Athens
We only spent one and a half days in Athens so I’m sure we missed a lot but we saw some of the big attractions and, of course, had lots of good food. Greece is very different from Italy and it took us a while to adjust, but I think we managed pretty well.
The first afternoon we did some light exploring and checked out the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Olympic Stadium used in the 2004 Olympics. Then we climbed up to Lycabettus Hill from where you could see all of Athens, including some great views of the Parthenon and the sunset (there’s a funicular to take you most of the way up the hill, but the guidebooks don’t mention that it’s still a decent hike up to get to the base of the funicular). The next day we did the walked up to the Parthenon, did some shopping in Plaka, checked out a few more ruins, watched the changing of the Parliament Guards, and then had a lovely dinner on Apostolou Pavlou in Thissio with a spectacular nighttime view of the Parthenon.
For full size versions, check out my Athens Gallery page.
We stayed at the Economy Hotel in Omonia. The area wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful and the hotel was reasonably priced, close to the metro, and pretty perfect for budget travelers like ourselves.
