Athens

This is my second weekend in Athens this month, and I still have one more to go before I depart this great country. Athens has been my base really between arriving and departing the sailing tour and Kefalloina.

We arrive back Friday lunchtime and I head straight to the hostel. I have a shower, grab all of my clothes and head down to the Laundromat. In the meantime I try the fish and chips next door, which is really good, especially their chips. In England, they make crappy chips. The chips are soggy as if they have been lying around for days. These chips are hot, crisp and fresh – yummy! I duck next door to check out the sports bar before taking my laundry back to the hostel to hang out over the balcony. It's so hot and windy that it dries in no time.

I’ve also noticed that my hair dries unbelievably fast here as well. Almost too fast that it becomes straw like. After visiting a supermarket near the hostel I come across this funky restaurant / café. I sit down and enjoy a meal of Greek salad, sausages and a dessert. I order a wine as I’m in the spirit, but it’s so hot and quite disgusting. I’m not a fan of Greek wine I don think.

I leave here feeling really good about that food, but slightly ripped off that the staff just helped themselves to a tip from my 20 note. And being I didn’t bother asking for it, which was disappointing, because I really liked it up to this point.

Saturday
Today I am out on the 2-hour walking tour organised by the hostel. We walk past all of the old relics, hear stories from years gone by and visit the different market places and stalls around the local area. We take pictures in front of parliament house and go past the square where the Greeks had lots of riots in 2007 / 2010. And we end through the royal gardens and down at Zeus’s statues.

The best story the guide told us was that when the Nazi’s first took over Greece they demanded that all Greek flags be replaced with the Nazi flag. The solider who’s job it was to replace the flag at the Acropolis couldn’t do it, so he wrapped himself in the flag and jumped over the side of the building.

A year later, almost to the date, two young teenagers climbed the Acropolis and replaced the Nazi flag with the Greek flag. One of these teenagers is currently finishing their final term in the European Parliament and the tender age of 92! That is just fantastic. Very shortly we won’t have such stories, as all the people from that era will be gone…

In the afternoon I wander back through the market places looking for some cream. The shops are crammed in together, almost bulging out at you. Everything you can imagine is sold around this area.

Tonight I am meeting some people from the sail on a rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis and then I’m going to a play called, Socrates Now. The play is located in the garden of the oldest university in Greece. As you enter you walk underneath grapevines growing above you, conveniently the free wine is located here haha.

We sit with the Acropolis in the background to the stage. Tonight it is a one-man show, Socrates is on trial for his life, and he was witnessing his speech for his freedom and response to the guilty and consequent sentence of death.

At the end the actor has a discussion with the audience about Socrates’s message in his speech and how it could relate to do. Do we have a Socrates of the 21st century? How would he view the current economic crisis?

I found it really interesting, but frustrated that I didn’t know more about Socrates and what he was trying to get across. I must’ve zoned out at one point :/ All in all I feel like I achieved the greatest Greek thing tonight. It wasn’t 100% a Greek play, but it’s close enough for me.

It’s nearing on 11pm now so I head back to the hostel and stop off for a quick bite to eat on the way. Although I was most disappointed in the meal, the highlight was received this chocolate slice with my bill. It was amazing! And I’ve been on the hunt for more of it since.

Sunday
Tonight I am spending my first night at an airport as I have a 5am flight to Kefallonia. I am a little bit excited because I have never done this before and it seems quite fun.

I pack up everything and put my bags in storage before heading out for the morning. I’m heading towards a shopping centre to buy some moisture but am stopped as some protestors have locked down the building, trapping shoppers and staff on the inside. They are protesting about Sunday trading.

After getting quite annoyed at their arrogance I left, muttering a few choice words under my breath. I walk further north looking for Loukamades. The Internet tells me there is a shop up that sells them. Unfortunately when I arrived all I find is this random puff pastry cream thing, which my guidebook tells me is something else I should try. I do, but it’s not the best.

I head back through the market places towards my hostel, only to find a loukameades shops. I decide to wait until Kefallonia.

Tonight I head up to the rooftop bar for one last drink and watch as the sunsets on the Acropolis. I have some conversations with a few Americans and then head into the airport. I’m here just before midnight and have around 3 hours sleep before going to check my luggage in and go to the gate.

Visiting Kefallonia has always been somewhere I’ve wanted to visit. To see where my great gran came from. The time has almost come!

Where I stayed
Athens Backpackers - 12 Makri (Makrigianni), Athens, Greece

Good location, rooms are big, beds comfy, lots of cafes / restaurants around, rooftop bar to see Acropolis. Breakfast is only eggs, bathrooms are always wet, wifi didn't work that wellRead more