Buying a fur coat in Greece with Mouzenis Travel
How to buy a fur coat in Greece. This question worries many. With this story, with numerous photos and videos, I continue a series of reviews about shopping tours for fur coats. The first two were about the second fur coat Mecca - Dubai (UAE). If you are curious, you can read it if you have the strength.
http://blogs. turpravda. com/Alex66/44807.html
http://blogs. turpravda. com/Alex66/78866.html#
The reason for writing this story was the persuasion of friends to fly with them to Kastoria for fur coats, since I had some experience in choosing fur coats, and they knew about it. In addition, my brother's wife also really wanted a light fur coat, similar to the one we bought in Dubai for our wife. I promised to help, but just then the opportunity turned up. Also, there was an opportunity to earn extra money. There was an order from one of the rich acquaintances at work, for a sheepskin coat made of Barguzin sable. Moreover, the price did not bother her much, she only needed a guaranteed, highest quality product, and I knew where to get it.
With a price for it, as for a new foreign car, it was foolish to refuse. All the necessary measurements for tailoring, namely fur coats, were taken, the day of departure and the tour operator were chosen. And the prospect of leaving dirty, thawing Moscow in the Greek spring was extremely tempting. In addition, for some reason, March and April are considered the cheapest months for those who are looking for fur coats.
For the purchase of the tour, I chose Mouzenidis Travel. Office on Kurskaya. They turned out to have the cheapest price, the greatest experience in organizing shop tours and no problems with multivisas. I decided that I would buy a shopping tour in the format of two nights in Kastoria and three nights in Thessaloniki. Friends bought tickets and booked the Castor 3 * hotel in Kastoria on their own via the Internet. That's just, I was not going to go to Thessaloniki with everyone, but I planned to stay for two more days in Kastoria in order to be able to make calm purchases and choices with them.
I read so many reviews about these shopping tours to Greece that I was just curious and the material for the story promised to be excellent. In general, I gave one day of the trip to an organized fur coat tour. Of course, I was not going to buy anything, but I could well look after something. Therefore, I took a shopping tour without obligations, paying the full cost of 500 euros. I will say right away that for friends, the cost of tickets, hotel reservations, visas and a rented nine-seat car turned out to be even slightly higher in terms of a person. This is by the way about independent trips abroad, without a tour operator. The composition of our group was: two couples, one girl and me. I’ll write right away - there was nothing, we had single rooms))))
Meeting at the airport, boarding the bus, waiting for milestones arrived, everything is fine. Pleasant guide girls: Anya and Ira, driver Vladis - well done. Vladis, I will write right away, I have never given a reason to doubt my professionalism.
Then there was a sightseeing tour of Thessaloniki. Conducted by her guide Vasily. A very pleasant and knowledgeable person. Instantly answered any question. It's clear that he knows and loves history. The tour itself was a half-hour story about the history of the city. As usual, in Greece, half of the stories are about how bad the Turks were. They listened to him when the group was on one of the observation platforms on the fortress walls, from which an excellent view of the whole city opened. Then about twenty minutes for photography and moving to the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica. An interesting excursion and a story about St. Dmitry. Then free time, when everyone could visit the ciborium with relics. I will keep my feelings about this to myself. Let me just say, thanks to Mouzenidis for this opportunity.
Next, moving to some canteen with considerable prices, by Greek standards, and incomprehensible quality of food, which consisted of sandwiches, burgers, etc. We spent two and a half hours there watching the cars drive along the highway. The explanation for this expectation: either they were waiting for a guide, or they were waiting for some tourists who were supposed to be brought to the bus. As a result, both the guide and the tourists appeared. Conversations in the bus on this topic were only that it would be better if we were like ourselves in Kastoria at this time, and the key word here is SAMI. At the same time, 37 out of 40 people were on a shopping tour under the program with obligations. Moving to Kastoria was not very tiring, due to the fact that a new, shorter road was opened straight through the mountains, with a huge number of tunnels, excellent coverage and high speed allowed.
Kastoria met with rain. It was already 19-30 in the evening and, of course, it was already impossible to visit any fur coat salons on my own. Hotel LIMNEON GOLDEN RESORT.
