When I got back to Athens, I took the liberty of exploring on my own a bit more before my roommate was to arrive the next day. I strolled the streets of Plaka, the tourist center of Athens plus one of the oldest parts of the city, looking at souvenirs and of course getting a gyro and gelato for dinner. At that point, I felt that if I consumed one more gyro I would actually explode but I pushed through, for the better of myself and everyone looking at me.
Super early the next morning, Minh joined me in Athens and we started right away our fun filled day. First, we headed to the Monastiraki flea market which was super packed with people and random treasures, old and new. It was definitely the weirdest flea market I've ever been to - as if everyone just brought the stuff they were over (a broken hair brush, a used toothpick, a typewriter with no space bar) and tried to sell it. I'm obviously just being harsh - it was really awesome to see cause it's a really big weekly event but I didn't find anything worthy of haggling with an old Greek lady for. Minh and I made our way over to the Acropolis after the bazaar to check out the most beautiful part of Athens.
The Acropolis was seriously incredible. The view was amazing, the weather was perfect and the history there is more than you could ever fully understand. We got pretty lucky cause for whatever reason it was "you-get-into-everything-for-free" day so we didn't have to pay to see the Acropolis, Ancient Agora or Temple of Zeus. More money for gyros! After enriching ourselves with historical landmarks, we walked around downtown more, checking out a super lux fashiony area (what economic recession??) and getting dinner on a nice hillside. My favorite part of the day was going to a rooftop bar after dinner just after sunset and watching the Acropolis light up. It was truly magical and the bar had an awesome ambiance.
The rest of my time in Athens just consisted of walking around, taking in everything going on in the busy, old, awesome, dirty city. Greece was unforgettable, not only because the beauty was so captivating but because of all the awesome people I met along the way. (Oh, and the food, if I haven't mentioned that yet). Everyone we stayed with (again, huge fan of Airbnb) was sooo generous and helpful, making our trip worry-free. I can't wait to go back to Greece one day!
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| Walking down to Monastiraki Square |
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| So much...... stuff..... at the Monastiraki Flea Market |
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| PANOS! My Greek great-grandfather's name :) |
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| Acropolis! |
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| View from Acropolis down to Temple of Zeus |
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| happy happy happy! |
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| Athens |
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| Coliseum |
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| Ancient Agora |
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| Temple of Zeus |
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| View of the Acropolis from an awesome rooftop bar |
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| The Alice Inn! |
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| Last moments in Athens spent on the balcony of my room |
Lovely photos of Greece! I know you are homesick, but can't you travel and blog more? You are like a personal travel guide, providing a window to the world outside the bubble of Cali. I can just taste the flavors and smell the aromas from your photos and your detailed descriptions of the places your have gone! I even got a beer belly from the mug o' beer from Germany! Soooo much fun, soooo little time. : - (
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy! Who are you?
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