VACATIONS FROM HOME: THREE DAYS IN ATHENS

ANTIQUITES AND SPINACH PIE

We started our trip to Greece by spending a few days in the ancient capital of Athens, which, because we were going to be sailing on an 8-day trip through some small islands in the Cyclades and Dodecanese, was more than enough time. Although, plenty of travel sources say 3-4 days in Athens is enough time to see all the major sights, like the Acropolis and Parthenon, etc., and we made the best of our time while there.

Here is what we did in Athens:

HOTEL HERODIAN

Janet always seems to find the best places and the centrally located Hotel Herodian was yet another hit for the Captain of Vacations From Home.

FROM THE BAR

Our neat, clean hotel was optimally located a block from the Acropolis. We even had a spectacular view of this ancient magnificent promontory from the roof top bar / restaurant at the Herodian, and our martinis there were especially enjoyable.

There are also two hot tubs on the floor beneath the restaurant which offered the same shocking view of the edifice and the Parthenon, that temple erected to the goddess Athena, shown brightly like a beacon from the gods themselves. It was lovely.

HOT TUB VIEW

The staff at the Herodian were pleasant and helpful, giving dinner suggestions away from the hotel, and arranged for our private transfer later to our ship in the port of Piraeus.

Our driver said this area was one of the safest in Athens, despite its proximity to everything!

HERODIAN HOTEL ATHENS

HOP ON BUS

Because of our early arrival our room wasn’t quite ready, but the hotel stored our bags and we explored our immediate area for a few hours.

It was hot, so we opted to pay fare for a Hop-On/Hop off double decker bus. You can find the business in several cities around the world. Don’t knock this very touristy ride for It is a convenient way to see a city. Though we never get off the bus and only tootle around, at 20 euros each we were able to kill much of our time while seeing where certain interesting sites are located, like the Parliament building where there is the hourly changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, Hadrian’s gate, the Olympic stadium, etc.

You’re provided ear pieces and can listen to a guide describe the various places.

HOP ON HOP OFF BUS

ACROPOLIS / PARTHENON TOUR

ACROPOLIS DETAIL

Because the Herodian was so centrally located, it was a leisurely walk the next morning to our rendezvous point for our small group tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon. It was a very busy area, just on the outskirts of the Plaka, another very touristed area, and just across the street from Hadrian’s Arch. The notes said for us to meet our guide at an outdoor ice cream shop, who was seated on one of the chairs.

You don’t need to purchase a tour to walk the grounds of the Acropolis, although you need to purchase a ticket for an allotted time entry. Our guide though was knowledgeable and gave us historical tidbits about various locations like how the Roman style of architecture differed from the Greeks because of the use of arches. She also wove stories from mythology into pointing out various things, which included the naming of Athens after Athena, who had struggled with Poseidon over the naming rights of the city while we were seated in the shade of an olive tree. The olive branch is symbolic of peace and wisdom and triumph and it was the very token Athena gave as a peace offering.

ROMAN ARCHES

The Acropolis and the Parthenon is a must, must visit for anyone traveling to Athens. Though this was my second time to Athens this was my first visit to the Acropolis, because there was a labor strike going on and it was closed.

Our tour also included entry into the Acropolis Museum where our guide walked us through the displays and artifacts and statues, including the surviving five he Caryatids statues that once served as columns for the porch of the Erechtheion temple and were famously removed and cleansed, saving them from the air pollution of Athens. The 6^th Caryatid was spirited off to the British Museum along with many panels from the Parthenon.

The CARYATIDS with one missing

There are several choices for tours. We went with Athens Walking Tours. They focus on keeping their tour groups small. Janet booked them through Tripadvisor. Here is their direct email address:

ancient

ATHENS WALKING TOURS

Having learned our lesson from ordering too much food the night before (read the earlier entry on this subject) we shared one (1) Greek salad and an entrée between us at Taverna Skoumpri, a short walk from our hotel. It was ample food.

Taverna Skoumpri Athens

Ariston Bakery, Athens

FOOD TOUR

About halfway through our walking food tour of Athens, having forgotten the whole “too much food” edict we imposed on ourselves, our guide cautioned us that we signed up for this!

Normally we try to take a cooking class, but Janet found a world-wide company that offers food tours, and this would have been a great idea, but we still hadn’t fully recovered from our pig-out soirees from two nights previously. The guide from Culinary Backstreets dragged us to six different places in the city center and Plaka to sample everything!

KOSTARELOS

We started with several versions of very healthy unstrained yogurts at the company store of Kostarelos, the final container drizzled with honey.

KOSTARELOS, ATHENS

ARISTON BAKERY

At Ariston bakery, which has been in operation since 1910 we had cheese pastries and various sweet confections.

ARISTON BAKERY, ATHENS

PNYKA SYNTAGMA

Pnyka Syntagma is a bakery where we ate spinach and mushroom and cheese pies and a street-food staple, koulouri, a sesame encrusted bread that looked like an oversized bagel.

Pnyka interior

Pnyka exterior

KOSTAS

Already stuffed we somehow managed to eat some of the greatest souvlaki we had every had at Kostas. You must get to this hole-in-the-wall shop early because once they sell out of the grilled pork or chicken that they prepared for their souvlaki they close up the shop and the line can stretch out down the street. No where else in Greece came close to Kostas souvlaki. While we ate our souvlaki various people, mostly tourists, came in to purchase their own and to snap pictures of this number one souvlaki restaurant.

no lines at Kostas.... yet

KOSTAS SOUVLAKI ATHENS

GLYKYS

We thought we had a respite from the eating when we took outdoor seats at the leafy quiet café Glykys, just a block away from the main “street’ of the Plaka where all the touristy shops are located. But, after ordering our Greek coffee, telling the waiter how much sugar we wanted, our guide presented us with some confections purchased earlier at Ariston.

We were then given a primer on how to read your coffee grinds in order to foretell the future. I was told mine had an eagle, but to me it looked like a bad haircut.

The next morning we returned to Glykys to have a final coffee in Athen before we left for the port of Piraeus and our boat.

GLYKYS CAFE ATHENS

Eagle or a bad haircut?

GLYKYS CAFE, ATHENS

SAITA TAVERNA

Saita in the Plaka was busy with street musicians and tourists milling about and though we technically were not hungry, we sat at outdoor table and several plates of food served family style came out.

Lamb, potatoes, several types of vegetables including a plate of a seasonal green called Horta, which kind of tasted like spinach were served.

MALOTIRA

We finally ended the food tour when we trudged down the Plaka, with the Acropolis over our left shoulder to Malotira, a Greek boutique deli where we sampled several olive oils from around the country. We washed down these essential oils with a glass of Tsipouro and nibbled on a concoction of creamy goat and sheep cheese that was dusted with oregano from Crete and then drizzled with honey. Tsipouro and the anise infused ouzo are the national drinks of Greece.

MALOTIRA, ATHENS

Contact Culinary Backstreets if you dare, but don't say we didn't warn you! All kidding aside it was a great way to gain weight!

CULINARY BACKSTREETS

WALKING IT OFF...

Needless to say, we did not eat dinner that evening, but we did walk to the Parliament building where we caught the hourly changing of the honor guard protecting the tomb of the unknown soldier. This is free, but you must obey the commander’s directions and stay behind a white marble strip.

PARLIAMENT BUILDING ATHENS

The meeting point for our food tour was in the plaza across the street from the Parliament building and that morning we opted to take a quick ride on the metro, but in the evening we needed to walk and it was about 20 minutes from our hotel.