Airport
The first impression of Athens was a great one. The airport was one of the most modern ones we have came across in our trip. We even got the student-priced tickets for the shuttle bus to the city! It costs only 2.50 euro instead of 5 euro for normal adults. The bus transfer took us about 1 hour plus to reach Syntagma Square that is just 5 minutes walk from our hotel.
First impression of the city
When we got off the bus, we found the city extremely quiet and there were very few people even at the main street. We even saw a truck carrying soldiers/people in uniform while there seemed to be a protest going on right at the place where we alighted the bus. One old woman went to the street and had a look at what was going on. Two of us being really clueless at what was going on went to ask this woman and she simply shrugged and seemed not to be aware of what was happening too.
Hotel
Our hotel receptionist at Metropolis Hotel was not as friendly and helpful as the people we met in Rome and Venice too. And the whole room smelled like detergent. We thought that 60 euro for a hotel in Athens was not cheap since a room in Venice being a much more expensive city costs us the same too. And the room in Venice was more nicely decorated and we even had a room with a canal view!
Attractions
Athens is easily walkable and most of the attractions can be reached by foot. Taxi might try fixing fares with you and it is best to stay firm and not get conned by them.
To visit the Parthenon, it is a must to bring your student card with you. Students from the EU get to enter for FREE! And students from other countries in the world get a half price discount--6 euro for the entry to many historical complexes including the one with Parthenon, Ancient Agora (with a museum entry as well), Temple of Zeus etc. I didn't bring my student card out with me that particular day because I was afraid of getting snatched (LOL) and I had to pay the full price for the entrance...
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| You get a great view of Athens from the top. |
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| Troop marching around the ancient complex |
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| The Parthenon |
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| Massive Greek flag that is visible from most part of the city |
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| Temple of Zeus with Parthenon as the background |
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| Change of guard that takes place every hour at Syntagma Square |
Greek food
Grilled meat is quite common in Greece and they are similar to the kebab that I have in London. So normally going for the grilled meat/grilled seafood is a very safe option for both of us.
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| Greek coffee on a hot day is such an indulgence |
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| Greek salad with feta cheese. Never really love cheese so much-- feta cheese was a tad too strong for me |
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| Grilled meat platter for two of us to share. |
The food was quite good and we had the whole floor of the restaurant to ourselves with a view over the street.
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| Myself posing on the exclusive balcony with just us two |
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| The sunny balcony |
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| It was too sunny that we moved in eventually |
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| Myself with stewed lamb that was tender and yummy and the boyfriend had his favourite, fried squid |
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| The view of Parthenon at night from our restaurant. |
If you have got free time, go to Adrianou Street and shop for something that you might like. We bought some cloth with really pretty Greek design that could potentially be used in our future home!
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