Athens Day 1

Hello!

On our first morning in Athens we woke up pretty early and got our day started. We walked to Centrale, a quaint cafe on the plaza near our hotel. We got some cappuccinos, an omelette, and a Turkey/Swiss toast

We found a 2 day Athens tour and went with that for our initial plan for the day, starting with the Hellenic Parliament where we saw the changing of the guard. Next we walked along Panepistimou Street towards the National Library, an ornate building with lots of history. We overheard a tour group explaining Athena’s importance as the goddess of knowledge and war, and why she’s the namesake for Greece’s capital city.

We decided to try out the metro next to get to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, but decided to stop by the Acropolis Museum (separate from the Acropolis itself) instead. The museum held several important artifacts and told the story of what the Acropolis used to be. We found one movie that was enlightening and enjoyed seeing the excavation site below the museum. I got yelled at for taking a photo in one exhibit but thought this sculpture was neat, as it represents the union of a palm and a flower native to Greece:

At this point, it was time for lunch. We almost fell for a tourist trap with a very inviting host and a menu in 7 languages but decided against it after we sat down. We instead walked back up a little closer to the museum and had a tasty meal with Greek salad and chicken souvlaki at Athena Bistrot.

After lunch we strolled through Plaka and visited Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Zeus, and shopped a bit. We also enjoyed a (hot) walk in the National Gardens on our way back to the hotel.   

We took a brief rest in the hotel before heading back out to see Monastiraki Square and Hadrian’s Library.

We went to dinner at City Zen with a nice view of the Acropolis but unfortunately a rude service experience. We did try Ouzo, the specialty Anise liqueur in Greece as an aperitif and enjoyed stuffed peppers as an appetizer.

Finally, we went to Kou Kou Vaya, a dessert place where we tried their specialty Zoumero (moist chocolate cake) with ice cream.

All in all, a good first day!

Amy