So..what did you think of Athens?

You would be so surprised how many people of the islands have asked us this question, unfortunatley the responses have not always been so kind. Words like “dirty”, “touristy” and “cats..millions and millions of cats” usually pop to mind.
Don’t get me wrong we have been privilaged enough to see some of Europe’s most magnificant sights in the first few days of our adventure, it’s just that walking from one to the next makes you want to take a long, hot shower! It seems that the former title holder of “Worlds most livable city” has taken a slight down turn, homelessness is as common as french smokers and it isn’t at all an oddity to see puppies and kittens running around the streets because they grew to big for the pet shops to keep.

All this being said Athens has done a spectaular job at securing a bustling tourism industry. There are heaps of offers going around for travellers on a budget, I really recommend talking to hotel/hostel staff because they can clue you in on the big deals. If ruins are your thing than you cant go past the 12 Euro multi pass. This will get you into most of the major ruins like The Acropolis, Temple of Olympian Zues, Hadrian’s Library and The Agoras. Some things aren’t included in this ticket though so make sure you keep around 10 Euro spare for extra ticket prices. The Panethanaic Stadium will sting you 5 Euro but the cost is well worth it as it includes a really interesting audio tour, without which we would have been in and out in 10 minutes! Also if you have the afternoon to kill definitely check out the Acropolis Museum, for another 5 Euro. If you are a student then make sure to bring your student card, they honour all countries, they don’t ask questions and it usually cuts your ticket prices in half!

In regards to eating and drinking in Athens most of the gems are hidden. If you are in a big group then you can usually find a table at most of the taverns around the acropolis as they seem to cater for the majority of the tourists. Most places start serving tea around 6pm. The real winner though is this tiny little hidey hole. If you keep the Athens flea market to your back, the Acropolis in front of you and Hardian’s library to your left you will eventually find a picturesque stair case climbing the mountain, with a canapy of grape vines alit with lanterns. Restaurants line either side of the staircase with tables spilling out onto the path. Most people in the hospitality industry speak englis to cater for travellers but this places begins to steer away from it, if you are adept with make-shift sign language than this places is for you…a business card is floating around my backpack somewhere..i will give a proper shout out with the address in my next blog. Bars in Athens seem few and far between, if you are in a large group I say go nuts and have a decent search amongst the back streets, but I seriously think that if you are a female travelling alone, give it a skip and wait for the islands. Most hotels in Athens have rooftop bars anyway and you can meet some lovely people there just as easily.

At the moment I am sitting on the front porch of the hotel in Mykonos which I will go further into in the next edition, it will all have to wait until then because the other three are waiting very patiently for me to hurry the hell up!

Yours Sincerely,

Katherine Elizabeth