Pics HERE:
9:00pm: in our super cool junior hotel suite in the middle of Athens after a long, fulfilling day. We had breakfast at our hotel in Delphi and got on the road by about 9. Luckily the drive was largely on a superhighway, so it took about 2 hours. We had some difficulty finding the hotel and drove in a few circles but finally found it and by the stroke of luck also found a parking space right out front so we could bring our bags in. The room was not quite ready so we went to return the car at the Hertz/Thrifty downtown office which was also an ~adventure~ But finally we just pulled the car on to their sidewalk and returned it. Matt was a hero driving in this insanity.
Now happily car-free, it was around noon at this point and we meandered back towards our hotel through the touristy Plaka district. We stopped for lunch at a touristy cafe and did some window-shopping. We returned to the hotel just before 2pm and our room was ready so we checked in and had a rest. This is a larger hotel than I usually stay at but we were able to use credit card points and upgraded to a junior suite with balcony that has an Acropolis view. It is nice to have a bit of a larger space and room to relax in such a crazy city!
After a rest, we went out to find one of the lesser ruins, the Ancient Agora. I had us take a wrong turn, which ended up causing about an extra 30 minutes of walking but finally we found it and saw the ruins. They were a bit sparse but neat nonetheless. We then meandered back to the neighborhood where we are staying, Psyrri, and sat at a cafe called Little Cook that is completely decked out for Halloween. My lemonade was even served in a skull glass. Insane place!!
Then we wandered around this district a little more and actually chose a place for dinner out of the Rick Steves book, Avli. The door is nondescript but you walk inside and it’s a long thin alley that was already hopping before 7pm. We had a fantastic tomato cucumber salad, cheese croquettes, and a delicious pan-fried chicken. That including water and bread was only 19 euros for both of us and this place was quite a trip!
We then wandered around this fun, hip district a bit more, picked up a piece of cake for dessert later, and went to six d.o.g.s., a truly wild outdoor bar on multiple levels under trees. The place was packed before 8pm. Matt had a beer and I had a delicious “cold chocolate” - we people-watched for a bit and then decided to have an early night because we want to get to the Acropolis early tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment