AspiringNomad

My first big day in Athens began with my 6am alarm and there was no way I was allowing myself to miss this one. I hopped straight out of bed albeit a bit weary eyed and made a cup of tea which I had on my balcony as I watched the sun come up over the hill slowly waking up Athens for what was going to be a blazing hot day. I had arranged to join a walking tour which I needed to be at for 8:45am. I had planned to get there a little early a maybe grab something to eat on the way. The journey was fairly straight forward on an airy Trolley Bus a few stops away and a short walk to the meeting point. To my surprise at about 8:25am, everyone was ready to go! I had heard that getting to the Acropolis as early as possible is best so I wasn’t too disappointed that I was going to miss breakfast!

I was in a group with 13 others, all of them were American apart from one couple who were from Australia, they were travelling around Europe for 6 weeks and like me arrived the night before. Hearing about their 22hr flight made my wait at Stansted seem a bit better! As we queued with the hundreds of other tourists to get to the top of the Acropolis it became clear that there was no one in charge of who was getting to the top, in what order or how!? In a complete free for all, our guide told us to try and stick together! We muddled through and got to the top where our very informative guide explained to us more Greek history than I could really take in! I was more fascinated my his extremely posh English accent. I was even more intrigued by this after he told me that he had only spent a total of 3 weeks in England on his honeymoon. I wonder why he adopted that accent!? We then made our move from the only shelter at the top to go to the Museum, but not before having to spend another hour or so waiting to get down! Our tour ended in the museum and I had another little wander round before leaving. I was feeling a bit peckish so walked to a street nearby that was laced with coffee shops. I decided to opt for the ice cream as it simply was the only thing I could manage to eat in this heat! As I ate my double scoop of hazelnut and raspberry and dark chocolate ice cream I planned the next part of the day. It was already 2pm so I didn’t want to hang around for too long.

I started on the metro and headed out of the city and then switched onto a bus which took me to Voula Beach. I was approached by a few people on this journey for directions, flattered but barely any idea where I was let alone any one else, I simply let them know I was English and they soon walked off! I did end up walking to the beach with a Turkish couple who were going to the same place as me. We figured it out together and eventually I was there. I decided to pay for a sun lounger with an parasol as I didn’t want to be exposed to the sun anymore than needed. It was a little bit more than I wanted to pay but by the time I had finished on the beach it was well worth the money. They even let me charge my phone inside whilst I was there and gave me a ride in their golf buggy back to the bus stop! I had forgotten how warm the Mediterranean Sea is, in the shallow areas I would go as far as saying it was hot! It was so nice to lay on my back in the water, floating, looking up at the clear blue sky, not a care in the world. Feeling completely relaxed I even nodded off to sleep on my sun lounger for a few minutes. At about 6:30pm I decided it was time to start making my way back into the city. This journey takes about an hour and 15mins depending on traffic and bus frequency. As I waiting for my first bus I bought a Calippo from the news stand nearby, a real life saver! It was a long journey on this bus, but I made it to Syntagma square where I then waited for a trolley bus, of course, I bought another Calippo as it was the only thing stopping me from passing out. I realised I had been in the heat for 12hrs and was a little worried that I may have over done it! Eventually I was back to my street and the cool feeling of the A/C in my apartment was heavenly!

I quickly showered and washed my hair and walked to a restaurant that my Airbnb owner had recommended. It was a great call, down a beautiful street bustling with people. After not eating all day (aside from ice cream and a few sweets) I was ready for a big Greek meal. I tried to go as Greek as possible and ordered hummus with bread to start and chicken souvlaki for main. I couldn’t eat it all but it was delicious, exactly what I needed/wanted. Feeling utterly exhausted I made my way back to my apartment and got back at about 22:40. I went straight to sleep in preparation for my next day in Athens.

I am now sat on my balcony, sweating of course, figuring out how to organise my day. I don’t think I will get over the view I have from here, mountains in the distance, a bed of white buildings stretching for miles in the middle and a dense green area of the park just opposite me, it’s perfect! I feel very comfortable here and everyone is so friendly, so far it’s been a great city to visit and I can’t wait to explore more of it today.