A more detailed description of the hotel with a photo gallery can be found in my review at the link
http://www.turpravda.com/gr/kastorija/Limneon_Crystal_Resort_Hotel-h28484-r81794.html
and a small video cut at the link
http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=T99mj0hXLAM
In a nutshell, a great hotel for a shopping tour. I highly recommend. Check-in was instant, I didn’t even have to get a passport, then everyone was invited to dinner on the menu. According to the reviews of other tourists, I can write that they fed and watered perfectly. I didn't attend it because I had plans to meet friends and have dinner in a cozy Greek tavern.
It was decided to go to the ALLOTINO tavern. It is located on the left side of the road that goes to the center of Kastoria from Thessaloniki and the LIMNEON hotel, along the lake, about 1300 meters from the first building at the entrance to the city - the Castor 3 * hotel. Unfortunately, I left the camera at the hotel, and in general I was tired and just wanted to eat so that I could still shoot and do something else besides food.
I looked at the information about the tavern at home, and after asking about it at the hotel reception, I received confirmation that it is considered one of the best in Kastoria. In the end, we had a wonderful dinner with all kinds of Greek dishes and homemade wine with a price tag of 97 euros for six. They ordered not portions of food, as is customary with us, but for everyone. Well, just dishes with food, from which they put whatever they wanted on their own plates. Well, as we have at the feasts. At the same time, they also drank three liters of homemade wine. An excellent tavern, an excellent choice for those who want to get acquainted with Greek cuisine. Easy to find. One but. There is no Russian menu and no Russian speaking staff. Look in advance on the Internet for the names of Greek dishes that you want to try and write them down. Video, business card and satellite layouts of the tavern are attached. In extreme cases, ask locals or guides, they will tell you how to find.
See scanned business cards and satellite diagrams in the album. What it looks like outside can be seen on the video http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=P4hGIyx9MuQ
The next morning, boarding the bus, I went with all the shop-tourists on a tour of the salons and factories of Kastoria. A short video review of the trip can be found below. I’ll write right away, not all salons are allowed to shoot on camera. For example, in Naomi, Marco Varni and somewhere else, I don’t remember the names, they politely refused. Naturally, they were not included in the video review. It is not clear what they are afraid of and hide. With modern equipment, you can take any photo and video without attracting attention.
The first salon was Rizos Bros. It is located near the Allotino Tavern and next to Geniki Bank, for reference.
Assortment of everything, little by little. The quality of furs and price categories are very different: from cheap to exclusive models. The salon has a very decent selection of lynx short coats, if anyone is interested.
Blaglamas, which among other things was one of the main goals of my trip, are almost non-existent, just a few fur coats, clearly not in the alpha category. No one bought anything, it is understandable - the first salon. But the time for it, while everyone was gathered, spent more than an hour. After that, the guide very convincingly asked everyone not to engage in nonsense and not to waste time. Ideally, we looked at what we needed, bought it on the bus. We don't need anything - let's move on. Otherwise, indeed, forty people scattered around the cabin and not in a hurry ....And by the end of the trip, when there were more and more tourists who bought fur coats and loitering tourists, and those who didn’t buy started to get more and more nervous and rush the rest - this was more than relevant.
Then there was a salon operating under the NAOMI franchise from KRANIAS BROS. The salon left a double impression. It seems that there is a choice and models are nothing, but the prices ......Overpay for a franchise and a name? ? ?
Absolutely similar fur coats in quality and models, at more reasonable prices, I saw after many times. If you are fixated on Naomi and you need exactly their specific model, then it is worth stopping by.
The next stop was the salon and factory of Mr. Papandopoulos - P. K. Z. FURS. They are located outside the city about 2 kilometers from it, towards Thessaloniki and the LIMNEON hotel, somewhere in the middle between the city and the hotel. The salon is large and the entrance to it is organized so that potential buyers pass through the shop where fur coats are sewn. But I don't see anything wrong with that. The salon has a great selection of everything. For example, very high quality, classic, brown mink. There are blaglama of various categories, NAFA and other furs. The preparation by the guides for the meeting with the sellers and the owner is very interesting.
A lecture was given, the whole meaning of which boiled down to the postulate - do not count on discounts of more than 5%, and even attempts to bargain will offend Mr. Papandopolous very much. And this whole topic constantly came through in all communication with sellers. Attempts to ask how high quality this fur is, how special it is, why the price is high, what the discount will be, and so on. came across a common answer from all sellers without exception - do not ask, you will offend him. Very touchy Mr. Papandopoulos. Tales are told that sometimes when he is greatly offended by asking for a fifteen percent discount, he takes a fur coat and begins to trample it. I looked at the option of a long fur coat with a sable blaglam collar, which also interested one of the customers. The price was announced 7300 euros, they said that it is possible for 7100 and no, no, otherwise it will be offended. I tried to help her.
