Greece - Part 1: Athens

Greece.

There is no way I can possibly capture how amazing our trip to Greece and Rome was.  16 days, 5 locations, 6 flights, 2 ferries, and 2 boat trips.  We adventured, we learned, we hiked, we swam, and most of all we relaxed and enjoyed time away. 

The first part of our trip saw us leaving home and heading for Athens.  By coincidence we happen to take off when Max was 11 but land when he was 12.  Birthday at 30,000 miles! 

Athens 

View from the apartment

Landing in Athens we used Kostas Transfers to take us between the airport and the apartment, Pari's House in Plaka Athens, where we were staying.  The transfer service was great and easy to communicate via WhatsApp.  The apartment (via booking.com) was beautiful and perfectly located in Filomousou Eterias Square, central to everything, and had a small balcony overlooking the Acropolis. It was quiet, clean, had an amazing view, and had AC (and also incredibly priced).  

Athens was hot.  A few quick recommendations.  First, bring or buy a large sun hat.  I got one and lived it for the next 16 days.  Next, get an umbrella or parasol.  We didn’t and I wish I would have just bought one from the beginning.  So many days I wish I had one for me and the kids. Also don’t be ashamed to bring and use neck fans.  We had 4 small ones that we used on many days and it’s what got us through many hot excursions. 

The first night we wandered around the neighborhood, saw many cats (...so many cats in Greece), strolled through streets lined with shops, bought a few things, and settled on dinner in the same square as our apartment, eating at Ionos Mediterranean Greek Cuisine.  They had the second best tazaki we had all trip and really good lamb kieftiko.  We also celebrated Max’s birthday with a stack of Nutella pancakes and candles. 

Day 2 we headed to the Acropolis.  You should prebuy tickets (we did for all our sites) and either go early or late afternoon about 2 hours before closing.  Before heading up we had breakfast at the restaurant in the square owned by our host, John, called Plakaki Cafe.  Delicious food, good coffee, amazing yogurt with honey and fresh fruit. (We came back each day for breakfast and John even gave us Aparol spritz in the afternoon to enjoy).

Heading up to the Acropolis by 10am it was super hot already even with the neck fans and hats (remember that note about wanting a parasol.  Also remember to bring water and there is only 1 refill station at the top). Before we left I’d downloaded Rick Steves Audio Europe app and select tours for many of our sites, including the Acropolis, to each phone.  We entered from the south slope, climbed the hill looking at a few sites not on the tour, then made our way to the main entrance area on the left before starting the audio tour.  I felt the Rick Steves tour was very complete but may also recommend considering a small private tour to get even more history.  Even with the heat, and chasing the shade, the Acropolis was very interesting and rich with so much history; even the kids said it was their highlight of Athens.  

Coming down the hill, sweaty and tired, we found ourselves at Klepsydra Cafe under trees and a misting fan eating some of the best pork and chicken gyro plates we had all trip.  

That evening, after a quick rest in the AC of our apartment we headed out to the Ancient Agora.  Make sure you look where the entrance is, we made one wrong turn and wound up walking around the perimeter of the whole thing before we even started.  We paid the entry fee and again listened to a Rick Steves audio guide as we strolled.  Finally it was cooling off.  It was very interesting learning about how the role the Agora played in Greek society and the aqueduct and drainage systems.  There's also a small museum that's part of the audio tour which shows off an ancient shield and where we learned about the early voting system of the time.  For dinner we grabbed a bite at a place off Adrianou street that wasn’t bad but not memorable. 

Day 3 was our 2nd and last full day in Athens.  After breakfast, we wandered around the city early, seeing many sites like the Arch of Hadrian, Roman Forum (from the outside), Syntagma Square (including the changing of the guard which happens at 15 minutes before the hour), the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Library, and the Holy Metropolitan Church.  We had lunch at Psaras Tavern, which was lovely but overrated, and dinner at Old Ithaki.  Here we had a delicious Greek salad as well as a really tasty gorgonzola and grilled pear risotto. I'll note the outdoor cafes are wonderful, especially at night, however as a non-smoking American who isn't used to eating with smoke, we had to make careful selections to ensure we didn't have smoke in our faces at dinner.  There were a few times this was bad enough we had to either move or leave before ordering.

And with that our stay in Athens was over.  The kids got two little statues of the Acropolis and I found a dress and some light weight pants.  Athen's is a city rich in history and culture with cute neighborhoods that are fun to wander, but 2 days is just the right amount of time.

On to Santorini!