Arriving in Athens
Leaving Mykonos, and our island hopping adventure, we chose the fast boat to Athens. And by fast, I mean the one that only took us four hours to reach Piraeus, the port in the capital. As we sailed into the port, night had fallen, and we traipsed past over eager taxi drivers, and shuffled with our bags to the metro station. A short-ish 20 minutes walk away. It would have been quicker if it wasn’t for all the uneven pavements we had to drag our bags over.
In Athens we were to spend a couple of days staying between Monastriki and Plaka. A couple of trendly neighbourhoods. We had both previously been to Athens, each many years ago. Following the economic woes suffered by Greece, and the subsequent unrest, I had pictured Athens as being run down and rough around the edges.
Our apartment in Athens
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Our apartment building matched my initial expectations. A building you probably wouldn’t want to go in, unless your room was on the 5th floor, as ours was. Yet, once up where our room was we were pleasantly surprised. A refurb on the floor resulted in a corridor of newly fitted out rooms, branded “Xclusive”. We had a shower and a coffee pod machine. All the mod cons.
Walking out that first night, in the dark, we soon realised that we were in the middle of a very buzzy neighbourhood. Bars and restaurants spilling out into the streets. Shops selling tourist knick knacks. It was all very welcoming. We found a restaurant in the Plaka neighbourhood and as we sat down to our dinner, lamb kleftiko in front of me and Victoria pouring the 6 euro house wine from the carafe, we reflected how happy we were to have chosen to visit the Greek capital.
The Acropolis of Athens
Well rested and after my morning coffee, it was time to plan the day. How else do you spend your first full day sightseeing in Athens? You head to the Acropolis, of course. En route we visited Hadrian’s library and the Temple of Hephaestus, before walking up the hill and joining the long queue for the tickets to enter the Acropolis.
There is evidence dating back to 4BC that the hill the Acropolis sits on was inhabited. Not specific to Athens, an acropolis is a settlement atop Greek cities. The most well known building on the acropolis in Athens is the Parthenon. Visited by thousands of tourists every year I could only speculate on how many people, in history, had walked these paths before me.
A last supper in Greece
And walk we did, from leaving the apartment in the morning, we covered much of Athens. Our step count was high, and I was tired. A late afternoon nap did wonders and soon we were back out for a cold beer and assessing dinner options. It was to be our last night in Athens, and our last night in Greece. I was determined to sign off with the dish of the Greek trip. Moussaka.
Like the “cost of living” reports that compare like for like items across the world, to assess the price of living somewhere, moussaka had become one of ours. A quick scan at a menu, anywhere in Greece would quickly tell us if it was to be a one beer day, or two. I was very surprised to get to Athens and see how cheap it was compared to places like Mykonos and Santorini. A breath of fresh air, and great for the travel fund.
Greece had been amazing. Just as we knew it would be. Already big fans, having the opportunity to spend time on the islands cemented what we knew. Laid back. Great weather. Fabulous food. We know we will be back. But, for now, it was time to head to country number 13, and find bed number 47.
Calm my beating heart, we were headed to Rome.
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