I've really outdone myself with the title this time... I think I can make M cringe so many ways with this one, from the outdated Shakira reference to the sad pun on "plaka", which I understand just means "stone slab" in Greek but is also the name of the neighborhood we spent much of our time in beautiful Athens. Athens, Greece was the last stop on our anniversary cruise after Istanbul. Athens was an absolute dream for the whole family, and I wish we had had more time there!
Our first day we got checked into our hotel and explored the neighborhood in Plaka. I bought some leather sandals, as Greece is known for high-quality leather and shoes. We visited Athens National Garden, a park that had a wonderful playground for S and lifted my soul with all the greenery I don't see much in Dubai. I ate refreshing Greek salad and drank a non-alcoholic mastiha lemonade, which combines lemon juice and resin from the mastic tree that grows on the island of Chios in Greece. They were delightful!
After we left the park, we stumbled upon the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, which hadn't originally been on my list but really caught my eye as we walked past and so we turned back and went inside. I'm so glad we did, because it was full of treasures and fascinating history, from ancient pottery to centuries of currency and cool religious artifacts and art from Greece's history. It's also well-known for a pair of perfectly preserved wood-paneled interiors that were donated to the museum after adorning a wealthy family's house. Aren't those walls gorgeous?
We went to a famous, absurdly thematic cafe called Little Kook that was decked out all the way down the street with Snow White paraphernalia. S loved the staff costumes, props, and extensive selection of desserts. The food was... okay, but we all could see that the quality of the food was not the main draw of the place.
The next day we went to the Acropolis (from where I took the first photo of this post). There was so much to see, and it was packed with people. After the Acropolis, we made our way to the Acropolis Museum, which helped us understand more about the things we saw at the Acropolis site itself. I was blown away by how well so many sites were preserved and the fact that new archaeological research and restoration work are still being done all the time.
Keeping with our spontaneous streak this stop, we also found a walking path as we were leaving the Acropolis and decided to follow it up to another peak with the Philopappos Monument. One our way up, we passed a cave with iron bars that was rumored to be the prison of ancient philosopher Socrates. And at the top, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the Acropolis from a distance.
In between the attractions themselves, we really enjoyed just strolling around Athens and soaking in the beautiful, bustling streets, cute shops and cafes, endless restaurants, and more - all under the majestic, towering Acropolis. There were a lot of short-term tourists like us, but the city also struck me as a lovely place to stay longer. I'm sure we'll be back someday, and until then it's time to bid farewell to the anniversary cruise posts and return to our regularly scheduled life and related programming! Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment