Athens, Greece October 20 – 30, 2017

Greece had not been on the ‘potentials’ list of destinations during the semi-planning of our journey; not for lack of interest, but because we considered it an easy destination that we would do in later years – we were focused on the more off-the-beaten-path countries. This sudden change of plans was a great decision, and we dedicated 20 days to the country: ten days in Athens and ten in the Peloponnese (next post).

We arrived at our Athens AirBnB apartment on a sunny and warm Friday afternoon. After the briefing with our host, Angelina, we began our arrival ritual: unpacked, scouted the neighbourhood for grocery stores, coffee shops and restaurants; then, settled in for our arrival beer-slash-wine – this time with food; although, not always part of the ritual – at a café just around the corner from our temporary home. It was time to relax, because the next few days were going to be filled with exploration.

The next day, with a 5-day public transit pass in hand, we made our way down to the coast and had lunch at the marina. After lunch, we continued to walk along and around the marina, getting lost a few times, only to discover great photo opportunities: a half-sunken and rusty shipwreck called the Poseidon; many concrete wall and stair graffiti murals around the Peace and Friendship Stadium and the Faliro metro station. After hours of sweaty concrete walking, we jumped on a tram and headed to a local beach to dip our toes in the Aegean. Had we brought the appropriate attire, we would have joined the few swimmers for a dip.

For us, Athens was a walkable and enjoyable city to explore. Kerameikos also had its painted graffiti murals and Technopolis (a.k.a. Gazi), the Industrial Gas Museum and event space; Psyri had the quiet, neighbourhood-vibe cafés (good food at Nikitas); while, just a few streets south, Monastiraki was bustling with tavernas, coffee shops, a flea market and tonnes of tourists. We had read on travel sites that two or three days in Athens was sufficient. That wouldn’t have been nearly enough for us! We were on our third day, and we had yet to visit any of the archeological sites. Of course, we would visit those, too.

We did two free walking tours of Athens, each very different from the other, both hosted by Georges. On our second day in the city, we joined a free guided tour, along with twelve other travellers. We started in front of the National Library at 10:00AM, walked to the Academy of Athens building, the Numismatic Museum, the Old Royal Palace (now the Hellenic Parliament), the National Gardens, the Panathenaic Stadium, and ended our tour in the neighbourhood of Plaka, three hours later. Our guide, George, from the Athens Free Walking Tour company, was very engaging and made each historical stop of Athens a captivating story. However, the highlight of this leg of our trip was meeting Giorgos L. (the other George), from the organization, This Is My Athens. Our walk around Athens with Giorgos L. was not a typical tour, but a personal guide to one Athenian’s hang-outs and favourite neighbourhoods, including Exarcheia, the anarchist neighbourhood of Athens – an unfortunate example of hype that creates unfounded fears. During our lunch together at Ama Lachei (in Exarcheia), we got a peek into the life of an Athenian, and he got a peek into ours. What should have been a two- or three-hour tour, ended up being a two-hour walk and a three-hour lunch and chat. Thank you Giorgos for being so generous with your time! When in Athens, we recommend that you see the city through a local’s eyes – oh! and definitely visit the archaeological sites, of course. And, if you’re not already acquainted with an Athenian, This Is My Athens is a good place to start.

Speaking of sites, walking around the Acropolis and seeing the Parthenon was something we had wished to do for years. We purchased a “unified ticket” that included the above site plus six more archaeological sites: Ancient Agora of Athens, Kerameikos archaeological site and  museum, Roman Agora of Athens, Olympieion (Temple of Olympian Zeus), Aristotle’s Lyceum and Hadrian’s Library. The Acropolis grounds with its Parthenon and Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and the Ancient Agora of Athens and its Temple of Hephaestus were definitely our top sites – indicated by the numbers of photos taken.

During our journey, we had planned for two meet-ups with friends: October in Bucharest with Sarah M. (see past post), and the other in Sicily with Blair W. in mid-November. However, through the ‘cosmic travel channels’, we had the fortune of establishing a third meet-up by overlapping one day in Athens with our friends, the Family Wall, who were beginning their 13-day Israel & Mediterranean cruise. We took advantage of our new local acquaintance’s recommendations for a great lunch with the Walls at Rooster and dinner at Tzitzikas and Mermigas later that evening – thanks again Giorgos for recommending those places and the chicken mastihato. It was delicious!

After enjoying two delicious meals and wonderful company with the Walls, it was time for us to pack up again and head to our next destination: the Peloponnese.