I've been taking my sweet time finishing up my post on Greece. it was the last leg of my vacation, and arguably my favourite. I'm having a hard time finishing off the travel posts because then the experience will truly be over! and also, there's just so much to say about Athens...
those who doubted our decision to head to Athens in the middle of an economic crisis may be surprised to learn that we had a blast. the people there were so, so nice, the food was incredible, and the whole city seemed pretty warm and inviting. yes, there were one or two comments about the economy when discussing prices, but for the most part these two happy-go-lucky tourists barely noticed.
those who doubted our decision to head to Athens in the middle of an economic crisis may be surprised to learn that we had a blast. the people there were so, so nice, the food was incredible, and the whole city seemed pretty warm and inviting. yes, there were one or two comments about the economy when discussing prices, but for the most part these two happy-go-lucky tourists barely noticed.
we stayed in the Plaka neighbourhood, right next to Monastiraki, and directly beneath the Acropolis. there are tons of things to see in the centre of Athens, all within walking distance of those neighbourhoods. we walked everywhere, and while the winding streets were somewhat confusing, my map and the obvious landmarks (Acropolis, hello!) made exploring pretty peachy.
the Temple of Zeus (above) was five minutes from our hostel. it was the first Greek thing we saw, and it was an enigmatic experience for me. Athens was blistering hot every day we were there, so we were just baking there, looking up at this huge, ancient thing in the middle of a busy urban area. like it was no big deal. legends, mythologies, histories, revolved around places like this, and now they're just parts of a city sprawl that stick out like sore thumbs, yet somehow go mostly unnoticed. it's a strange thought, that people just live around things like this.
...people, and cats. lots of cats.
of course you can't visit Greece without catching a few rays by the Mediterranean sea! our beach adventures were more like misadventures, since by the time we got there in the afternoon the clouds would be pulling in and the sea breeze was feeling more wind-like. but we did have a lot of fun.
Athens has plenty of beaches right in the city, albeit basically in the outskirts. you can take the tram from the city centre and hop off at any beach that strikes your fancy; but be warned that the tram is slightly confusing, ticketing is entirely automatic, and everything is solely in Greek. and let me tell you, if you think you'll be able to recognize or decipher Greek words once you've read them a few times, you won't. the alphabet is different, and you may not think it's not that big a deal, but it is. you can simply ask any of the friendly locals for directions, however this means risking embarrassment and attempting to pronounce Greek words.
(more photos & lots more to say after the jump!)
