flight direct, taking about 24 hours. Other airlines flying in from the West are Air France, BEA, KLM, LAI, SAS, SABENA, and Swissair. The Hellenikon airport of Athens is one of the basic international airports, and from here flights head south for Egypt and Africa, north to Turkey and the Balkans, or east to Baghdad, India and beyond. The former Greek National Airline has been taken over by the big shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who seems to own half of Greece as well as half the world's tankers, and the name has been changed to Olympic Airways. I have flown this airline between Athens and Rhodes and between Rhodes and Beirut, Lebanon, but have never taken the longer hops which now run to Paris and London as well as other European centers. Frankly, I wasn't overimpressed. By sea, there are various shipping lines that serve Greece. Basic fare from New York is $540 tourist class out of season and $770 in season. First class has a minimum of $815 out of season and $1050 in season. This on the National Hellenic American Line ships such as the Queen Frederica. The Greek Line's Olympia also at this writing runs between New York and Piraeus and is particularly constructed with tourist travel in mind having 1150 tourist class berths and only 138 first class. The Italian Line runs the Saturnia and the Vulcania between New York and Piraeus and the Christoforo Colombo by the way of Naples, Italy. The American Export Lines have the Independence and the Constitution on the same run. You can also reach Greece by sea from some points in Europe such as Malaga, Spain; Naples, Genoa and Venice, Italy; Marseilles, France. Or even take the inter-island boat between Brindisi, Italy and Corfu, the resort island on the west coast of Greece. I've gone into such detail on air and sea approaches because, frankly, coming overland can be grim. The Simplon-Orient Express comes from London, going through France, Switzerland, Italy and Yugoslavia on its way. From London to Trieste she is rather swank but on the Yugoslavia border there is a change. I once was on the Simplon-Orient Express when it had only the locomotive, one restaurant car, one wagon-lits (Pullman) and one coach car which contained first, second and third class seats—all three. |
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