Athens - Not just ruins

As we left the fun and beauty of Santorini we were a bit uncertain about Athens. A bit poor and seedy? Lots of beggars and ATM's without cash?

Well, actually no. From start to finish we enjoyed every aspect of Athens, from the archaeological sites to the shopping to the restaurants to the gardens.

We stayed at the La Strada Hotel, special enough to get a couple of photos below, one for its great rooftop bar with an Acropolis view, and one for the room, apparently designed by a guy who owns a glass factory!

We visited all the ancient sites, plus the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum. These latter two were great to help make sense of the ruins, some of them not more than piles of rock to our untrained eyes.

How the restorers can reinstate a piece of pottery broken into twenty pieces, then strewn all over the ground, then buried for a couple of thousand years is incredible.

Monastiraki and its stalls and bars and restaurants was great fun too. We quite enjoyed having a drink and a wander around in the evening, when the hordes of cruise passengers had all retreated back to the buffet.

Well, by the time anyone reads this we will be back in Arncliffe, recovering and unpacking and ready to go again. What a great holiday!Read more