For all the arguments that this is the third salon we visited and we want to see more fur coats and compare prices, we stumbled upon mortal insults. I said that we’ll train a little more with the bus, take a taxi if that’s what we’ll be back. Then it was promised that if we take it now, then for 7000, we will not see any discount at all. That's it. This is a payment for a deadly insult, for the fact that you did not believe that there are the best furs and the cheapest prices. As practice has shown, they did the right thing, that they did not believe. The price is high, I know approximate prices. The woman succumbs to pressure and, fearing that she will not find anything else she needs, buys a fur coat with a worse quality of fur and not with a solid sable collar, but simply with a stand made of one skin for 5200 euros, bargaining with 5400 euros. Another woman I befriended on the bus is looking for an oversized blaglama coat. There is nothing, but she is offered to sew to order. She asks me to show the seller what kind of fur is needed.
I led her to one of the hanging fur coats made of alpha blaglama, showed her and left, but she caught up with me and asked me to go with her, they brought the skins there. The skins turned out to be not alpha at all)))), and already seeing my bewildered expression, the master put his hand behind the rack and pulled out a bunch of minks of the highest quality. I advised to sign on all the skins for fur coats that we will select. She did this on about eight of them, but as she later told me that she did not find a single signature, although I admit that they could go to the sleeves, collar, etc. A long fur coat of a large size cost 5400. I will return to these prices, pricing and women later, because the story had a continuation. Both with women and with visiting that salon by my friends on their own, without accompaniment, literally a couple of hours after that.
About women later, but the price for a fur coat, which cost 7300, was announced at 5900 euros initially, when they explained that they had arrived on their own and no one was particularly offended by anything, although the sellers, like a mantra, constantly exploited this topic. Well, such a policy of trade, based on the Russian soul and our fear of offending a person, is especially undeserved. After bargaining and trying to leave, the price became 5500 euros, and in the end we bought the same one for 4600 euros, but more on that later. Here is the arithmetic. On the video review of the tour (link will be below), you can clearly see that fur coat with sable, which hangs separately on a hanger, and that woman with a large size. Nina from Moscow hello to you, if you are reading these lines, I hope you are not angry with me))) for the video.
Further, our path lay further outside the city towards Thessaloniki and the village of Dispilio, past our hotel to the MANOLIS & SUNS salon.
I didn't wander around it for very long, there was another problem, but a good Scandinavian mink and a black diamond caught my eye. It may be worse than blaglams, but it is cheaper and quite wearable and of high quality. I'm not sure about prices. Several people from the bus bought fur coats there.
Then there was ESTEL with a very good selection of colors close to mohogany and brown mink. Lots of light and silver mink. Watch the video. The salon is large and bright. By the way, pay attention to lighting in fur coat salons. Where there is nothing to hide, usually white halogen or just bright lighting. Where there is twilight, never buy a fur coat without taking it out into the sunlight. The price category is average. There are few blaglams, just a few fur coats.
Then we got to the Image Furs salon. There are few fur coats, but if you need something extravagant and unusual, then you should definitely check it out. A lot of cool exclusive models, almost no classics.
A lot of fur coats from pieces, knitted mink, etc. I saw some fine raccoon fur coats there. Ninety percent of the products in the salon are short fur coats. There are almost no long coats.
Next is the ERTON salon, the best selection of light fur coats from everything seen during the day, the rest was not very impressive.
Then EGO, in which I was not allowed to shoot on camera. There is a lot to choose from, but nothing special, at decently inflated prices, also paying for the brand.
Then there was lunch in a tavern. Menu. Choice of cutlet, fish or chicken with garnish. The portions are large, plus salad, wine, fried bread. Everything is really tasty and filling. I, a two-meter individual of a person, completely ate and got drunk. Thanks Mouzenidis.
After dinner there was a visit to two salons with Chinese fur coats. I will not write the name of one of them. Cheap Chinese fur coats for the season.
There, basically, a large company from Ukraine was bought there, which all day long only resented the prices and said that in Ukraine they would buy all these fur coats for half the price)))) The Greeks will only have to drown themselves in Orestiada if this ever happens.
