So here goes, photojournal of my excellent 2 weeks in Greece! I've broken it into 6 posts in chronological order cos there're just too many pictures i want to post :)
Day o1 - Sat 10 May 08 - Athens
A few of my favourite things.
We arrived in Athens via Bangkok in the morning and paid 10 euros for 2 to travel from the airport to Syntagma Station at Plaka, the centre of the old city. The weather was slightly on the chilly side but nice and the metro ride took just under 45 minutes.
First meal in Athens was lunch at Taverna Plaka and we had the Greek salad, Moussaka and Grilled Chicken Pasta, which was a taste of meals to come and we couldn't wait!
Anng & Rayvees arrived in the afternoon from HongKong via Dubai and we headed out on our own little walking tour of Syntagma Square, uphill of which occupies a pale yellow Neoclassical building which housed the Greek Parliament. We walked around Plaka (where we caught glimpses of the Acropolis and other ruins), down Ermou Street and up to the Monastiraki area.
Took a nice stroll in the National Gardens and tried to enquire about watching an open-air movie at one of the historic sites in the Zappeion area, i believe it's called Agri but too bad it's no longer in operation.
We weren't intending to visit any historical sites today but chanced upon the Temple of Olympian Zeus right in the middle of downtown Athens! All that remained of the largest temple ever built in Greece were the 15 majestic Corinthian columns where the temple once stood. It was completed 600 years after 6th century BC by the Roman emperor Hadrian, who added his self-titled Hadrian Arch. We checked out also the Roman Baths in the nearby vicinity.
Hadrian's Arch
Ermou Street is apparently the number one shopping street in Athens, not that we can vouch for since we merely walked through it, occasionally being tempted by the numerous vendors selling foodstuff on the paved street, which was once a main street for traffic. The enormous sugar coated donuts did look really tempting.
Kapnikarea, Church at the end of Ermou Street, beyond Aiolou. There is always something going on at Aiolou and Ermou Streets, like street musicians and shoppers and it's sometimes more fun to people watch than shop. But if you do wish to shop, remember that shops generally open in the morning till 9pm except Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays when they close at 2.30pm and are closed on Sundays.
One thing that i really love about Europe other than being in their train stations is the amazing variety of pretty fresh flowers. I'd love to grab a bunch of wild flowers wrapped in brown paper on my way home from work everyday and put them loosely in a vase on my table by the window.
I like that there are ruins that surprise you at every corner in Monastiraki. Sometimes you see them as a backdrop to a string of cafes & shops, sometimes you wander right into a historic site before you realise it. I like that history seems so accessible here. It could be next to right where you're sipping coffee or picking out a fridge magnet.
Another thing that i love of course are the outdoor cafes that pepper almost every street, where you could sit all day and watch the people go by.
We stayed at the Student & Travellers' Inn which was excellently located on the lively and bustling Kydathineon Street in Plaka. It costs 54 euros for a Quad and it comes with a private bath (yes i know, we're far from students but we kinda decided to stay budget and splurge only in a nice hotel in Santorini - and trust me, it was worth it!)
Day o2 - Sun 11 May 08 - Athens
The day we covered lots of sites and sights.
The Plaka is the oldest part of Athens and most of the streets have been pedestrianised other than the occasional speeding motorcycle or delivery truck. The Plaka is under the Acropolics and flanked by two main streets, Kydathineon, which was where we stayed, and Adrianou. Following down Adrianou will take you to the Monastiraki Sunday Flea Market, which was our first stop today and starting with breakfast at an empty little joint.
Had coffee somewhere towards the end of the Flea Market where the locals hang out. Thought it was very heartwarming to see this group of old men chatting over sunday morning coffee.
I love flea markets and weekend bazaars. Stalls selling all kinds of things ranging from second hand wares to vintage musical instruments.
One of my favourite sights - sidewalk cafe furniture. The cafes are usually crowded only in the afternoons for some reason.
Vintage posters for sale nicely displayed along a stone wall. From the Monastiraki Flea Market, where Adrianou supposedly begins, we find ourselves appearing at the Roman Agora where Hadrian's Library is.
I can't remember if this was at Hadrian's Library where the Roman Agora was. Or was this the entrance to the Tower of the Winds.
The Tower of the Winds was built in 2nd century BC, as a weather vane and water clock, and stands inside the Roman Agora. Love the expression on this little boy's face as he prepares to jump off the steps at the tower.
Church of the Metamorphosis - a rest stop enroute up the somewhat slippery slopes to the Acropolis.
