In November 2017 Michael and I visited Athens for the very first time. We had travelled all over the world but never had managed to plan a trip to the Greek capital. Though I have always been quite of a history geek felt a bit embarrassing that we had always missed out on this wonderful city. In the following you will find what I wrote in my travel blog back then:
Athens – Day 1: Psiri and Monastiraki
From November 2-6, 2017 Michael and I were in Athens. Our friend from Amsterdam, Nikos, is currently back in his home town for a nine months project and we took the opportunity to visit him and finally make it for the very first time in our lives to Athens and to Greece!
Our flight from Barcelona via Rome was pleasant. From the airport we took the train to the city center and arrived to Monastiraki square where Nikos picked us up to walk us to our hotel.
The O&B Athens Boutique Hotel was lovely being situated between Psiri and the Monastiraki flea market and upon arrival we were welcomed with some Greek tapas and a shot of Rake. Yummy!
The Psiri area is an upcoming district of Athens, full of stylish cafés, bars and small shops. The crisis brought decline to the area but now gentrification is picking up again. At night it still has some dodgy spots but we never felt unsafe in Athens. Kind of every building has graffiti – mostly useless ones but also some interesting motives in between:
The flea market of Monastiraki is a touristic area though given the time of the year the city was not overcrowded with tourists. Hidden among the souvenir shops you can find a jewel of a café. The Couleur Locale is a hipster place having a roof terrace with fantastic views to the Acropolis.
After refreshments on the rooftop we used the afternoon and Nikos showed us around. We walked through Monastiraki and its ancient treasures of Roman and Greek ruins up the Northern hillside of the Akropolis. The neighbourhood there is magical. Small houses with little gardens are settled on the slopes of the mountain with an incredible view over the city and Mount Lycabettus.
We continued our walk and passed by the Arch of Hadrian to the famous Panathenaic Stadium. The stadium is completely built out of marble and is dating back to 144 AC (the first version even dating back to 330 BC). After excavation and renovation in the 19th century the stadium hosted the first Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896. It was absolutely impressive to see these ancient sites dating back 2000 years!
For dinner Nikos took us to a typical tavern with Ouzo and Greek platters. Ouzo is my favourite aperitif being anise flavoured. It is not sweet at all. You can drink it as a shot or more common in Greece on ice.
After such a wonderful and eventful day we were happy when being in bed.
Athens – Day 2: Mount Lycabettus
After having enjoyed a long night of sleep and an extensive breakfast buffet in the hotel we started walking. The first stop was the Hellenic Parliament located in the Old Royal Palace at the Syntagma square.
After a quick stop at a local barber shop and with fashionable hair and impeccable beards we started climbing up Mount Lycabettus passing through a gorgeous residential neighbourhood with the same name.
On top of Mount Lycabettus you suddenly realize the vastness of Athens. It is stretched out into all directions with rather low buildings with predominantly white colours shining in the sun. Below is the breathtaking view to the Akropolis and in the back the harbour of Pireus.
On the way back we met Nikos in the six d.o.g.s, a green oasis in the middle of the city. Also this hipster place was very crowded with locals enjoying a pleasant afternoon. And at the latest after our visit here we were captivated by the vibe of Athens.
Towards the evening we returned to the hotel in order to rest before discovering the Athens nightlife. Refreshed after a nap we had a moment of celebration in another Greek tavern, this time in the Gazi neighbourhood: I have reached the milestone of having spent more than half of my life with Michael.
The Gazi is the one of the cool places to be in Athens. It is full of restaurants, cafes and music. It is located around the old city gas-works which has been turned into a museum and cultural center.
The Ouzo was just the start of a loooooong night…
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