The name of the second MICHAEL GRAVAS. It works like a design laboratory. There are no factories in Kastoria, raw materials are purchased and sewn in China, but according to branded patterns developed in Greece. The quality of the fur is not much higher, but the design of the models and the way they fit are much better. If you need an inexpensive coat for a couple of seasons, beautifully sewn, then you are here.
Further, our path lay in the EDIKA shopping center. The guides and the bus driver dissuaded people from going there, due to the fact that an exhibition was being prepared there and only one pavilion out of six was working, and even there the choice was modest. They offered to visit a couple more factories instead, but people resisted.
Everyone heard about this Edika and wanted to go there no matter what. As it turned out later, the guides were 100% right. No one was waiting for us on Edik. It seemed that they were very surprised to see tourists and opened the only pavilion. Of the staff, only someone like the owner and a woman who did not understand a word in Russian. The price was asking a problem. Yes, and there was not much choice. Large and empty pavilion. The only thing I really liked was fur coats for children aged 5-7, I have never seen such beauty anywhere as there. The girls from the group liked the vest made of excellent silver fox, they asked for 900 euros, after the auction they lowered the price to 850 euros and that's it. When we left, we got the price of 800 euros, and the next day, when we went there with friends to look at children's fur coats, they asked just for fun the price for it and we were told 800 euros. We did not bargain, but I think that a hundred would have been thrown off easily, and maybe more.
After visiting Edika, the guides said that the official program was over, and those who did not choose fur coats were welcome to pay a penalty. Several people have paid. The rest were begged to be taken to a couple more factories. It was suggested to transfer to a minibus so as not to drive a huge bus. There weren’t enough places and I didn’t go anymore because I wasn’t going to buy anything anyway, just today. There were still people with obligations to buy fur coats and it was more important for them.
As they explained to me, the program of visiting factories is constantly changing and it may turn out that you will be taken to completely different salons, although, for example, the Papandopoulos factory will always be there. The people sometimes demanded either Marco Varney, or Aphrodite, or Avanti or other well-known salons. Moreover, the first and third were within a radius of 200 meters from the hotel, as was MOUSIOS, which interested me in the first place, but people did not get there, and the bus passed by a couple of times that day.
There were tourists who looked after something on the sites. The guides were relentless. The program is rigidly planned. It was about seven o'clock. I wanted to go to the hotel, take a break and pack my suitcase. Having unloaded from the bus, I was about to go to rest, but a family from Ukraine, my husband and wife and her girlfriend, who were sitting behind me on the bus and talked with me all the way, caught up with me. I was the only one without company and sat alone at first. They were looking for blaglama fur coats and I casually told them about one of the purposes of my visit to Kastoria, namely visiting the MOUSIOS salon (MOSINO in Dubai), to buy blaglama products there. We passed this factory several times when we went to Kastoria from the hotel and when from Kastoria to the factories towards Dispilio. I showed it to them. The factory is located 150 meters from the LIMNEON hotel, where we lived, if you walk towards the city. There will be satellite diagrams in the photo album.
But I was going to do this the next day with friends, when all the shop tourists go to Thessaloniki or on an excursion to Meteora according to the tour program.
They were on a tour with commitments, but they didn’t bring us to MOUSIOS, and I didn’t think the matter would go beyond talk. Having chosen nothing, they paid a penalty. As a result, I could not refuse them to walk these 150 meters with them. To our surprise, we found our old acquaintance Nina with her friend and another girl with them in the salon, I don’t know where they picked her up. They bought and ordered blaglama coats from Papandopolous in the morning, closed their obligations and got off the bus in the city to wander on their own. I also showed them MOUSIOS when we drove by. So they also got here on their own, having previously bypassed a dozen salons in the city itself. As a result, each of them bought a fluffy beauty for himself and in MOUSIOS.
And a family from Ukraine chose a new thing for themselves, having not found anything all day, but their girlfriend did not dare right away. She was then brought a fur coat to a hotel in Thessaloniki. Everyone was given big discounts and presented with a BLAGLAMA branded leather bag, made in Italy, which are not sold, but are given to wholesale buyers in a few pieces by the organizers of the fur auction in Seattle. The black bag is clearly visible in the video about the fur coat tour.
There are few fur coats in the salon, the factory mainly works on large orders and for the MOSINO salon in Dubai and specializes in BLAGLAMA fur of the highest category. Everything that is from the same fur of the alpha category. There are no fur coats worse or better. Fur on all products is the same. It rushes very strongly into the gas. I have not seen such blaglams for selection either in Kastoria or in Dubai. Who visits this salon will understand what I mean. Everything is immediately visible. Fur coats are twins by origin.
