ATHENS. What is there to say, you glorious city. Some people hate it - it’s too busy, not what they expected, etc. Some people love it! We're on team LOVE IT- it’s history is intoxicating, the people are lovely, the city, the sea - it’s all just wow. Like so many ancient cities, the contrast between ancient and modern is amazing to experience.
During our short time in Athens, we stayed at NEW hotel, right near Syntagma Square - basically the center of the city. You’ve most likely heard of this square, as it houses the Hellenic Parliament. We could walk almost everywhere which was great, because that’s our favorite way to explore. The hotel had an elegant rooftop with panoramic views of the city, and plenty of delicious restaurants around. We walked to Plaka, the old neighborhood of Athens beneath the Acropolis, at some point pretty much every day! Though Plaka is full of typical tourist shops and restaurants, they mingle with Athenian history in a way that drew us in.
It’s hard to miss the must-see sights in Athens. They’re quite...large. It’s easy to plan a whole trip around the mega sites, but some of my favorite memories are from walking around stumbling upon ruin after ruin or finding a treasure and looking it up to see what it was. There are parts of Athens that are excavated, easy to explore and learn about, as well as ruins just barely unearthed. There are countless cultural museums featuring pots, tools, art and jewelry nearby. The history is incredible and intoxicating.
Despite the crazy heat when we were there, we explored our little hearts out. Between the incredible food and archaeological sites, there was never a dull moment. The most heart stopping and soul filling of which was watching the sunset from Areopagus hill.
Top 5:
- Areopagus Hill at Sunset
- The Ancient Agora
- The Acropolis
- Sunset Cocktails on Rooftop Bars - Hotel Grande Bretagne was stunning!
- Plaka
Eric's Fave: Acropolis & FOOD
Christina's Fave: the Ancient Agora
We will be heading to Athens, Santorini and Mykonos in July, so I’ll be adding an Athens update then!
Next up...Dubrovnik, Croatia!
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