When in Athens
OMGosh. Stunning. Amazing. Breathtaking. Other typical descriptive words.
Whenever I travel somewhere new, I start rating it against my top 5 favorite locations. Food, wine, events, weather, people, etc. all comes into play. Well, after my latest long weekend excursion, Athens has worked its way into the Top 5!! Welcome to the elite, Athens!!
Before we left, Sara helped me go old school. We actually made print outs of food and wine recommendations. I carried around this stack of papers with the best street food and wine bars. Julie and I managed to hit nearly all of them.
For the meat & potatoes... Why did I love Athens?! Why is it Top 5 worthy?!
FOOOOOOOOOD!!
Souvlaki. It's like a Gyro, but the meat is different. We went to a place called Kostas in the Plaka region. The first time we saw Kostas, we had NO idea what it is, only that there was an extremely LONG line of people wrapping around the building. On our last day right before lunch time, we decided to check it out. If you weren't looking for the place, you'd walk right past it. No sign. Not bigger than a closet. ABSOLUTELY phenomenal food. It cost us 4.60Euro for 2 Souvlaki. When in Athens, go to Kostas.
Takh13. First night there, it was rainy, it was cold, we needed wine.. fast. First place we went into was terrible. So loud a conversation wasn't even worth attempting. We ended up wandering around City Circus hostel area and we saw a small, packed place with a live band. We go to walk in, a man, Alex, asks for 4 minutes. We get the ONLY table available in the place. The staff is beyond friendly. The atmosphere is lively and enjoyable. The waitress recommended this Eggplant Pizza (the Greek name for it, I have no idea). It was the BEST thing I have ever tasted. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I wish we would have gone back for more. When in Athens, go to Takh13. Order tapas style & enjoy all it has to offer.
Kiki de Grece. Wine Bar. Awesome. After not having the best luck with Greek wines, we decided to hit as many as possible on the list we made. I mean, wine.. Always a good answer. After we walked around for a few hours, the break was needed. The cafe was quiet, tucked away, and not an extensive wine list. That didn't matter though. The people were nice, the cafe was comfy (&WARM!), and the wine was great. When in Athens... still drink wine!
Some other great places we went to, but not necessarily my top choices like those above. If it's been awhile since you've had some good Mexican food & a margarita... Check out Taquiera in the Plaka district. There's a few Thai options, but we went to Blue Bamboo. Get the Cucumber Chili Margarita.. DELICIOUS! Falafellas is tricky to say at first, but the food tastes great & open late. By the Glass wine bar is nice. A LOT more expensive, and just personally not my style.
City Circus Hostel. This Hostel was great. A friend of a friend recommended it & glad we stayed there! It's in a GREAT location. Fairly easy to get to. The staff was wonderful. The beds were SUPER comfortable (better than my rack on the ship!). Most importantly, it was REALLY clean. They had an attached restaurant, events every night, and offered breakfast cheap. Highly recommended, esp. for solo/small group travel. (http://www.citycircus.gr/).
Over a year ago, when I was in Budapest walking around, I wondered... "Why do people travel?!" Well, I already listed some... Food, events, nightlife, actual culture & history... Maybe all of the above? I went to Athens by chance. Myself, Julie and Emma realized we all had never been there. Seems like lots to do. So, let's go! This was one of the first trips where I enjoyed all of those aspects. The history... Obvious. Food was fresh, delicious, amazing. The nightlife... Athens apparently has OVER 2,000 bars. A LOT with live Greek music & good wine (#WINNING!) <---Is that still a thing? It is now, I'm bringing it back.
Alright, so Julie and I accomplished all TOP 10 sites to see according to majority of the sites on Google Search Pg. 1. I knew my favorites instantly, maybe before we even went.
Acropolis (duhhh.. you can't go & NOT love this).
Panathenaic Stadium (Olympic Stadium).