One pile length, one radical black, the magical plushness of true blaglam. Models, although not all can be viewed on their website. At the moment there were no 2013 models, but you can get an idea.
http://mousiosfurs. gr/index. php/en/
Once again, I will briefly write about the degrees of protection of products from BLAGLAMA because I saw dozens of fakes during our trip. I will not write the names of the salons, I will only say that they were in my story. Here is an example of one of them. compare with the original, besides, it is sewn on all sides. Each fur coat must have a black passport-book. White label inside the fur coat, with fine embroidery and embossed print of inscriptions and not, as I saw, just a poorly drawn flat print on a piece of fabric. Sometimes the numbers were incomprehensible. There should be a number on the label, which can then be punched on the AMERICAN LEGEND website.
http://www. blackglama. com/authenticity/
Study that material.
The white tag does not have to be sewn on all four sides so that you can see these colored threads woven into the structures of the tag, as on the website.
In ultraviolet light, the inscriptions BLAGLAMA on a white tag are visible. Hover your mouse over the tag, on the site
http://www. blackglama. com/authenticity/security-features/#
and you will see what it should be in the ultraviolet.
I managed to photograph it with a flash, so that the white, barely visible, like watermarks of the inscription, became clearly visible. See also in the photo what color the skins should be from the inside of the fur coat. If dark and brittle, then the mink is dyed or of poor quality. The hem is sewn on, demand to unpick. It's not a problem. And crawl deeper, to the back.
And as a sign of special quality, a branded, auction lining from Seattle, which is given only to trusted manufacturers, the quality of which its organizers are sure of. It comes with lots of skins. Please note that this is relief embroidery and not a print or drawing. This is clearly visible in the photo.
Well, the main thing is the quality of the fur)), and I want to say - go to MOUSIOS and you will know what to look for. The factory is becoming popular and has already come to the point that they are forging steel and the MOUSIOS trademark itself, pay attention to the holograms and another label, of course, if you decide to buy something not exactly in the MOUSIOS stores in Kastoria or MOSINO in Dubai.
There were a few more light-colored fur coats in the cabin, the best tender African broadtail swakara, sable and lynx. I didn’t know about what this broadtail is made of before, it’s better for you not to know. I definitely don’t know about other fur, but if you need a fur coat from a real auction American blaglama, dressed and sewn in Kastoria according to old quality traditions, then I recommend at least looking there before giving your money elsewhere. Here no one will be offended if you decide to compare furs and prices with other salons.
They will simply call you such a price and show you such a fur coat that if your size and model suits you, you will return yourself. On the contrary, the policy is this: both in Dubai and in Kastoria. Look around, we told you the price, you saw the fur, you want to come back. And nothing else. Without tantrums on the topic, you don’t believe me, you offend me.
To be honest, I listened to a few reproachful words addressed to me by Nina and her friend, on the topic of why we bought fur coats from Papandopoulos, but you looked and didn’t stop, even the fur helped me choose if I knew what it was, and about a third cheaper. Remind them of their obligations. And in general, it would be indecent in relation to Mouzenidis, to interfere in one's own business. And in general, I’ll have to listen later that we didn’t buy anything, relied on you, but were left without fur coats, if suddenly they couldn’t choose anything in MOUSIOS. Early in the morning, we had to leave Kastoria. Everyone has their own head on their shoulders.
Then you have to understand that the free price of a shop tour is due to its subsequent inclusion in the cost of a fur coat, with a vengeance. Probably not children anymore and should understand that nothing in business comes for free. Naturally, even if everything is absolutely equal, two absolutely identical fur coats will cost an order of magnitude more from Papandopolus on a shopping tour than from the MOUSIOS family when buying on their own. It is already lower in the second case. For any identical blaglama fur coat, you can safely minus 500-1000 euros from the prices of Papandopolus, even if you just come to both of these salons yourself. And if we also include the price of a rollback for a shopping tour, then the difference is ..... Check it out yourself. Nina, by the way, also ordered a fur coat for herself exactly according to her standards, with delivery to Moscow, on the terms of a deposit of 200 euros and returning it in Moscow if the fur coat does not fit or is not liked without explanation.
