Day 1
We flew into Athens on June 25th, arriving at 2:30 PM local time. We were shuttled to the car rental place, where we picked up a little white Nissan, plugged in the GPS, and began our drive to Athens. As we entered the city I was immediately taken with the feel of the streets; before arriving I didn't really know what to expect from Athens. It was so unlike other European cities I had visited. Narrow streets were crowded on both sides by lined up cars and plethoras of motorbikes constantly whizzed by our car, trying to get ahead of the traffic. Buildings looked slightly dilapidated, and graffiti was scrawled all over the place... but they were also painted in cheerful colors with plants overflowing on balconies, making the streets appear homey and well lived in.
After some mild stress (beware, GPS systems don't seem to know when streets are one way, as many are), we found our Air BNB and met the owners, Sevi and Kostas. They were extremely friendly and the apartment was beautiful, with a great balcony overlooking the city. After they left us, we got our things together, and headed out into the afternoon to start our exploring. We were pretty tired from the journey, so we headed a couple blocks to Varnava Square, which we quickly discovered is a very sweet––and very local––hangout spot. With many cafes and restaurants, there is an inner grassy area with lots of seating. We chose a cafe, and ordered frappes (Greek iced coffee), which I was thrilled to find we brought out with peanuts and chips.
After boosting our energy levels a bit, we decided to walk up to Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in the city, at the top of which is the Agios Georgios Church. The walk up is steep but very beautiful, and at the top, the view is nothing short of stunning with a 360˚ vista of the city. Although quite touristy, this is a must-stop in Athens. We were also lucky to get to see the aftermath of a wedding which had just taken place at the church. Having had our fix of gazing down on the city, we headed back down to Varnava Square for dinner; at this point it was already about 8 PM. We went to a Greek taverna called Mouries, and went to town ordering, since we were all eager for Greek food. We started out with tzatziki, a Greek salad, and grilled feta to start, and then I ordered chicken souvlaki as my main course. The portions were generous, and so we walked away with very full bellies.
We got into the apartment around 10 PM, and after a cooling shower, my cousin and I dragged our mattress out onto the balcony where is was a little cooler, and went to sleep among the sounds of honking cars, barking dogs, and occasional jubilant yelling in Greek.
Day 2
We woke bright and early at 7:30 AM, wanting to make the most of our only full day in Athens. Our first stop of the day was the Acropolis, but we first stopped at a cafe for a quick breakfast pastry and frappe. Despite getting to the Acropolis not long after it opened, it was already abuzz with tourists, and by the time we reached the top, the sun was scalding! It was a phenomenal first look at the ancient ruins of Greece, and I became excited for more to come.
We sat at the top of Areopagus Hill for a little white, getting another great view of the city, before making our way to Monastiraki, a market neighborhood. This is definitely the place to be for popping into shops; while there are quite a few tourist shops, there are also some great places selling authentic Greek things: jewelry, clothes, food, etc. Eventually we wound up through the Plaka, a historic neighborhood. Having walked for quite a while, we got bought lunch things at a small shop, and took them to the National Garden to enjoy our food away from the hustle of the city.
After lunch, we meandered through the garden for a little while. At this point, the afternoon heat had set in, so we made our way to the Acropolis Museum for an escape in the air conditioned interior. The museum is certainly something to check out, particularly if you enjoy hearing stories about the gods (as I do!). The museum also included a movie on the history of the Acropolis, which was intriguing. After a couple hours, we went back into the heat, and slowly made our way back to the apartment, making a detour to see the original Olympic stadium from 330-329 BC! Before we got to the apartment though, we decided we were in need of a happy hour, so we stopped at a cafe at Varnava Square, called Barnabas Cafe. It was the ideal place to people watch, and get exposed to the wonderful laid-back, cafe lifestyle of Europe.
At the apartment we showered and rested for a little while, before heading back to Varnava Square area, to have dinner at Colibri. Though it was not traditional Greek food, it was very good, and we were the only English-speakers, which made for a great, authentic atmosphere. After dinner, my cousin––a chocolate addict––had not gotten her fix for the day, so we stopped back into the same cafe from that afternoon and we both got chocolate frappes (imagine a thick, icy milkshake).
We slowly meandered through the dusky streets, making our way back to our little 6th floor apartment for the last time. That night I slept well, sad knowing that we would be leaving Athens the next day, but excited to get on the road.
xx
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