Three visit Athens - eventually!

We finally got there, two years after we’d originally booked, we touched down in the ancient city of Athens. After dropping our things off at the hotel, we headed off – map in hand. Hotel staff directed us to the historic area of Monastiraki. The square was buzzing with sightseers visiting the open-air market to buy souvenirs, before enjoying a meal in one of the many local tavernas. There were many narrow streets leading away from the square – full of yet more shops, tavernas and ice cream parlours! We returned to Monastiraki many times during our short visit and we always saw something different. As well as countless shopping and dining opportunities, there were historic attractions to visit. We couldn’t visit Athens though without a trip to see the Acropolis – the most iconic symbol of ancient Greek civilisation. It was a warm day, so we set off reasonably early with plenty of water. After a lovely ride in a horse and carriage, we arrived at the entrance, part way up the hill. From here it was all on foot with lots of steps, although there were some stopping places along the way. The top of the Acropolis is now accessible to wheelchairs, thanks to a lift up the side and some large concrete slabs laid over the original (very uneven) paving. The Parthenon sits proudly at the top and is the landmark we all recognise; dedicated to the patron goddess of the city, Athena. Currently undergoing restoration there’s scaffolding around some of the building, but it was still a ‘pinch me’ moment to see it for real. There aren’t any archeological finds at the Acropolis, we went to the Acropolis Museum for those, later in the day. It was a pleasure to walk through the air conditioned galleries for a couple of hours and view some of the many sculptures taken from the site. We enjoyed a cool drink in one of the many rooftop bars, complete with an amazing view across to the Acropolis. Walking back through Plaka, we felt like we’d left the city behind and entered a small Greek village – narrow cobbled streets with Bougainvillea clad buildings offering souvenirs, ice creams and traditional Greek food. We took the hop-on-hop-off bus further afield first to Piraeus and then onto Glyfada Marina. It was lovely to feel the sea breeze and walk on the fine shingle into the sea, but far too cold to consider going in any deeper than our ankles! We had a lovely few days together in Athens, the weather was glorious, the food and drink spectacular, the Greek people are warm and welcoming. Two years in the planning, but well worth the wait!