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George Kokkotas the best Taxi Driver in Greece
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Discover Mainland Greece and the Greek Islands with your own private taxi excursion
My name is George Kokkotos. I am a taxi
driver in Greece. Not an ordinary taxi driver. I am the Best Taxi Driver
in Greece. At least that is what people say and that is what I am trying
to be.
Ten years ago I sold my restaurant in New York to come back to Greece
where my family was and my heart will always be. I had saved enough money
to begin a new life, but in Greece things are not as easy as in America
and so I became a taxi driver to support my family. Being a taxi driver
in Athens is difficult. The fares are very low and gas is very expensive.
You hear many stories about the Greek taxi drivers and not to trust them because
they will cheat you.
Though this may be true of some, it is not all
of them, or even the majority. Very few taxi drivers try to cheat the customer
but because of the few, they all get a bad name.
But I realized that I did not want to be just another taxi driver in Athens, struggling to feed
my family. I decided to become the best taxi driver in Athens and I made
this my goal.
I began to study the history of my country so I could offer
information and be more then just a driver.
My experience in my restaurant
was good practice for speaking English and being a host, and of course I
speak Greek and can translate for my customers. Then I began to work with
the travel agencies helping them with transfers from the airport to the
hotels, to cruise ships, to ferry boats, anything to make their clients
trip to Greece easier.
Then I began to take people on excursions around Athens, to the Parthenon, the
museums, shopping trips (I have saved many people money by being able to
bargain for them), and to places like the lovely temple at Cape Sounion
where you can see some of the most beautiful sunsets in a dramatic setting.
Then I started taking people to places like Delphi with its famous Oracle,
Meteora and the monasteries on top of those big rocks, and to the Peleponisos
too.
I take people on day trips to historic Naphlion, the former capital
of Greece, Mycenae and its impressive ruins, Corinth with the canal and
the fortress above the city and many other places.
On all the excursions we stop at beaches, quiet taverns, remote churches and monasteries because
when you see Greece like this you have the freedom to see everything and
to stop and look at anything that captures your interest.
I have also taken Greek-Americans who are searching for their lost roots
(like the TV show), to their ancestral villages where I was able to translate
and locate family members and witness many happy reunions.
I have taken people on long trips around the mainland and to the islands. I have even
taken people to some of the best restaurants in and around Athens that
would be very difficult to find on their own. I take people to out of the
way beaches that most tourists will never see.
I can promise you that if you take a journey with me, whether it is a half
day trip in Athens or a week long excursion around the country you will
come back with an understanding of Greece that you will treasure and you
will have perhaps the best vacation of your life. You will eat the best
food and be treated like a guest of my country and when we say goodbye
at the airport you will be saying goodbye to a friend you will always remember
and hope to see again.
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