing B737 aircraft.

There have been problems reported involving Helios planes in the past. In December 2004, three passengers were taken to hospital after the plane lost cabin pressure and made an emergency landing at Larnaca.

In September 2003 a Helios plane had engine problem. It diverted to Rhodes and landed safely.

Libra Holidays Group, one of Britain's leading independent holiday tour operators, bought Helios in November 2004.

Flights at Athens International Airport were operating normally, airport police said.

Source: Reuters

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of Athens
	Java	:		Medium - Large			Send this page to a friend

Before you purchase jewelry in Athens make sure to check Aphrodite Jewelry in Monastiraki. These folks have been around for over 25 years and they have unique designs and excellent quality and prices. They are a personal favorite of mine and their guest book reads like a who is who of the Athens diplomatic corp.

The owner is extending a 30% discount when you mention that you saw this listing on the Hellas.net web site, so take advantage of it.

Aphrodite Gold & Silver Jewelry
13 Ifestou St.
Monastiraki
Athens 105 55
Tel: (210) 321-9900