Whilst having breakfast this morning, Dimitris popped by to say 'hi'. Though he sports a chef's uniform at work, he doesn't actually do any cooking these days. He does more administration as assistant to the Executive Chef, and is in charge of inventory and ordering all the food, beverage and cutlery etc that the kitchen needs.
Today was Acropolis day. I had wanted an early start but we overslept and took a cab to the sacred rock. The taxis outside the hotel are a rip-off, charging 7 euros for what I am told should cost less than 5. Oh well.
We passed by The Odeion of Herodes Atticus, built in 161 AD and which served as a venue for many ancient Greek events.
Then it was on to battle the crowds and the blazing sun at the Acropolis. Tickets cost 12 euros each but entitles you to visit several sites in the vicinity such as the Ancient Agora and Philopappou Hill, but we stuck with the Acropolis. The place was infested with tourists at 10 in the morning and we were herded along like sheep by the attraction's minders.
As the temperatures soared, so did Nickypoo's patience. He was not pleased having to snap pictures of me at various angles and locations whilst melting in the heat! But I ignored him and continued snapping away! We asked someone to take a picture of us together at the Parthenon, but the twit backed up so far that we are tiny in the shot. Idiot!
I liked the Erectheion a lot, a temple built from 420-406 BC and the distinctive feature are the maiden figures (Caryatids) supporting the roof. The ones here are copies but 5 of the 6 originals are displayed in the new museum, which we saw later. Last stop was the Ancient Theatre of Dionysus, the most ancient theatre in the world dating back to the 5th century BC.
We cooled down at the new Acropolis Museum which reopened to the public on 21 June so our trip timing was good. It's built above archaeological ruins of old Athens, and one of the most important displays was the original Caryatids. There were also a lot of pottery and statues that used to decorate the Parthenon.
As we left the museum, there was a small group of protestors striking outside. Don't really know what they were upset about but we headed to the Plaka, the oldest neighbourhood of Athens. The place was charming with a lot of neoclassical houses and there were plenty of souvenir shops. We bought a few items and paused for lunch at an Asian restaurant we spotted. The food sucked, I had a chicken and corn soup while Nick had a chicken curry that was too sour for my liking. And the chicken had been frozen and was rubbery.
After lunch, we passed by the Athens Cathedral which was undergoing renovations and landed up at Monastiraki, which is popular for its flea market. There was one particular souvenir shop at the end that had the cheapest goods compared to all the shops I patronised.
We walked back all the way to Syntagma but missed the hotel's shuttle back and so took the tram instead. Had a quick chat with Nat before meeting Dimitris for a spot of shopping. Along the way, we passed by a Marathonas Avenue that was apparently part of the route taken by a messenger in a Greek fable and how the marathon originated. Cool!
I had been looking forward to checking out the factory outlet store near the airport but was majorly disappointed when we arrived. Had high hopes for the Prada and Fendi it sells but they were actually just a handful of clothes. There were a lot of other mid-priced brands too but nothing caught my eye except a couple of things from Accessorize.
Dimitris then announced he was taking us to The Mall at Maroussi to meet his good friend, which is in the vicinity of the Olympic stadium built for the last games Athens hosted. I had about 10 mins before the stores closed and was desperate to buy something, anything, after the disappointment of the factory outlet. Walked into a Zara Home and bought a quilt cover in 5 mins! So these are my purchases for the day...
His friend Limonya was a very bubbly lady, they are dating but not a couple. They are quite cute together - he's skinny and serious while she's chubby and cheerful! She's a chef too, and works at the Acropolis Museum cafe and we were telling her all about Singapore and why she should visit. It was another late dinner, Nick had a pretty decent burger and I had a whole pizza and they were just 5.95 euro each!
Today was Acropolis day. I had wanted an early start but we overslept and took a cab to the sacred rock. The taxis outside the hotel are a rip-off, charging 7 euros for what I am told should cost less than 5. Oh well.
We passed by The Odeion of Herodes Atticus, built in 161 AD and which served as a venue for many ancient Greek events.
Then it was on to battle the crowds and the blazing sun at the Acropolis. Tickets cost 12 euros each but entitles you to visit several sites in the vicinity such as the Ancient Agora and Philopappou Hill, but we stuck with the Acropolis. The place was infested with tourists at 10 in the morning and we were herded along like sheep by the attraction's minders.
As the temperatures soared, so did Nickypoo's patience. He was not pleased having to snap pictures of me at various angles and locations whilst melting in the heat! But I ignored him and continued snapping away! We asked someone to take a picture of us together at the Parthenon, but the twit backed up so far that we are tiny in the shot. Idiot!
I liked the Erectheion a lot, a temple built from 420-406 BC and the distinctive feature are the maiden figures (Caryatids) supporting the roof. The ones here are copies but 5 of the 6 originals are displayed in the new museum, which we saw later. Last stop was the Ancient Theatre of Dionysus, the most ancient theatre in the world dating back to the 5th century BC.
We cooled down at the new Acropolis Museum which reopened to the public on 21 June so our trip timing was good. It's built above archaeological ruins of old Athens, and one of the most important displays was the original Caryatids. There were also a lot of pottery and statues that used to decorate the Parthenon.
As we left the museum, there was a small group of protestors striking outside. Don't really know what they were upset about but we headed to the Plaka, the oldest neighbourhood of Athens. The place was charming with a lot of neoclassical houses and there were plenty of souvenir shops. We bought a few items and paused for lunch at an Asian restaurant we spotted. The food sucked, I had a chicken and corn soup while Nick had a chicken curry that was too sour for my liking. And the chicken had been frozen and was rubbery.
After lunch, we passed by the Athens Cathedral which was undergoing renovations and landed up at Monastiraki, which is popular for its flea market. There was one particular souvenir shop at the end that had the cheapest goods compared to all the shops I patronised.
We walked back all the way to Syntagma but missed the hotel's shuttle back and so took the tram instead. Had a quick chat with Nat before meeting Dimitris for a spot of shopping. Along the way, we passed by a Marathonas Avenue that was apparently part of the route taken by a messenger in a Greek fable and how the marathon originated. Cool!
I had been looking forward to checking out the factory outlet store near the airport but was majorly disappointed when we arrived. Had high hopes for the Prada and Fendi it sells but they were actually just a handful of clothes. There were a lot of other mid-priced brands too but nothing caught my eye except a couple of things from Accessorize.
Dimitris then announced he was taking us to The Mall at Maroussi to meet his good friend, which is in the vicinity of the Olympic stadium built for the last games Athens hosted. I had about 10 mins before the stores closed and was desperate to buy something, anything, after the disappointment of the factory outlet. Walked into a Zara Home and bought a quilt cover in 5 mins! So these are my purchases for the day...
His friend Limonya was a very bubbly lady, they are dating but not a couple. They are quite cute together - he's skinny and serious while she's chubby and cheerful! She's a chef too, and works at the Acropolis Museum cafe and we were telling her all about Singapore and why she should visit. It was another late dinner, Nick had a pretty decent burger and I had a whole pizza and they were just 5.95 euro each!
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