A lovely weekend in Athens
One of the things that attracted me to Greece was food. Simple yet delicious is how I had remembered it and thats exactly what I got. My first meal sat alone waiting for my friends to arrive was a bowl of olives, a plate of feta and a carafe of red wine. Perfect! Over the course of the next 4 days I tried the traditional Moussaka, vine leaves, fresh fish and halloumi dishes, amongst others and was never disappointed. Sitting there alone on that first day in Athens I realised how infrequently I get to do that and experience places alone. It was actually lovely to be able to watch, see and explore a little by myself and whilst I was delighted when the rest of the group arrived I would say this is a city that a lone traveller would really enjoy.
We were lucky and were staying in a hotel with fabulous views of The Acropolis. It really is a wondrous sight. And of course getting closer to explore is a ‘must-do.’ Whilst it is high on a hill it certainly isn’t a strenuous walk so very easy for everyone to visit. And there is now a fabulous museum to explain more about it’s history. Great when it rained!
There was a lot to pack into the few days we were there but 2 more attractions really stood out. We did a walking tour with an audio guide of the original Olympic Stadium. It was an incredible insight into athletics of old. And also we loved watching the changing of the guard at the Parliament Building. Very different and intriguing to watch. Athens is a really easy city to navigate and get around. There is a very good public transport network which is clean, cheap and easily accessible. For those that prefer a car taxis are easy to hail and even Uber has an established operation there. Just 5 hours from Dubai and 3 from London it’s a perfect place for a meet up and I will definitely go back.
Ps…Halloumi or feta with honey and sesame is not to be missed!