Delivery and tailoring do not affect the price in any way, but a fur coat tailored specifically for you will naturally fit perfectly, especially non-standard large and small sizes. You can order a fur coat on these conditions and via Skype and without a deposit. You can be shown what measurements you need to take. So that there are no claims from Mouzenidis for a rollback, I will write right away that fur coats were purchased by everyone on their own, after paying penalties or fulfilling their obligations.
All three Mousios brothers were also at the factory that day: Nicholas, Lazaris and Kostas. Kostas follows the production, but Lazaris and Nicholas are constantly changing between Dubai and Kastoria.
Of course, Nicholas was delighted with me as an old friend, he knew that I would come with friends and deliberately delayed my flight to Dubai for a few days to personally meet us, but he was waiting for us the next day. I don't see anything surprising in this.
Also pay attention to the video of the shopping tour, lunch and Greek evening. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=86W2DAIlF6E
The next morning everyone left Kastoria. Part of the group went on an excursion to Meteora, part went to Thessaloniki. And I went with my things to the Castor 3 * hotel, to my friends. We booked it ourselves. The price of the issue is 40 euros for a single room and 50 euros for a double room with BB. Single rooms are no different from double rooms. The difference is 10 euros probably for breakfast for an additional guest.
Here is my more detailed review of the hotel
http://www.turpravda.com/gr/kastorija/Castor_Hotel-h28412-r81799.html
and video review http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=RzfZPAsY9cQ
I highly recommend the excursion to Meteora, where a large part of our group went. Epic and educational. Once in a lifetime you must visit this place. I was later told already in Thessaloniki that the guide Vasily spent it very decently. It is tiresome, especially for children. They do not quite understand the beauty and essence of what they see. But there are usually no children on shopping tours.
Do not be fooled by the purchase of icons in one of the workshops, where all travel agencies are sure to bring tourists. There is no more holiness in those icons than in ordinary stores, but the price is twice as high. When I went, there was also a visit to a souvenir shop - junk from China, at exorbitant prices and a lottery with penny prizes for milestones who left money there. Everyone is brought to eat at the same food factory. I can't think of another name for that canteen. Terrible food at high prices. And there will be no choice. But that's all business costs. Everyone should earn some money from you. This scheme is the same for all travel agencies, and if you want it to be different, then rent a car and hit the road. By the way, then you will be able to visit five temples, and not two, as with a tour, saving time on visiting unnecessary objects.
And after we had breakfast, we started the detour of Kastoria with a useless stop at Marco Varni, a U-turn and then to MOUSIOS to the Greek brothers.
The journey from Thessaloniki can be seen on the video.
http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=57T-sO0PwYg
I ordered there the fur coats that I planned. I don't want to post prices. It is clear that they were given to me at cost and I have no doubt about it. I'll just write that the sheepskin coat is very expensive. We can buy quite a decent, albeit a little used SUV for its price in the store. Friends also bought blackglam to the fullest: both for themselves and for sale. The discounts were huge. I am not going to hide this fact, as well as the fact that I made a decent amount of money on sable. Everyone was washed on the spot with whiskey and champagne))) They tried to teach Lazaris the phrase - the guarantee does not apply to an unwashed one. It didn't work out very well).
We completed our fur coat marathon by visiting Papandopolous and buying a classic brown mink coat ¾ for 2100 euros, bargaining from 2700 euros.
We thought in general for 2000 euros to take or leave, but then we gave in. Donate and say thank you.
Video of driving to Papandopoulos from MOUSIOS salon http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=bCorRF5cPk4
We decided not to go to fur coat stores anymore. Yesterday's trip with the bus was enough for me, and my friends spent the whole day wandering around the salons in the city. Our beautiful half of the company wanted to go shopping not for fur coats, besides, they wanted to eat, and they are all losing weight by the summer))) and we decided to split up and look for lunch in a tavern in the old town, which Nicholas and Lazaris warmly recommended to us, as the best : in terms of quality and prices. The tavern is called DOLTSO, I'm not sure, but I think it's also called the old town area or the old town itself. If you have a car, then finding it is not a problem. You just need to drive along the lake until the DOLTSO sign to the left uphill and there in a straight line not far. I will attach satellite diagrams.
