Athens
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Finally, Athens! We spent a total of 3 days there, which was sufficient for us to see all the main sights Athens had to offer.
Day 1: We hit the major sights first: Agora, Mars Hill, Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the Temple of Olympian Zeus (all located within walking distance from each other). Tip: Check out the Acropolis in the later part of the morning to avoid the crowds, and then the Acropolis Museum which contains the salvaged parts of the Acropolis and Parthenon to get a more complete sense of what they looked like in their better days.
Day 2: Check out the changing of guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and proceed to start the City Walk (on foot) to explore the Plaka and shopping districts. We used Rick Steves' guidebook, which was very easy to follow.
Day 3: For a tidy chronological perspective on Greek art as it evolved across the ages, start with the Archaeological Museum, which traces Greek history from the early Minoan / Mycenaean times to Roman rule, followed by the Museum of Cycladic Art, which picks up from there.
 |
| The Ancient Agora of Athens, literally "gathering place" of the Ancient Greeks |
 |
| Inside the Church of the Holy Apostles, one of the few intact structures in the Agora |
 |
| View from Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul preached to the Greeks |
 |
| A shot of the Parthenon which was not under restoration and covered by scaffolding. Sadly, most of it was either taken away by the Brits, or have been destroyed. The surviving sculptures can be found in the Acropolis Museum. |
 |
| The Greek flag on the Acropolis. Back when the Nazis first occupied Greece, they had ordered a guard to take down the Greek flag. He calmly did so, wrapped the Greek flag around himself, and jumped to his death. |
 |
| What's left of the Temple of Olympian Zeus |
 |
| The Tom of the Unknown Soldier |
 |
| The changing of guard ceremony, which takes place every hour. (For best views, stand behind the white line and patiently wait for the procession to start! Ignore the tourists trying to get close up shots with the poor guards on duty as they will be made to move behind the white line before the ceremony begins, by which time, you would already be in prime position) |
 |
| The tiny Cycladic-styled neighbourhood of Anafiotika, nestled away from the bustle of Athens in the historic Plaka area |
 |
| The mask of Agamemnon, who commanded the Greek Army in the Trojan wars according to mythology |
We had initially tried to book a place at the Funky Gourmet (1 Michelin star), but it was fully booked. Apparently, you have to book 1 month in advance, but we were too late! Never mind, we decided to book a place at 2 Michelin-starred Spondi restaurant for our last night in Athens. It's a little hard to find, so getting there by cab is recommended. Also, I would suggest only going for the full 7 course menu if you are a really big eater or are particularly starved as the servings are not unsubstantial, and 7 courses exclude the amuse bouche, pre-dessert and petit fours, and bread basket, which adds up to A LOT (as 1 of us found out the hard way).
There were too many courses (we had the 4 course menu for 69 Euros and 7 course menu paired with Greek wines for 157 euros) for us to take many pictures, but here are some!
 |
| The amuse bouche, which consisted of Fois Gras (and eel, I believe) |
 |
| Milk-fed veal with truffle-onion-herb tart. The deceptively simple tart was especially divine and was a great complement to the veal. (Not pictured: a side of baked potatoes.) |
 |
| Dessert: The "Fraisier", consisting of Strawberry / Lemongrass / Almond / Crunchy Meringue / Fresh White Cheese Ice cream and Strawberry Sorbet |
Other memorable food options we tried and would highly recommend for their good service, great food and value for money: Karamanlidika for traditional Greek fare and Mani Mani for a modern spin on Greek food.
Karamanlidika is a bit off the usual tourist route and is located in the Ommonia neighbourhood (which most online resources and guidebooks say is a bit of a run down, crummy neighbourhood. However, we stayed there (!) as it is a good option for more affordable yet high-end hotels, and this restaurant was close by our hotel. Ask the wait staff for recommendations (they speak good English).
Mani Mani is a short walk from the Acropolis sights, so it's a good place to stop by for a late lunch after some sightseeing. They open quite late though (2pm onwards for lunch) and on weekday afternoons, some of their dishes are available in half-portions, which is good news for those who like trying more dishes. Particularly memorable was the orange cake, which had a lovely caramelised surface like creme brûlée.
And that's it for Greece! Next up, a bit on my trip to Bali which I embarked on the following week (out of hand, I know). But that will be all the travelling for now, until Bangkok in July!
0 comments