As I start this blog, the Midwest is preparing for a massive blizzard, one that could break records. And I'm here, enjoying 45-degree-ish weather. So why am I a little bummed? Because I love blizzards! Man, who knew I would miss being inconvenienced and getting stuck in the snow. Oh well. I guess I just have to suck it up and leave my snowboots at home.
So we were in Athens a couple weekends ago - it was really great. It definitely wasn't my favorite city, but the food was outstanding and the people quite friendly. I didn't know that Athens was covered in graffiti. And full of stray cats and dogs (due to no animal shelters). And kinda really dirty. But all that meant was that it's just not the prettiest city - the city has a really great energy despite its appearance. In addition to the good food and nice locals, the weather is awesome (it was mid-60s while we were there=Athens's winter) and there are al fresco opportunities everywhere. Seriously, I've never seen so many outdoor cafes. We spent time both Saturday and Sunday just sitting outside, drinking coffee and watching people go by. It's so nice to slow the pace of life sometimes.
I won't bore you with the details of everything we ate, but we tried ouzo (awful - unless you like black licorice-tasting liquor), moussaka (amazing!), gyros (lovely), veal stew (delicious), lamb and some cabbage-wrapped beef and onion things (mmmm) and lots of other things. Including Greek wine, which we'd never had and were very pleasantly surprised. Oh and we ate more pasta than I expected us to - but it was awesome as well. I had a simple pappardelle dish with truffles one night for dinner - I wanted to lick the plate...and would've, but Matt took my fork away.
So, on to the sites of Athens. We spent time at the Acropolis museum, which has only been open for a little over a year - I highly recommend for the recreation of part of the Parthenon and also the views of the Acropolis. We also hiked up to the Acropolis and wandered around. It's still hard for me to believe that I walked around a place that has been in existence for 2500+ years. Crazy. You also get the most amazing views of Athens and the Mediterranean from the top. We also wandered through a bunch of other old areas - I'm sure Matt could supply the names, but they are escaping me currently. All in all, I would recommend a visit to Athens, but you don't need more than 2 days to see most of the city.
Matt's travel continues - he left for Paris today for the week. Next week is Warsaw, then a week off (and my brother comes to visit for a long weekend!!! YAY!!!) then he's in Madrid for a week. He'll have more after that, but details aren't set yet. I wanted to tag along to Poland for a weekend, but it's freezing cold there right now so we're delaying our joint trip to Poland until the weather is nicer.
That's all our news for now. Enjoy your blizzard!
So we were in Athens a couple weekends ago - it was really great. It definitely wasn't my favorite city, but the food was outstanding and the people quite friendly. I didn't know that Athens was covered in graffiti. And full of stray cats and dogs (due to no animal shelters). And kinda really dirty. But all that meant was that it's just not the prettiest city - the city has a really great energy despite its appearance. In addition to the good food and nice locals, the weather is awesome (it was mid-60s while we were there=Athens's winter) and there are al fresco opportunities everywhere. Seriously, I've never seen so many outdoor cafes. We spent time both Saturday and Sunday just sitting outside, drinking coffee and watching people go by. It's so nice to slow the pace of life sometimes.
I won't bore you with the details of everything we ate, but we tried ouzo (awful - unless you like black licorice-tasting liquor), moussaka (amazing!), gyros (lovely), veal stew (delicious), lamb and some cabbage-wrapped beef and onion things (mmmm) and lots of other things. Including Greek wine, which we'd never had and were very pleasantly surprised. Oh and we ate more pasta than I expected us to - but it was awesome as well. I had a simple pappardelle dish with truffles one night for dinner - I wanted to lick the plate...and would've, but Matt took my fork away.
So, on to the sites of Athens. We spent time at the Acropolis museum, which has only been open for a little over a year - I highly recommend for the recreation of part of the Parthenon and also the views of the Acropolis. We also hiked up to the Acropolis and wandered around. It's still hard for me to believe that I walked around a place that has been in existence for 2500+ years. Crazy. You also get the most amazing views of Athens and the Mediterranean from the top. We also wandered through a bunch of other old areas - I'm sure Matt could supply the names, but they are escaping me currently. All in all, I would recommend a visit to Athens, but you don't need more than 2 days to see most of the city.
Matt's travel continues - he left for Paris today for the week. Next week is Warsaw, then a week off (and my brother comes to visit for a long weekend!!! YAY!!!) then he's in Madrid for a week. He'll have more after that, but details aren't set yet. I wanted to tag along to Poland for a weekend, but it's freezing cold there right now so we're delaying our joint trip to Poland until the weather is nicer.
That's all our news for now. Enjoy your blizzard!
your description of athens reminds me of naples. i went there by myself for a couple days and while i definitely think everyone should go there [esp for the trips out to pompei and the amalfi coast], a couple days definitely does the trick!
ReplyDeletestill oh so very jealous of your adventures - i will get over there eventually!