Γεια σας! My flight to Athens left at around 9:30 Saturday morning. We stayed overnight at the Balladins Hotel by the Brussels Charleroi Airport. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so we didn’t leave the hotel that night. (But it’s okay because I caught up on TV shows!) The flight was absolutely gorgeous we crossed over the Alps and the Mediterranean. It was absolutely breath-taking. I could have just flown around in circles for hours just looking out the window. |
We got to Athens in the afternoon on Saturday. We stayed at the City Circus Hostel. It was really cute and had an amazing rooftop view of the Parthenon. Most of the museums and monuments close around 3:30 (which is kind of irritating), so we didn’t plan on seeing much. We walked through Syntagma Square (super close to our hostel) to get to the Greek Parliament and the National Gardens. We stumbled upon the Zappion Exhibition and the Congress Hall as we were walking through the gardens, it was all so pretty! Then we went to the Panathinaikon Stadium, where the torch begins for each Olympics and where they all end up afterwards (there is a Hall of Torches). After that, we went to the Acropolis Museum, which has an archaeological site in situ (right underneath the whole museum!). The museum has transparent floors in places so you can see the village’s site underneath. Once we had gone through the museum, we passed past some vendors that were painting names in Greek. I got my name painted and started talking to them. Their names were Gregory and Linda, they’ve been in Athens since 2008 because there children are going to school. He was originally from a village in the center of Greece. They were so nice! After we paid them, we climbed Mars Hill to see a 360 view of the Parthenon, observatories, Ancient Agora, and so much more! It was amazing. We then got dinner, I had lamb for the first time. Then we headed back to the hostel after a long day.
Sunday morning, we woke up pretty early so that we could go to all of the museums and sites before they closed. First, we went to the National Archaeological Museum. Some of the things on exhibit I had learned about in archaeology last semester which was very interesting. We went to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch next, on our way we passed the National Library, the University of Athens, and the Academy of Athens. As we were walking, we ran into archaeological sites all over the place. As if it's normal to just run into ancient sites and temples! The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a really nice site! After, we went and got lunch by the Parthenon. (I got spanakopita!) We then climbed to the Acropolis. The views were absolutely gorgeous! Being that high up, you could see the mountains on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Athens looks as if it stretches on forever! From the Parthenon, we saw the Theatre of Dionysos and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus below us. On the South side of the Acropolis lies the Ancient Agora with the Thission and Temple of Hephaestus. All of the history was incredible! It was interesting to imagine what life would have looked like in the same places that I was standing. After the Ancient Agora, we didn’t really have anything else planned. On a whim, we decided to visit the coast! We took the metro and tram to get to Parko Flisvou. It only took about 25 minutes to get there. The air was so fresh, it didn’t even smell salty like when you’re normally right next to sea. We headed straight towards the water. There wasn’t really any sand, it was more rocks. But there was a cement wall that we could climb and look over the Mediterranean. I have never seen water so clear and so blue. It was gorgeous! After watching the sailboats on the water as the sun began to sink, we went exploring around the Flisvous Marina. It is filled with gigantic yachts owned by people all over the world. We walked around again and then climbed onto the rocks and rested for a little while before dinner. I had grilled calamari (like the whole squid!) with olive oil and a Greek rice with feta and grayfish. (I just asked what the waiter suggested, he chose perfectly!) There was also free dessert! (My kind of restaurant!) We had a really early start this morning (left the hostel at 4 am to get to the airport..) so we headed back to the hostel after we got back from Parko Flisvou.
Sunday morning, we woke up pretty early so that we could go to all of the museums and sites before they closed. First, we went to the National Archaeological Museum. Some of the things on exhibit I had learned about in archaeology last semester which was very interesting. We went to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch next, on our way we passed the National Library, the University of Athens, and the Academy of Athens. As we were walking, we ran into archaeological sites all over the place. As if it's normal to just run into ancient sites and temples! The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a really nice site! After, we went and got lunch by the Parthenon. (I got spanakopita!) We then climbed to the Acropolis. The views were absolutely gorgeous! Being that high up, you could see the mountains on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Athens looks as if it stretches on forever! From the Parthenon, we saw the Theatre of Dionysos and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus below us. On the South side of the Acropolis lies the Ancient Agora with the Thission and Temple of Hephaestus. All of the history was incredible! It was interesting to imagine what life would have looked like in the same places that I was standing. After the Ancient Agora, we didn’t really have anything else planned. On a whim, we decided to visit the coast! We took the metro and tram to get to Parko Flisvou. It only took about 25 minutes to get there. The air was so fresh, it didn’t even smell salty like when you’re normally right next to sea. We headed straight towards the water. There wasn’t really any sand, it was more rocks. But there was a cement wall that we could climb and look over the Mediterranean. I have never seen water so clear and so blue. It was gorgeous! After watching the sailboats on the water as the sun began to sink, we went exploring around the Flisvous Marina. It is filled with gigantic yachts owned by people all over the world. We walked around again and then climbed onto the rocks and rested for a little while before dinner. I had grilled calamari (like the whole squid!) with olive oil and a Greek rice with feta and grayfish. (I just asked what the waiter suggested, he chose perfectly!) There was also free dessert! (My kind of restaurant!) We had a really early start this morning (left the hostel at 4 am to get to the airport..) so we headed back to the hostel after we got back from Parko Flisvou.
It was a wonderful time in Athens, I cannot wait to visit Greece again! Next weekend, I will be heading to Barcelona, Spain!
Talk to you soon,
Kirsten
Talk to you soon,
Kirsten