The views alone at these location make them the BEST places to see. You can see the opposite from both locations. The Parthenon looks beyond fake (see pictures). The Olympic Stadium is rich in history & hosts a lot of the torches from past Olympics... The Olympics are my favorite ever 4 year event, so this really got my jets going. Sadly, I can't even put into words how aww-struck I was at both sites. My jaw fell a few times in beauty and amazement.
Obviously these are only 2 of the major sites in Athens. When in Athens... make sure to see the National Library, Temple of Olympian Zeus, University of Athens, Ancient Agora of Athens, Plaka area, and other places you deem "must-sees."
As for the anti-ketchup bond... At wine bar #3 (don't put on your judgement eyebrows) of the adventure somehow ketchup came up in conversation. Julie points out how she strongly dislikes/hates ketchup! Whhaaaa.. "ME TOO!" After laughing, we both, at the same time, say why we hate ketchup.. "PURPLE KETCHUP!" It was a bonding moment that many will not understand, but it's a sealed deal now.
We had an amazing trip. Julie, Emma and I already have at least 3 more planned before I roll out of Europe. Sadly, Emma got the bug and couldn't make this trip. So we will have lots to make up for.
In conclusion, if you get the opportunity to go to Athens, don't let it pass you by. I never would've gone if it wasn't for a random conversation & other people's wanderlust. Now Athens is home in the Top 5 favorites destinations so far.
Some pictures on the sides explained:
(To the left <<<)Me posing all pretty at the National Library. This was my number one place I wanted to pose for a photo at.. for obvious reasons after looking at it, right? Temple of Athena remains. Selfie with the Acropolis behind us. Us on The Acropolis with Athens behind us.
(Way up near food ^^^) Selfie at Kostas with our Souvlaki. Takh13 during the day. Complete transformation. Our amazing Mexican meal.
(To the right >>>)They had a LOT of stray cats & dogs, this one was so fluffy! It needed my petting. The skeleton was one of the MANY street art in Athens, it's my shoulder tattoo!
Stay tuned for more on my Sweet & Sour Life.
(Me at the top of the Panatheniac Stadium. You can see Temple of Olympian Zeus & The Acropolis in the background.)
Before we left, Sara helped me go old school. We actually made print outs of food and wine recommendations. I carried around this stack of papers with the best street food and wine bars. Julie and I managed to hit nearly all of them.
(We both equally love the Greek flag. The colors & the design. This flag flies at the top of The Acropolis.)
FOOOOOOOOOD!!
Souvlaki. It's like a Gyro, but the meat is different. We went to a place called Kostas in the Plaka region. The first time we saw Kostas, we had NO idea what it is, only that there was an extremely LONG line of people wrapping around the building. On our last day right before lunch time, we decided to check it out. If you weren't looking for the place, you'd walk right past it. No sign. Not bigger than a closet. ABSOLUTELY phenomenal food. It cost us 4.60Euro for 2 Souvlaki. When in Athens, go to Kostas.
Takh13. First night there, it was rainy, it was cold, we needed wine.. fast. First place we went into was terrible. So loud a conversation wasn't even worth attempting. We ended up wandering around City Circus hostel area and we saw a small, packed place with a live band. We go to walk in, a man, Alex, asks for 4 minutes. We get the ONLY table available in the place. The staff is beyond friendly. The atmosphere is lively and enjoyable. The waitress recommended this Eggplant Pizza (the Greek name for it, I have no idea). It was the BEST thing I have ever tasted. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I wish we would have gone back for more. When in Athens, go to Takh13. Order tapas style & enjoy all it has to offer.Kiki de Grece. Wine Bar. Awesome. After not having the best luck with Greek wines, we decided to hit as many as possible on the list we made. I mean, wine.. Always a good answer. After we walked around for a few hours, the break was needed. The cafe was quiet, tucked away, and not an extensive wine list. That didn't matter though. The people were nice, the cafe was comfy (&WARM!), and the wine was great. When in Athens... still drink wine!
