Athens was overwhelmingly big. Being the capital city of Greece, you would find various stuff here - from wide variety of baked goods, ice cream flavors, sweet shops and of course, gyros! On top of that, the shopping districts would get you nauseous. 🙃
But tourists come here mostly for one main reason - The Acropolis. When we were debating whether we would come here or not, the Acropolis was the clincher.
We flew from Heraklion and landed shortly after lunch; being a sucker for sunsets, it was perfectly planned out-- check in at the hotel, rest for a bit, freshen up and hike up the Philopappos Hill.
Sunset at Philopappos Hill
We walked for about 45minutes from our hotel, to the top of this hill where a 360-view of Athens could be seen. There were already a couple of tourists chilling and waiting for the best part of the day, some even laid out a picnic mat that made me envious. I got a book but never flipped a single page, because I got lost at the bewildering panorama before my eyes.
Since we were too late to go to The Acropolis, it was best to marvel at it from the hill.
The Acropolis
We were on full tourist mode the next day. Got early take-away coffee and pastry, while walking towards the finest spot of the city. Going up there early before the tourist buses and bigger crowds was a a rewarding decision. We could take pictures at ease.
The restoration works were quite impressive. Even after thousands of years, these great ancient buildings' architecture are still spectacular to see.
The Parthenon
Theatre of Dionysus
Old Temple of Athena
Erechtheum
As the day got hotter, we took one last view of the great ancient buildings, as well as the Lycabettus Hill from afar, before heading downtown.
We spent a lot of time walking around Athens. However, like any huge metropolitan, there were also alleys I would not wander alone. 🙃 Generally though, we felt safe there, and all we could care about was eating and sightseeing.
If you happen to be around Athens, you might want to visit this Dairy shop and cafe called Stani, an almost century old shop which serves good quality sheep yogurt and honey. Looking at the photo again makes me droooool. 😩
Before I end this post, I would like to share about this sign that really made us smile. We hope you take these positive vibes too, cheers! xoxo
