Athens: The Historical Capital of Greece, Part 1

Travel Month: June 2013

After a refreshing stay at Mykonos, we booked ourselves a trip to Athens; a city that has an old-fashioned look yet a modern lifestyle. We began our journey from Mykonos Port on a fast ferry and in about 2.30 hours reached Athens port- Rafina. As we were moving out of the Port it started raining heavily. I was cheered by the rains as it gave relief from the hot weather. We stayed at Athens for 4 days but 2 days are enough to see Athens though it’s an ideal place for a history lover. During our trip we divided our stay in two hotels in order to experience the different parts of the city.

GLYFADA SQUARE

We picked hotel Emmantina at Glyfada. It was a clean hotel with fabulous rooftop bar and a beautiful looking swimming pool. Just a few minutes away the main Glyfada Square, I enjoyed walking through the various departmental stores, supermarkets, boutiques, restaurants, cafes and the famous Byzantine Church. Close to the hotel, one could also enjoy the sandy beaches; the ravishing meals at the beach side taverns and admire the beautiful yachts fastened in the marinas. I did see a few tourists enjoying water –sports as well.

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SYNTAGMA SQUARE

After a lovely stay at Glyfada we moved to the center of Athens city: the famous Syntagma Square. We chose to stay at Ilisia Best Western Hotel, a simple and conveniently located hotel. Day one, we did a walking tour of the area around exploring the National Archaeological Museum, the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art. We visited the House of Parliament and it was fun watching the march past of the Unknown Soldier and the change of the famous Euzony Guards. The area is encircled by Police and Army personnel at every corner of the square as well as the inside streets. From the Square we walked through the narrow picturesque streets of Plaka, the old city of Athens. We did some street shopping and visited art galleries. Later we enjoyed the extravagant dinner followed by a floor show with live music and Greek Folk dances in the traditional costumes at a typical Greek restaurant/tavern in the plaka area. Post dinner we picked up a yummy Gelato ice cream and enjoyed the walk back to our Hotel. At night the security was even tighter and we noticed more police on the road, it reassured us to move around without any doubts in mind for the rest of the stay.

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