A little taste of Athens

“It takes a lifetime to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her.” After a spectacular couple of weeks spent in Turkey and the Greek Islands, we finished our adventure in the city of Athens. 🇬🇷💙

Standing guard at Olympic Stadium.

Hello from The Acropolis of Athens!

As we were at the end of a long tour, our energy and effort to see everything was pretty much idling on empty. We mostly walked (slowly!) around the city’s historic centre; shopping the streets of Plaka, strolling through Athens National Garden to get to the Panathenaic Stadium (Olympics love!). We also fit in a short tour to…

The Acropolis of Athens

Because of course you have to do that in Athens! I now know this is the absolute truth because Every. Single. Tourist. seemed to be on that small hill along with us. Even arriving early was still a crush. And while the ruins are breathtaking, the amount of people on that hill was just way too much for us. We were quite happy that our visit was short and sweet.

Attention to the details.

Hello from The Acropolis of Athens!

The Parthenon.

Not much left but still astounding.

Columns of old.

Standing in front of Areopagus (Mars’ Hill), where Apostle Paul preached about the “unknown god.”

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

The sun shines on the Parthenon.

The ancient and sacred olive tree of the Acropolis.

The Porch of Caryatids.

Sitting under the branches at The Acropolis.

After the crush on Acropolis Hill, it was nice to get some space in the maze of streets that make up…

Plaka

We spent the afternoon after visiting the Acropolis walking and shopping the vibrant and busy area of Plaka, aka the “Neighbourhood of the Gods” due to it being located on top of many archaeological sites.

The marble streets of Plaka.

Plaka graffiti.

Lots of dicks.

Live music in Plaka.

The pretty streets of Plaka.

Athens blooms.

Ruins in the city.

Under the blossoming tree in Plaka.

Walking the Plaka neighbourhood.

Athens National Garden

On our last morning in Greece, we decided to just roam. And there’s nothing like strolling through a grand park with a coffee in-hand. Seeing people moving in all directions while letting the sweet scents of the flora wash over you as you move through it. Sighhhh

Tall greens.

Hello from Athens National Garden!

Balloon Man!

Seeking shade under the vines.

Purple trees!

Soft light and pretty blooms.

Strolling through the park.

What I’m saying is this was a very nice and easy morning, which led us straight to…

The Panathenaic Stadium

This version of the stadium was constructed in the late 19th century to align with the first Olympic Games of the modern era (1896). But there was a stadium originally constructed in the same spot in 330 BC to host events like The Great Panathenaia, which was an ancient Athenian festival held every four years to honour the goddess Athena.

It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. Because, of course it is, it’s Greece! The marble mecca.

Standing guard at Olympic Stadium.

I love the Olympics!

Hello form the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens!

After the stadium, we continued on our way to…

The historic city centre

The last thing in the world we wanted to do on our last day of our trip was join another tour, or visit another museum, or do anything that took much energy or effort at all. So we just meandered around the historic centre.

A glowy morning in Athens.

He always finds the Catholic Church.

Plato and Athena at The Academy

Picking oranges. 🍊

Perfectly ripe.

Cocktails on our last night.

The Acropolis at night.

Walking in Athens at night.

Monument to the Unknown Soldier

Night sights in Athens.

We strolled the streets holding hands, saying, “Should we go in there? Should we try that?” And ultimately just didn’t do any of it. We were on day 16 and completely bagged and done! But certainly not done with…

The glorious food!

The food delighted us in Athens. From trying the most savoury “village sausage” on the rooftop GH Attikos, to eating seafood at the fish market with the locals at To Steki Tou Maki (while watching people singing on chairs and throwing plates and having intense political conversations), to getting cheap and delicious gyros at GRILLAKI, to going to town on the best damn grilled octopus and mussels I’ve ever tasted at Tpáta, the cuisine of Athens was A+++.