First Impressions of Athens


Thursday, May 25 (continued)

After some initial morning-after-red-eye jitters, Mary's bag arrived (yay!) so we cabbed to our hotel and decided on some low-key exploring of our host city for the next 3 days - starting with refreshment on the rooftop lounge. Yes, that's the Acropolis in the background. We were impressed.

It called to us, so our strolling took us in that general direction. 

Occasional showers and cameras making decisions for me (like focusing on Mary and fuzzing the Acropolis) did not dampen our enthusiasm.

We found ourselves on Mars Hill with a great view of the top of the Acropolis. 
We'll get closer with our tour in a few days.

Prepare for beauty shots on the way to the bustling Plaka section of the city. Tourist traps and restaurants await.

Window shopping took some time, as did a stop for this summer's first Aperol Spritz.  
Note to self: avoid choosing a table near the chain smokers.

More strolling through the National Gardens. These trees were flowering in a beautiful shade of purple that even the magic Pixel couldn't capture.

Enough walking! Time for dinner.

This restaurant - Scholarhio Ouzeri Kouklis - was on Rick's recommended list, and we agree! 
That's feta baked in phyllo dough with honey (what else?) and we shared several other "small plates" of Greek delicacies while enjoying the outdoor veranda.

All in all, a beautiful, warm start to our Greek adventure. Time for some real sleep.

- Christine 




Comments

  1. Becky BushMay 25, 2023 at 6:13 PM

    Glad to hear Mary's bag arrived!
    The food and scenery looks amazing so far. Looking forward to reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. SueMay 28, 2023 at 7:56 AM

    I’m so glad Mary’s bag didn’t get held up! Your view from the hotel is amazing! Looks like you’re having beautiful weather and you are ready to go! Thanks for letting us go along with you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 5, 2023 at 10:32 AM

    :) the sandal. Those are Jacaranda trees - very beautiful, a unique purple flower indeed, and grown in Mediterranean regions from southern California to Spain to South Africa - apparently Johannesburg is famous for theirs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 5, 2023 at 10:32 AM

      Laura with the Jacaranda comment, of course.

      Delete
    2. Christine StevensJune 14, 2023 at 10:34 AM

      Thanks Laura! We saw more of those jacaranda trees at other sites around Greece, and by the time we had returned to Athens some of them were dropping blossoms, which were so interesting! I meant to keep one to press but that didn't happen.

      Delete

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