AspiringNomad

I left the apartment this morning feeling refreshed and ready to go. Firstly I headed in the direction of the restaurant I ate at last night. I remembered that I walked past some vendors that looked like they might have good options for breakfast. I grabbed a pan au chocolate and a frappe and made my way to the Metro. One thing I have become more confident about since travelling alone is taking photos. Whether it is a selfie, a photo from an arty angle, or a well positioned morning frappe, life is too short not to capture the little moments! I had decided to head first to a picturesque area of Athens in the foothills of the Acropolis. Once I arrived at my stop I had to walk past the entrance to The Acropolis where there was a first aid ambulance and gazebo handing out water to everyone. I managed to grab myself one despite not going up today, I couldn’t resist a nice cold bottle! I continued to walk into an area known as Anafiotika. It was just a small street but was worth the hot walk to get there. Traditional Greek white buildings beautifully decorated with pot plants and even a little cat lazing in the heat! To top it off the Acropolis casually made its appearance in the background, an instagrammers paradise!

I continued to walk to an area nearby called Plaka. This was much more touristy and I soon realised that it would be a great place to find some holiday gifts. It was a bonus that some of the shops had a/c so I was quite happy to stop sight seeing for a while and look to see if there was anything worth buying! Fortunately, the streets here were also very pretty so I bought myself an ice cream (it’s starting to become a bit of a habit) and strolled around taking it all in. As planned, I exited the Plaka area at the Metropolitan Cathedral. Following a quick look inside, I began my walk to Spirou Mercouri. Not so much a tourist spot, but I wanted to visit the street that Mum had stayed when she was an Au Pair for Petro when she was young. The walk was more challenging than expected and I even got my umbrella out at one point to keep me in the shade! I had plenty of water with me and even stopped at a cafe for a cold coke but I was still getting very hot. I eventually arrived to the affluent area, lots of shops and cafes and a nice but very dry park kept me sheltered while I tried to cool off. I FaceTimed Mum when I was there and we tried to locate the apartment block that she stayed in. The fact that they all looked the same and it being quite some time ago that she was here, the chances of us finding the exact one were slim! It felt strange but comforting knowing that I was in the same place Mum had been on her own some years before! I tried to envisage what it looked like then and wondered if Mum would had ever imagined that in years to come her daughter would be in the same area visiting Athens!

My battery was now only on 25% and I was determined not to get heat stroke today, so I decided to head back to my apartment to recharge both mine and my phones battery. I have found the transport here to be easy enough to use. There is a lot of choice and I think the only thing I haven’t ventured on yet is the ‘Athens Happy Train’. There’s still time! I hopped on the No. 4 trolley bus to Aigyptoy and picked up some of the usual holiday snacks from a little corner shop to have when I got back. A large bag of Ruffles salted crisps, tropical fruit juice and some random chocolate orange oat biscuits should do the trick! I’ve now had a cool shower and am feeling pretty cold as I lay on the sofa under the a/c unit! I still have time later on to do a few things that I want to see before my time here is over. Although I am eager to get out again I have decided to wait until it gets a bit cooler and in doing so I have devised a good plan/route for my outing later.