I seem to have a habit of going to Athens in August when it’s rather hot. The first time was as a student on the way to a conservation working holiday near Thessaloniki, in very basic accommodation with no way of cooling the room. That was a long time ago and I’ve since upgraded the type of place I stay in so this time had air conditioning and a nice view, including a rooftop pool which is something we always enjoy.
We started with the most famous landmark in Athens, the Acropolis. I bought tickets in advance which we collected from a nearby travel agents, this meant we didn’t have to queue on arrival which given the temperature was quite a relief. There are various routes up to the main site which take you past other archaeological remains, we chose one of the easier paved options. Once past the main entrance it was very busy but given that it’s outdoors there was still plenty of room to walk around.
There is also a nearby Acropolis Museum although we didn’t go to this, but did go to some other museums that I’ll talk about later.
Food always plays a big part in our enjoyment of a holiday, and we were spoilt for choice with plenty of eating establishments where we could sit outside and appreciate the balmy evenings. Portions were large, the most memorable dinner being at a restaurant in the Thiseio district which specialised in lamb chops. What made this extra enchanting was the colony of cats which lived next to the restaurant and sat patiently waiting on the other side of a fence from the dining area, hoping for the odd bit of meat thrown their way of which there was plenty! Combined with the bells from a neighbouring church it was one of those meals that reminds you how magical travel can be.
Other ancient sites we saw included Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Library.
One of the most interesting constructions near the Acropolis was the Tower of the Winds. Considered the world’s first weather station, it contained a water clock, sundials and a wind vane.
Just up the hill from the Tower of the Winds is the University History Museum, the type of little museum which is always worth visiting. We were greeted at the entrance by a very friendly resident dog and enjoyed panoramic views from the top floor.
Greece is associated with the Olympic Games, and one of the highlights for me was the Panathenaic Stadium, venue of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and constructed from marble. It’s great to wander around and also contains a museum about the Games over the years.
After all this sightseeing we appreciated a local speciality – loukoumades, which are a type of doughnut drenched in honey, cinnamon and walnuts, and they’re as good as they sound. We had ours at a café called Krinos which is well known for them.
Away from the ancient history is a different type of museum, the Industrial Gas Museum. Set in an old gas works it’s not so much a display of exhibits and more a tour of industrial equipment, definitely worth a visit for a nominal fee. It reminded me of the Electricity Museum in Lisbon that I’ll talk about in a future post. This museum also seemed canine friendly, as there was a chair at the entrance with a sign saying that it was reserved for the dog, although unfortunately we didn’t actually see it. To get there we took our first ever trip on a trolley bus, something you don’t see in many places now.
Athens is full of museums and we went to a few more, the biggest of which was the National Archaeological Museum. My favourite exhibit here was the Antikythera Mechanism, a system of gears used to predict astronomical positions and described as the world’s first analogue computer.
We found the Greek people to be very warm and friendly. One little thing that I particularly liked was that whenever we sat down in a café or restaurant they would straight away bring a large carafe of chilled water, without us even asking. A nice welcoming gesture that costs nothing but creates a good impression.
Transport around the centre was quite good, tickets for the metro system were easy to buy and that made it all the more surprising when we kept seeing people of all ages pushing through the barriers without paying (we also saw some caught by ticket inspectors). It seemed to be commonplace and is the first city in which we’ve encountered this.
Athens is a wonderful city, one that I would highly recommend anyone to visit, although perhaps best avoided in the height of summer unless you like it really hot.
rhtravels 