After working until 12 last night, I slept in this morning and had a relaxed breakfast before leaving (and I’ve decided that’s perfectly okay!). My day today was dedicated to the most touristy historic sights of the city and started with the obligatory Acropolis and the correspondent museum. The fist nice surprise was that as a European student I have free access to any of the historical sites and museums of Athens. Also there were not too many people and no queues.
The Acropolis itself is … big! I sometimes think that we actually don’t have to go to the Machu Picchus and Pyramids and Acropolises anymore because we have seen so many good pictures of them that we won’t really be surprised anymore. But seeing the real-life dimensions and quality of these buildings and sculptures was very impressive nonetheless. I also enjoyed the views over the city which made me appreciate that funny coexistence of majestic ancient Greek sites and modern shabby residential buildings.
Afterwards, I walked a little through the city center, or at least that’s what I think I did. I didn’t find Athens’ center to be very “pronounced”; although you do notice you’re in the center, you always think you still have to walk one more block to really get there. Even when you’re already standing in the middle of “Synthagma” square.
I got Venezuelan Arepas for lunch at “Los Loros” which had been recommended to me as the best gluten-free place in town. I know that for normal people, getting something Venezuelan while being in Greece might seem extremely weird, but for me it was a life-time first and unique opportunity (my Coeliac friends will get it!). To compensate, however, I got myself some awesome Greek cookies with a christmassy flavor for dessert.
As a park-fan, I spent the following hours in Athens’ National Garden – which I loved. It’s enormous and diverse and beautiful and provides habitat to many different types of plants as well as a weird “zoo”-zone with birds, goats and turtles.
By late afternoon I climbed “Lycabettus” hill to enjoy views over the whole city and the adjacent Saronic Gulf.
4 Comments
Davit
It is weird to read/think is Ok to be sleeping in the morning. We don’t think like that when we are young: we are proud of doing so and even take it as right. But somewhere in the way of getting adult things change and we become strict.
Anyway, good four you!
It seems you’ve been lucky with the touristical side of the journey (monuments for free, no queues), and in addition, a relaxing green patch of park to get lost: that’s heave.
Daumiboy
As a lazy boy, I always sleep in the morning when I can 🌞 that’s fine
journey_annaschimpf
It IS fine! I prefer to have a 9 hour active day and be happy and healthy than having 12 hours and being grumpy and fucked up. A body needs what it needs! 🙂
Serena Zilio
Ahahahah “prefer to have a 9 hour active day” (quote). You’ve never had a 9 hour day in your entire life xD The minimum was probably 13.. most likely 16 active hours xD