Also, any taxi driver will take you there from areas close to the center for 5 euros on a business card and name. You can also walk if you live nearby. Excellent tavern. Food of impeccable quality and taste. I have eaten in many restaurants in Greece and this one is one of the top two out of dozens I have visited. A sort of Gordon Ramsay, Greek spill)). We ordered three large plates of meat and side dishes for 9 euros: one wild boar and two old goats. This kind of goat meat happens only three months a year. Goats are slaughtered only in a certain period of life and at certain times of the year. Tender, delicious meat. Portions are large and not bony. Further: dza-dziki sauce - 3.5 euros, Greek salad - 5 euros, branded mushrooms - 4 euros, bugurde, Greek fondue - 4 euros, Castor beans - 5 euros. Fried bread, sauces, dessert of figs in honey and 600 ml. house wine as a compliment as a gift. The result is 48.5 euros for three.
In Greece, it is customary to simply order dishes for the table, from which all guests serve food as needed, as we have at feasts. For example, not everyone has a portion of salad, but a salad for everyone, and put as much as you want. So it turns out the opportunity to try a large number of different dishes little by little. In the course of dinner, the owner of the tavern Kostas came up and asked if everything was delicious and if everything was in order. Intelligent old gentleman. We talked, he sat down with us. He said that this is an old family business, he values u200bu200bthe name very much and works primarily for quality. The main visitors of the tavern are local Greeks. Both rich and not so rich. But there are few Russian tourists because they do not wander into the old part of the city, being interested only in fur coats. Yes, and they bring them mostly for one day, and even this day they lead by the hand. I asked him if he was ready to give some nice bonus to all Russian tourists.
If yes, then I will definitely tell about the tavern in my story. He vowed that he would definitely have something as a gift, for example: either a Greek salad or a jug of wine, or something else. He promised with an oath that all Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian tourists would be satisfied. And he said that in a week the Russian menu would be ready. I, as in the case of MOSINO in Dubai and Nicholas, offered to write some phrase on his business card, the scan of which would serve as such a bonus ticket when visiting the tavern. He wrote something on a business card and I still don't know what it says. If anyone can read Greek, please write. Download to your smartphone and tablet or print. See photo.
Watch a short video about the tavern at http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=bxjigD3EEEE
I hope that you - readers will visit the tavern so much that next time Kostas will treat me for free)))))), but seriously, be sure to choose a moment, even if you are on a shopping tour for a day, to try real Greek food. And tasty and without pants will not stay.
The next morning my path lay in Thessaloniki. Hotel on the outskirts of civilization - GRAND HOTEL PALACE. My more detailed review can be viewed at the link http://www.turpravda.com/gr/saloniki/Grand_Hotel_Palace-h28444-r81816.html
And here is the video - http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=wYMxcHkpT_A
Summary decent hotel in an indecent location.
You can write a lot about Thessaloniki, but that's another story. The only thing I’ll write about is one fish tavern where my classmate and her husband, who moved to Thessaloniki 20 years ago, took us. It is located near the PAOK stadium, the football club of the same name from Thessaloniki. Nothing special about the interior. Only Greeks visit it. And this is the best recommendation. The owner came again.
In Greece, by the way, this is the custom in self-respecting institutions. We told him about our trick with a note in the DOLTSO tavern in Kastoria, he immediately caught fire, ran for a business card and also wrote something, promised pleasant bonuses and compliments, as well as honor and respect for Russian-speaking tourists. Print a business card with a note or simply download it to your smartphone or tablet. The tavern specializes in fish dishes. The price level is about the same as in Kastoria. Here, too, we ordered common dishes for everyone and put them on our own plates.
I didn't take pictures of all the food, but what is there. See photo album. I don’t know if it’s worth going there on purpose, but if you are hungry, don’t know where to go and are in the eastern part of the city, then 5-10 euros by taxi, showing a scan of your business card and you are there. The quality is guaranteed, and the price of a taxi is compensated by bonuses and delicious food.
On this story about the journey for fur coats can be completed.
I will add that if someone puzzles over where fur coats are cheaper in the UAE or Greece, do not suffer. Prices are about the same. If you ask me where it is better to go, I would answer like this. If in late autumn and winter, then it is better in Dubai. And warm and in the sea you can swim. Greece is definitely better in spring and summer.
Whether to go on a shopping tour and how to go, with obligations or not, I think that this is a personal matter for everyone. With obligations, you do not lose anything, in extreme cases, pay a penalty, which in my case would be even 50 euros more profitable than I paid for a tour without obligations. Another thing is that you must understand that in such a tour everything is included in the cost of a fur coat and there is no freebie. Stories about Greek furriers who paid for your tour are nothing more than a marketing ploy. I would recommend a shopping tour, socially
