Posted by We arrived in Athens late at night after a one hour bus ride from the airport– not knowing what to expect. And we were immediately thrown into the thick of the nightlife surrounding our rental. Athens has always been on my list of places to visit, but with no real research done, I really didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes I prefer it that way; rather than researching and planning what to do. Like we did in Bordeaux. We only had less than 24 hours to visit the city so we decided to focus on just a few important places like the Acropolis and the Plaka district, then spend the rest of our time just wandering around the city and its different neighbourhoods.
Starting the day
We started our first and only morning by wandering around the area we were staying in, Psyri. We’d planned on making our way to Plaka… but first, coffee! As luck would have it, a lovely place to satisfy our caffeine addiction was right under our noses, Picky Café.
From there we continued to Plaka. There, we stumbled across many second-hand shops selling furniture and knick-knacks all organised in the most beautifully chaotic way. There were so many books piled high and crammed into every possible space, as well as pieces of furniture stacked on top of each other!
After musing about some of the things I would have brought back with me if we had unlimited luggage space, we continued our walk through different Athenian neighbourhoods– bumping into the occasional archeological site and street performer.
Finally, we reached Plaka. We walked up the colourful and vibrant restaurant lined ascent and once we reached the top, we of course took a turn off the beaten track. We continued walking upwards through small, winding roads that led us to tiny houses with pretty tiny doors. On our way down we came across more antique shops and churches.
At this point, it was definitely time to have something to eat. Holy Llama was the perfect choice to refuel. A quaint little café tucked away in a busy central area. I’m definitely more of a savoury person but this time I opted for something a little sweeter.
Finally some history
More neighbourhood walks in very warm autumn weather and we finally made it to the Acropolis. Never would I have guessed that– at the end of September– I’d be looking for shade to escape the heat!!!
We explored the area. I pretended to be a Greek goddess and posed in front of the columns while trying to imagine what life was like during that period.
Filopappou Hill
Right around the corner from the tour groups waiting to get into the Acropolis is Filopappou Hill. We happened upon this peaceful green space in the middle of a noisy Athens without really expecting it. We took our time to walk through it and took advantage of the benches to relax while the occasional runner or dog walker passed by.
Overall, Athens gave me such great energy. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle, the ethnic atmosphere, and the hundreds of coffee shops lining every street corner. Even though the city was loud and chaotic, everyone seemed calm and relaxed just going on about their day. See you again very soon Athens.