Athens, Greece: It's All Greek To Me

Our trip to Greece is best summed up by, "Why didn't we do this sooner?" On perhaps bunk advice we've picked up along the way from family and friends, Greece wasn't a even on our radar. During the past couple of year, our friends made it sound like we were missing out. With an infant and her grandparents in tow, the ease and proximity of Athens from Alexandria-a mere 90-minute flight, more than ever, we were sold.

The first stop was Athens, where we camped out at an airbnb apartment in the Thissio neighborhood. Thissio is right under the Acropolis stashed between Gazi (nightlife haven) and Psirri (antiques, cafes, and street art). All was within a short walking distance. It was a shame we didn't venture out of our three kilometer radius.

As Ana said, "We'll go back...if not for the sights, definitely for the food and wine." 

For 12 Euros you can purchase a ticket to gain entrance to all the antiquity hot spots. We bought in at Temple of Olympian Zeus.  

Odeon of Herodes Atticus hosts many events in the late spring/summer.

Old Temple of Athena

Old Temple of Athena

Parthenon

View from the Acropolis.

Detail of Theater of Dionysu.

Another view from the Acropolis.

Parthenon with less cloud cover.

A view of Theater of Dionysu.

A walk around Omonia Square where all the protests start, as one local mentioned to us.

Ximena discovering bees.

Along with street art and tagging, political posters were part of the urban landscape.

The train near our hood.

Junk collector dream.

The Acropolis.

Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Along with feral cats, dogs also occupied the streets.

Sweet ride part 1.

Sweet ride part 2. Sure beats the wood panel design of the plagued station wagons from the 70s.

View of the Acropolis from Ancient Agora.

Temple of Hephaistos.

Stda of Attalos aka one-point perspective example. There were plenty of students roaming around doing cheeky antics like putting caps on statues and sneaking off for a cigarette. Sounds like a place to bring adolescents.

Making way for...

There was no shortage of street art and galleries in Psirri.

A nice installation of a Alice In Wonderland inspired project.

The gallery was covered from floor to ceiling.

Just in case we were missing one of America's finest rice beers.

The dog did it.

Thissio is mostly scenic and lined with outdoor cafes and old churches that are tagged.

More of the same.

A punk clothing shop.

While the Acropolis Museum had a lot to offer, the biggest attraction seemed to be the impressive Lego model of the Acropolis.

Fast forward to the end of the trip after island hopping Naxos and Santorini, we needed some down time. The southern tree-lined suburb of Voula. Voula provided the clam after the storm. 

Most of Voula's inhabitants we can across were either well-to-do socialites making the scene in upscale markets and cafes or retirees looking to soak up the sun.  

A makeshift alter along the sea. I was a bit perplexed by the bottle of cooking oil inside.

Sweet ride part 3. The neighbors car of where we stayed. Perhaps a garage is better suited for such fan antique.