Greece: Athens
Athens was our 4th stop in #FLeuro2016, my backpacking trip across Europe. Traveling to Greece after London, Amsterdam and Berlin probably hit us with the biggest climate change. It was hot in Athens, even at night.
Similar to London, we only had 1 full day in Athens and we intended to make the most of it. We started our morning off bright and early and looked for a place to eat breakfast, but there weren’t a lot of restaurants or cafes that seemed to serve breakfast. We ended up walking into a cafe that served coffee beverages and asked them if they serve breakfast. Funny thing is, they sat us down and just started cooking.
Fatima and I looked at each other like ? Where is the menu? How much would this cost? The cooks were already cooking and we just sat there in slight confusion until they presented us some eggs, bacon and bread. A part of me feels like they just made an “American” breakfast for us on the fly, which was both funny and sweet at the same time.
After eating, we decided to ask the waitress for directions on how to walk to the Acropolis, which is what is left of the ancient Greek citadel. The waitress had a hard time deciphering the map our airbnb host gave us so another waiter stopped to help, and then the chef came to take a look and then the owner… and then the table next to us got up and tried and even a RANDOM GUY walking down the street came inside and joined the party. Everyone was basically just yelling, “Go here!” or “No, go this way!” until finally Fatima and I just started laughing. We thanked everyone and left the cafe just as lost as before, but with a laugh under our smiles.
We eventually made our way to the Acropolis. There was a long line to go into the Acropolis and it was super hot too, but we waited in line because we had to visit it. After 30-45 minutes, we were finally allowed in and wow! What a sight.
The ruins were not in the best of shape, by all means, but it was still beautiful and amazing to walk through. It was crowded and very touristy, but still a must-go if it’s your first time in Athens.
In Athens, remains of Greek sites are everywhere. You could just be walking through a street market and stumble across literally the place where Hercules kneeled down and begged the statue of Zeus, his father, to make him a god again.
After a quick lunch (yes AC) of salad and pita, Fatima and I strolled through the street market to buy souvenirs. We headed back to the airbnb after that to take a shower because we were disgusting, but we ventured back out for a quick walk up Mount Lycabettus. Our airbnb host highly recommended us to go see the sunset.
We didn’t make it in time to see the sunset because we wanted to walk up and not take the gondola (also we are cheap), but the sunset at the mid-point was beautiful with a great view of Athens City.
Athens was a beautiful city with very friendly people. Our airbnb host’s mom came and gave us homemade pie before we left.
Efcharistó, Athens!
Sincerely, Loewe