After having a wonderful time in Santorini, our next stop was to explore Athens!
Monastiraki
After getting off the ferry docks, Karen and myself boarded the Athens metro line. From there, it took us to Monastiraki where Karen was very thrilled upon arrival. Being a girl, she loves shopping and browsing at different shops. Monastiraki is famous for its shopping district so Karen was bouncing around the different shops.
I had to remind her that we should drop off our stuff in our hostel first before we go exploring.
When we finally stored our bags in the hostel, we went out to see what’s in the Monastiraki area.
Karen went from shop to shop scouting for souvenirs to buy her friends and family. After she had a mental picture of what she wanted, we went looking for a place to eat.
We found a restaurant near our hostel that had a pretty good deal on food. After eating happily, Karen went back to the stores and purchased the souvenirs she was eyeing earlier.
Acropolis of Athens
The next day, it was my turn to be excited. I really wanted to see the Acropolis of Athens because I love ancient history. The stories of Greek gods and ancient ruins leaves me excited. Karen was also excited so we got up early and hiked up the Acropolis as soon as we can.
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel sitting on a big rock above the city of Athens. At the Acropolis, you will see the famous Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Parthenon.
It definitely did not disappoint! Despite having millions of tourist (I’m exaggerating but there was definitely a lot), we had a good time taking pictures. We spent maybe two hours exploring and taking pictures of various buildings in the Acropolis.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
One of the very first major site we saw in the Acropolis is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a massive amphitheatre made of rocks and definitely looked impressive!
We were surprise to learn that they still use this amphitheater for concerts. That’s really cool, especially knowing how old this amphitheater is.
Parthenon
And of course, how can we forget the Parthenon! The Parthenon is a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. When you think of a symbol of Greece, I’m sure the Parthenon is one of the first that comes to mind!
The construction to this massive building began in 447 BC. So it makes perfect sense that it’s starting to fall apart and they had to use beams to help hold up this building up.
Regardless, it still looks really nice and it’s one of the most iconic ancient buildings in the world.
Karen and myself made sure to take tons of pictures with it so we have tons of memento of this place.
Temple of Olympian Zeus
After exploring the Acropolis, we started walking down the stairs. To our surprise, we saw the Temple of the Olympian of Zeus. Now to be honest, there’s not much to see but a few pillars, but it’s still cool to stumble upon it.
We didn’t pay to enter because you can see the entire place from the outside.
After sight seeing, we went back to Monastiraki which is close to the hostel we were staying at and had brunch.
Opinion of Athens
I understand that a lot of people that visit Athens don’t really like it. Many people say it looks beat up and run down.
To me, it didn’t feel that way at all. It’s an ancient city so you can’t expect it to look like a super modern metropolis. I think it looks fine as is and actually adds character to the city.
I personally had a great time and I would love to return to Greece someday in the future. It’s simply that amazing!
Subscribe to Travel and Live Free’s email list to get the latest blog post and updates!
Like me at Facebook to get the latest updates on my journey around the world. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the latest video of my travels
