AspiringNomad

It’s been one hell of a whirlwind trip to Athens and I feel like I haven’t even touched the sides of what this city has to offer.

I hoped yesterday that going out in the late afternoon/evening the weather might be slightly cooler. As I headed down the lift in my apartment block, I refreshed my temperature app with my fingers crossed. It was only 2 degrees cooler than it was 2.5hrs ago…37’! I accepted my sweaty fate and got the bus to My first stop, the Panathenaic Stadium. I had walked past it yesterday on the way to Mum’s neck of the woods, but it was somewhere that I wanted to have a proper look around. With a little device to guide me around, I was given lots of information about its history, but much like my walking tour the day before, a lot of it went over my head! I spent about 45mins wandering around the grounds taking in its glory before buying a lemon and raspberry slushy to cool off. I then hopped on the bus again to go to Syntagma Square, the centre of Athens which is also located next to National Garden. Beautifully kept, I walked leisurely through the park. If I had more time I would have explored this area more but as I was pushed for time I went to the back to the main square. I sat on a bench for a while and watch the world and hundreds of people go by. There seemed to be a volleyball match going on nearby and there was music playing from the stands. A water fountain to the right and trees dotted the surrounding area. I swiftly moved on when a smelly homeless man sat next to me, but as it happened, it was time for me to as I was hoping to catch the sunset at the top of Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in Athens. I had seen online that watching the sunset from here was a ‘must-do’. I am a sucker for a good view of a city so I didn’t want to miss it.

To get to Mount Lycabettus I took the metro. I decided that to get to the top of the hill from here I would get the Fenicular instead of hiking. As much as I would have loved to do the walk, the heat would have been too much. Little did I know there was still 15mins of steps to climb to get to the Fenicular! To my dismay when I got to the ticket office, I noticed everyone else got a taxi up there! Well, you live and you learn. Sweaty and out of breath, I made it to the ticket office and was soon in the queue to get onboard. As it was fairly busy (I was aware I had chosen the busiest time to go) they packed us into the Fenicular like sardines! It only took about 5mins to get to the summit and once I got the the top the view was more than worth the climb to the top! Although the place was heaving with tourists it didn’t distract from the panoramic views of Athens with the mountains surrounding it and the sun going down in the distance. The atmosphere was very relaxed despite it being very busy, everyone was getting photos and trying to get a good spot to look out across the city. As the sun disappeared behind the mountain everyone cheered and applauded. Fortunately, it also meant that a lot of people decided to leave which made more space for everyone else. I first took a seat on the east of the hill where the city lights slowly started to come on and the Acropolis and Parthenon were both lit up. I could also see the Stadium where I was just a couple of hours before. As it got darker I went to the west side of the hill, the sky was a ablaze with oranges and pinks. It was truly breathtaking to sit there and look out over Athens.

As cliché as it was to have watched the sun go down over Athens on my final night here, it was nice to stop for a while, reflect on my busy past two days and admire the beautiful city.
After about an hour or so I decided to move from my spot and start my decent back down. I realised that once again my phone power was really low. Note to self: buy a decent power bank.
This meant I needed to go back to the Airbnb for a quick recharge (and change of clothes) before getting something to eat.
Getting down the hill was much easier than going up and I got the next bus at the bottom to get me home. It was a bit hit and miss as to what stop I needed to get off at, as it was dark and my phone had completely died. All thre stop names were written in Greek and I’m pretty sure the line changed half way through my journey but fortunately I got lucky and happened to get off just round the corner from where I needed to be.

For dinner, I decided to head to the same area as the night before as it was filled with nice places to eat. No luck in the first place so I walked a little further and scored a lovely spot in another restaurant. I treated myself to a Mythos beer and ordered something they had as a ‘special’. It was lamb in a lemon and herb sauce with a side of potatoes and was delicious. For a refreshment afterwards, they handed me a shot of local spirit. I was dubious about drinking a clear liquid given to me in a shot glass in a foreign country but I was promised it wasn’t that strong. I beg to differ! They also gave me a little slice of a sweet sponge cake soaked in honey. I must admit they did go very well together but I was absolutely full to the brim so it was difficult to enjoy fully! I eventually decided it was time to head back to the apartment to finish packing. As I wandered back through the small streets I noticed that there were quite a few people walking around on their own and it reminded me that the taxi man that took me from the airport into the city when I first got here said how safe Athens is, although I need to be careful of pick pocketers! I did feel extremely safe, there was a big presence of policemen, I haven’t heard many sirens, seen anything dodgy and I haven’t felt uncomfortable at all since I have been here.
I have also noticed that people are up very late here. It seems that showing up to a restaurant for food at 11 or later is perfectly normal! For me 1am was way past my bed time and all packed for the morning it was time for bed.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t before I had to battle to the death with a cockroach in my apartment. To my horror the poor little bug had somehow got inside and was scurrying around my kitchen counter!
I kept trying to get him in a glass but the damn thing was too quick! Sadly for me but more so the cockroach, I had to grab my DM sandel (I thought this would be hefty enough) and bring his life to an end. I gave the place a quick once over to make sure there wasn’t any more cockroaches hiding around, but I was happy enough that he was the only one and headed to bed.

I woke this morning knowing I had a little time to relax before leaving for the airport. I freshened up and spent an hour or so on the balcony trying to imprint the view onto my brain so I would never forget it. I really got lucky with this place! I decided to book a taxi to the airport as opposed to getting the bus purely for comfort. Knowing that the buses can be a little later than they suggest I thought it will also mitigate any chance of me missing my flight again!

Once at the airport I had plenty of time to grab some breakfast/brunch and a drink. I am so sad that my time in Athens is already over, it feels like I only just got here. It’s a beautiful city with a real welcoming atmosphere. There is so much to explore and I hope that one day I will get to return to see more of not just Athens but Greece in general.
The purpose of this little trip was to get some more experience of travelling solo, it’s safe to say I’ve definitely learnt some lessons over the past few days but I also leave Athens feeling confident about my up coming trip away. I’m now on the plane flying over southern German (according to the Pilot) and once again, I can’t wait to be getting on a plane again to head off on my next adventure!