2 sleeping dogs near the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens where we were about to find out to our delight that the entrance fees to the Acropolis and other ancient sites were free this weekend!
The Theatre of Dionysus was a major open-air theatre in ancient Greece and was the first stone theatre ever built. Performances are still being held throughout the summer.
Interesting fact about the flag i got off the internet: When the Germans occupied Athens in WWII, the Evzone who guarded the Greek flag which flew from the Acropolis, was ordered by the Nazis to remove it. He calmly took it down, wrapped himself in it and jumped to his death.
Hung out for a while at the highest point of the Acropolis overlooking the city of Athens and Lykavittos Hill. I actually enjoyed the climb up to the Acropolis, it was better than i feared prior to coming on this trip cos i have trouble climbing steps without handrails. I liked being at the Acropolis for some reason, just sitting on the walls, where the flag is, and looking at the other tourists do their stuff and turning around to look over the city of Athens sprawled below, which was pretty dense and compact.
The Erechtheion was completed in 406 BC before Sparta defeated Athens. Another interesting fact off the internet when i was doing research: The Erechtheion sits on the most sacred site of the Acropolis where Poseidon and Athena had their first contest over who would be Patron of the City. Poseidon thrust his trident intot he rock and a spring burst forth, while Athena touched the ground with a spear and an olive tree grew. Athena was declared the victor the great city of Ahtens was named for her. The Caryatids or 6 women frozen in stone supported the south porch, are copies of the orignala which have been placed in the Acropolis Museum.
The Parthenon, also known as the Temple of the Greek Goddess Athena, was built in 5th century BC and regarded as one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. Before visiting the Acropolis in Greece, i sometimes confused it with the Pantheon in Rome.
Lunch at one of the restaurants we came across on the way up to the Acropolis. We backtracked abit cos it looked like a lovely place to hang out except that we kinda got birdshit on us one after the other so we moved indoors.
Sleeping dog by flower bed along the way down from the Acropolis to the Ancient Agora, where we passed a very long and wide thoroughfare lined with indoor cafes on one side and alfresco seating on the other. There were popcorn and cotton candy carts, street vendors selling balloons to children, Cola-cola was giving away cans of Coke Zero, people were sitting by the cafes having coffee and people-watching. It all felt very festive having just come from one historical site and heading to another. Photos just couldn't capture the essence of the lively atmosphere. I think the urban planning is excellent!
Temple of Hephaestus
Resumed our historical trail after lunch and headed to the Ancient Agora where we kinda got beeped by an angry warden for sitting on what looked like a parapet wall but turned out to be part of an ancient ruin. If the Acropolis was Athen's soul then the Agora was her heart, as it served as the city's marketplace and administrative centre from 6th century BC to AD 500. We snapped our last picture at The Temple of Hephaestus just as the warden whistled again to signal that the Agora was closed for the day. I truly felt blessed that our timing was so perfect cos there were some who were just approaching but were turned away.
View of Lykavittos Hill from the Acropolis earlier. We took the metro to Evangelismo where we were planning to catch the sunset over dinner at Lykavittos Hill. The climb up to where the funicular station was was quite tough for me cos it was a continuous flight that seemed endless but i'm glad i made it nevertheless! Oh and on the funicular we were debating loudly whether sitting looking downhill or uphill would be better for photos. In the end we settled on sitting facing downhill for what seemed like forever only to realise that the entire trip was in a tunnel offering no views whatsover!
Sunset at the top of Lykavittos Hill was rather nice but it was very very chilly.
Hot chocolate to the rescue in one of the chi-chi restaurants at Lykavittos Hill. It was the yummiest hot chocolate i have ever tasted in my entire life. Hmm I'm thinking the 6 euros price tag might have had something to do with that. But seriously it was very very good.
We lounged a bit at this restaurant and to our pleasant surprise fireworks started going off in the distance and lasted for a good 10 minutes or so. Are we fortunate or what? Went back up to the top for the night view of Athens for a couple of minutes and headed back down cos it was freezing.
Metro ride back to where we stayed for a very late dinner. I think we were all pretty tired out but felt extremely fulfilled with the day's sightseeing activities.
Dinner was grilled zucchini and chicken gyros with pita and fries at a taverna near the Students & Travellers' Inn. The street where we stayed on was very lively and had many cafes to choose from. We'd only made reservations for the first 2 nights so the next morning we'd have to do a bit of accommodation hunting before leaving for our day trip out of Athens.