Some other great places we went to, but not necessarily my top choices like those above. If it's been awhile since you've had some good Mexican food & a margarita... Check out Taquiera in the Plaka district. There's a few Thai options, but we went to Blue Bamboo. Get the Cucumber Chili Margarita.. DELICIOUS! Falafellas is tricky to say at first, but the food tastes great & open late. By the Glass wine bar is nice. A LOT more expensive, and just personally not my style.
City Circus Hostel. This Hostel was great. A friend of a friend recommended it & glad we stayed there! It's in a GREAT location. Fairly easy to get to. The staff was wonderful. The beds were SUPER comfortable (better than my rack on the ship!). Most importantly, it was REALLY clean. They had an attached restaurant, events every night, and offered breakfast cheap. Highly recommended, esp. for solo/small group travel. (http://www.citycircus.gr/).
(The Temple of Olympian Zeus with The Acropolis behind it. Break taking. Looks unbelievable fake.. But ladies & gents, it's definitely real. If I would have known, this would have been nap & picnic central. Prime real estate.)
Over a year ago, when I was in Budapest walking around, I wondered... "Why do people travel?!" Well, I already listed some... Food, events, nightlife, actual culture & history... Maybe all of the above? I went to Athens by chance. Myself, Julie and Emma realized we all had never been there. Seems like lots to do. So, let's go! This was one of the first trips where I enjoyed all of those aspects. The history... Obvious. Food was fresh, delicious, amazing. The nightlife... Athens apparently has OVER 2,000 bars. A LOT with live Greek music & good wine (#WINNING!) <---Is that still a thing? It is now, I'm bringing it back.
Alright, so Julie and I accomplished all TOP 10 sites to see according to majority of the sites on Google Search Pg. 1. I knew my favorites instantly, maybe before we even went.
(Uhhh.. this is the Parthenon. This looks photoshopped. But we were there. RIGHT THERE!!! AHH!!!)
My absolute favorite sites:
Panathenaic Stadium (Olympic Stadium).
(The Panatheniac Stadium. Unreal. They still host events here. And, the start of the Olympics. I'm #1... This just proves that. There is no #2 or #3 because they are too far behind...)
The views alone at these location make them the BEST places to see. You can see the opposite from both locations. The Parthenon looks beyond fake (see pictures). The Olympic Stadium is rich in history & hosts a lot of the torches from past Olympics... The Olympics are my favorite ever 4 year event, so this really got my jets going. Sadly, I can't even put into words how aww-struck I was at both sites. My jaw fell a few times in beauty and amazement. 
Obviously these are only 2 of the major sites in Athens. When in Athens... make sure to see the National Library, Temple of Olympian Zeus, University of Athens, Ancient Agora of Athens, Plaka area, and other places you deem "must-sees."
As for the anti-ketchup bond... At wine bar #3 (don't put on your judgement eyebrows) of the adventure somehow ketchup came up in conversation. Julie points out how she strongly dislikes/hates ketchup! Whhaaaa.. "ME TOO!" After laughing, we both, at the same time, say why we hate ketchup.. "PURPLE KETCHUP!" It was a bonding moment that many will not understand, but it's a sealed deal now.We had an amazing trip. Julie, Emma and I already have at least 3 more planned before I roll out of Europe. Sadly, Emma got the bug and couldn't make this trip. So we will have lots to make up for.
In conclusion, if you get the opportunity to go to Athens, don't let it pass you by. I never would've gone if it wasn't for a random conversation & other people's wanderlust. Now Athens is home in the Top 5 favorites destinations so far.Some pictures on the sides explained:
(To the left <<<)Me posing all pretty at the National Library. This was my number one place I wanted to pose for a photo at.. for obvious reasons after looking at it, right? Temple of Athena remains. Selfie with the Acropolis behind us. Us on The Acropolis with Athens behind us.
(Way up near food ^^^) Selfie at Kostas with our Souvlaki. Takh13 during the day. Complete transformation. Our amazing Mexican meal.(To the right >>>)They had a LOT of stray cats & dogs, this one was so fluffy! It needed my petting. The skeleton was one of the MANY street art in Athens, it's my shoulder tattoo!
Stay tuned for more on my Sweet & Sour Life.
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