The Acropolis

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!

Arriving into Athens

Day 7 saw us arriving in Athens for the second time. We had to wake up really early for the flight from Mykonos to Athens, which departed at 6.55 am. Got to the airport before 6 am and the counter wasn't even open yet (see my orange suitcase queuing?). But I was glad we were doing a domestic flight that would take 30 mins instead of wasting 4 hrs on ferry. Best of all, it was just 39 euros for the flight, cheaper than the boat!




The problem with being one of the first to check in was that our bags were one of the last to come out. Dimitris had offered to come and pick us up and he was kept waiting for over 20 mins for our bags to appear. But we were soon settled in his car, a cute 2-door, cherry-coloured Ford Fiesta and he and Nick immediately hit it off. They chatted all the way to the city and in about 45 mins we reached the Intercontinental.



Dimitris waited till we got our keys before heading off to work whilst we dumped our bags and went in search of breakfast around the neighbourhood. Nick was already hungry and cranky but after walking around 15 mins, we couldn't find a single cafe and proceeded back to the hotel.

Mentally prepared to splurge on breakfast at their Cafe Zoe (22 SGD for an omelette), who should appear but Dimitris. He had a word with the duty manager and voila - free buffet breakfast for the day. Such a dear!

After breakfast, went back to the room - which I was glad was not as old as I anticipated. It was large and we had a view of the Acropolis.



Napped for a while before proceeding to take the hotel's complimentary shuttle to Syntagma Square, which is the town area. My agenda was to get the shopping out of the way. We had lunch at Goody's - a local fast food chain recommended by Dimitris - before hitting Zara and H&M along Stadiou and Aiolou streets. The Zara wasn't as cheap as expected and I only bought a top for myself, but a few items for Nat and Gigi.





H&M was disappointing...I had been so looking forward to splurging there but didn't see anything that really caught my eye. There were a couple of things going at 2 for 1, so I ended up with 2 tops, 2 cardigans and a maxi dress for a total of 50 euros. A few doors down was another outlet and there I bought some more clothes for Nat and Gigi. I think the children's stuff is nicer than the adults'.



Met up with Dimitris in Syntagma and we had tea at the posh Zonar's, where a slice of cake cost 9.50 euro. Faint! Can't believe we paid SGD 19 for cake but Nick was hungry. I had an ice chocolate though and it was rich and sinful as hell, the best I ever tasted!


Dimitris put on his tour guide hat and brought us on foot to some of the places I had planned for Day 1, it was so much easier with him around...didn't have to grapple with maps all the time. First up was the pretty neo-classical Academy Building, then the Syntagma metro station which houses some ancient artifacts.



We stopped by the Parliament Building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, before walking to the National Gardens that held a mini-zoo and the President's Palace which had orange trees lining the streets.








Then it was on to the Panathenaikon Stadium - venue of the first Olympic Games in modern history in 1896, followed by the Temple of Olympian Zeus which was completed in 131 AD. Unfortunately, the place was already closed so we could only admire from outside.



In front of it was Hadrian's Arch, built in honour of Roman emperor Hadrian who ruled from 117 AD - 138 AD. It bears two inscriptions - on the side facing west and the Acropolis says, "This is Athens, the city of Theseus", while the other side which faces the extension of Athens constructed by Hadrian says, "This is the city of Hadrian, not Theseus".


Across the road was Dionysiou Aeropaghitou Street, a scenic pathway which leads to the Acropolis and the new Acropolis Museum. The Acropolis metro station held some replica statues and Dimitris showed us how to take the subway and tram back to the hotel.





We picked up his car and then made our way to the Flisvos Marina, which is apparently one of the 'in' places at the moment. The sun was setting over the harbour and there were a lot of fancy yachts (can you see the black one below?) and restaurants.





We settled on Brasserie Sud, Athenians eat late - it was after 10 pm before our food arrived! Nick had a curry risotto and I opted for fried chicken fillets which was actually from the appetisers. But it was served with tabouleh and mustard sauce so it was as good as a main. The tabouleh was yummy - minty with strong Middle Eastern flavours. And so ends our first day in Athens.